Why do business majors get a bad rep?

College Majors Business Major
1

<p>So yeah, business majors don't have to do "super multivariable calculus" or "cutting-edge research" but why do they have a bad rep? As a HS senior I'm looking at my options and I've heard that business is a "safe career". Can someone give me the basics of business? Is a business major hard? Is there a lot of competition? Why are business majors sometimes laughed at?</p>

<p>I don't want to sound naive and clueless. I just want to know a little more in dept and the experience of business. =)</p>

2

<p>“Business” as a major spans from business admin to econ to accounting to finance. All of these have much different individual requirements, most of which are hard. A lot of science and other “harder” majors may say business isn’t hard, but any non-ignorant person realizes that subjects like accounting, finance, and economics can indeed be very challenging. I believe most of the bad rep from business comes from the general business admin degree, because most argue that it really doesn’t teach anything that you won’t learn more extensively actually working. Nothing is really “safe” as all jobs will go more or less in relation to the success of the economy. Is it safer than pursuing a career as a film director? sure, but still no guarantees.</p>

3

<p>Some think it is a vocational education, therefore easier. And they are usually in debt to us, and that is why they hate Wall Street.</p>

4

<p>It’s funny, I have this too. My friends consider me a “genius” (no i’m not) and when I say that i’m going to study business, they are all upset. They say “Why are you wasting college on a business degree? Surely you should be studying something very very smart like biomedical engineering?”</p>

<p>… Sigh.</p>

5

<p>^^ I actually struggled with that a while myself. Growing up, grandparents/dad (mom told me to do what i wanted) always pushed that I need to be a doctor or a lawyer. I was set on being a doctor for a while until i realized there was no way financially i could go to school for another 8 years AFTER i graduate college. I decided on accounting, but in the back of my head, i always think aren’t i smarter than this? but im sure accounting will provide me with the challenge i want while also giving the immediate employment opportunity. i like the idea of engineering, i just hate the idea of all the calculus classes i’d have to take before i start taking the engineering classes.</p>

6

<p>Because outside of accounting, finance, and biz econ at some places (although biz econ is way easier than theoretical econ) they ARE joke majors. Marketing, management, etc. are basically just applied psychology/sociology, which are considered joke majors. I’d argue that even accounting, finance, and econ aren’t that hard compared to sciences like chemistry, physics; or engineering subjects/math majors. Accounting is somewhat difficult because there is A LOT to learn and it takes a lot of practice to learn and master how to account for various things, but with the requisite work ethic, anyone can still do it compared to math, which some people just can’t wrap their heads around. Finance can be very difficult if you go to a mathematical program with proofs and all, but usually ends up being watered down, plug and chug math class. Econ is very, very difficult at the very best schools or if you take mathematical economics, but most people do “business” economics and it ends up being a bunch of useless theoretical nonsense that assumes people will behave rationally.</p>

<p>Basically, the tier for hard majors go:</p>

<p>Easy: any “creative” major or social science and business majors like marketing, management, etc.</p>

<p>Medium: Finance, Accounting, Biology, sometimes Chemistry, the “easier” engineering majors like industrial engineering and whatnot</p>

<p>Hard: Physics, Biochemistry, Math, legit engineering majors like EE/Comp E, Chem E, BioE</p>

<p>So since most business majors are in the “easy” category and even Finance/Accounting, the “hard” business majors are at the lower end of the medium spectrum, you can see why most people think business is a joke.</p>

7

<p>Who cares? If you want to be X, you are probably going to have to major in X, whether it is harder than you’d like or easy and gets you mocked by your friends. Just make sure you want to do job X, can live with the pay of job X, and someone will hire you for Job X if you major in that topic at your particular school.</p>

8

<p>I think ranking majors is a silly thing to do. Someone who is good with Chemistry could be a horrible businessman, and vice versa. If you forced a scientific person to do a business major, they may struggle, and again, vice versa.</p>

9

<p>How many business majors become successful? I mean you hear about “a friend” who is making a pretty good starting salary (60k+), but do only the talented ones reach that? I mean, who’s going to hate on a person making good money?</p>

10

<p>Here’s my opinion on the subject, as somebody that has real world experience (running my own business for 9 years) but is also in college right now:</p>

<p>“Business” degrees have become the new liberal arts degree. There’s nothing wrong with that. Most general business programs teach you the basic concepts of every business; management, accounting, finance, economics, marketing. It will give you nice groundwork when you start working. </p>

<p>However, most business degrees are very broad. It’s up to you after school to find a career path and develop into a great professional. A business degree is great for “checking the box” that says you have a degree. But the major drawback with a business degree is that it will not separate you from the rest of the pack, because many other people are also getting business degrees. The best it will do for you is let you get an entry level job in some business (of which type of business is wide open). </p>

<p>Choosing a degree in another field, especially a “harder” degree path, can work to separate you from other people, those with just a business degree. But choosing a more specialized degree can also work against you, if the company is strictly looking for a “business degree”. I would speculate that if you get a degree in engineering you won’t be looked down upon by a prospective employer.</p>

<p>Business degrees are still good to get and I recommend getting one if you cannot excel at a “harder” degree (math, quantitative sciences, engineering, etc). A business degree is better than a degree in History or Sociology, imo.</p>

11

<p>If you can get to a top ranked institution that has a reputable business program, and then excel within that, I think you can do very well with your business degree. I think the opportunities at USC are much more vast than they are at Uni of Tennessee, where I am, just because of it’s reputation, and the fact that it’s in LA and hosts many job fairs.</p>

12

<p>Engineers are probably the major most likely to tracked into a deadend job unless you got to MIT and a few other elite engineering schools. I’d say in general, finance and other harder B majors are making much more in 5 years than most engineers from the same or similar level schools. Better raises, promotions and bonuses.</p>

13

<p>Most people are going to have outcomes similar enough whether they go with a legitimate business degree or engineering degree that they should choose what career path will make them happiest over the course of their lives. It’s not like a decision between majoring in Poetry and Engineering, where you will probably be eating Alpo for dinner if you choose the wrong one. You shouldn’t choose engineering over accounting because somebody on the internet says you’ll make a little more money that way, you should choose the career you want to have. There are many careers which usually lead to a comfortable middle class life for smart people with the chances of riches for the truly great or lucky. Choose among those what will make you happiest and don’t worry if one makes 5.2% more after 7.3 years than the other. It’s really not important.</p>

14

<p>I don’t know I’ve seen some of the stuff that Finance, Economics (not really business), and Accounting majors do and it looks pretty legit. You gotta give them respect. It’s not as tough Engineering, Physics, or Math, but it’s not a complete joke like the social sciences and arts.</p>

<p>And having extensive knowledge in accounting or finance would seem like a good life skill to have. It might help you handle your funds a little better, although there are probably accountants who still don’t know how to handle money.</p>

15

<p>what’s with the hate on industrial engineering?</p>

<p>the haters should take nonlinear programming, they’ll s* their pants.</p>

<p>though i’d suggest business people to just do chemistry or chemical engineering. it’s easier than some aspects of business (no reading/memorizing) and pays better in case you had bad luck.</p>

16

<p>I know my mom was an accountant and she didn’t seem to like her job. This is my personal experience which is why I want to know if business has open opportunities and if business men/women are happy.</p>

<p>Also, what’s a good college business GPA? Would my state school’s education suffice?</p>

17

<p>at GA tech, the business management majors (called the M-Train) are at the bottom of the intellectual ladder.</p>