[Couch]

Just major in General Business. Then you can pick and choose which business classes you want to. Be it a mix of Finance, Economics, Management, Marketing. Or if you have a stronger interest in just one area focus on that.

I took mostly management courses. I would take a few sales classes just because though. I'm glad I did. It really opened my eyes, even more so, on being a true bullshitter.

[johnnymu]

Originally Posted by TurboFan

psht...I've got an engineering degree, and I don't do anything related to my major!

My advice? Figure out a ROUGH idea of what you would like to do, and get a somewhat general degree. For instance, I have a degree in Mechancial Engineering, which is a very general engineering degree as opposed to something like Aero, Petroleum or Welding. Electrical and Industrial Engineering are also general degrees. Granted, engineering isn't for most people. Accounting is a very valuable degree, because it will teach you how to break down and evaluate a company. You don't have to go into public accounting with an accounting degree.

If you have some sort of technical degree or professional degree, an MBA becomes much more powerful. Not to diminish the value of an undergrad degree in business, but having a degree in something useful, but not business , will make you a more well rounded candidate for companies down the road. If you do go for a business undergrad, I would go with accounting.

If I were doing it over again, I'd get my degree in Mechanical Engineering, but I'd probably have a minor in accounting or economics.

BS in Mechanical Engineering and also not in the same field.
Fortunately, doing well enough to pay the bills. My recommendation, keep all options and connections at hand.

[aznshrek88]

Originally Posted by Couch

Just major in General Business. Then you can pick and choose which business classes you want to. Be it a mix of Finance, Economics, Management, Marketing. Or if you have a stronger interest in just one area focus on that.

I took mostly management courses. I would take a few sales classes just because though. I'm glad I did. It really opened my eyes, even more so, on being a true bullshitter.

Being a business major myself, I'm finding a lot of the classes I'm taking to be bullshit, and yes you just learn how to bullshit. I don't really think anyone can TEACH you business fundamentals, all you really need is a good idea, a source of funding and an understand or partner (me +D) of accounting.

[Couch]

Originally Posted by aznshrek88

Being a business major myself, I'm finding a lot of the classes I'm taking to be bullshit, and yes you just learn how to bullshit. I don't really think anyone can TEACH you business fundamentals, all you really need is a good idea, a source of funding and an understand or partner (me +D) of accounting.

That's all college really is. It gives you a glimpse of things that may come up in your first few years afterwards. Note: I'm speaking mainly for business school.

For my Strategic Mgt class, we had to create an entire plan for a company of our choosing. Included were matrices, mission/vision statements, finances, etc. Give a 30 minute speech, with powerpoint.

This has actually come up working for a large company. Every year we have to go to a meeting that details that years company objectives. Almost exactly what I did, just on a smaller scale.

Anyway, that's why I always suggest majoring in business to anyone whom has no clue what the hell to major in. There are a lot more people willing to interview someone with a business degree, as opposed to someone who majored in journalism.

[chitown3]

I am currently a freshman (taking sophomore and junior classes) in college and majoring in Finance and Accounting. At my school, it is possible to finish finance and accounting degrees in four years. If you want to take summer classes, you can finish in three years. Last summer, I interned for Bank of America Private Bank assisted a team that worked with ultra high net worth families in Chicago. I learned more about what I want to do with my degree through that internship than I had before.

As many of you mentioned, school can not/ does not teach you business. To be able to understand the business you are looking at, try to get a low level job and try it out for a few months. Plus, as the poster above stated, there are many people willing to interview they think will understand business.

Good luck!

Jordan

[Couch]

Originally Posted by chitown3

I am currently a freshman (taking sophomore and junior classes) in college and majoring in Finance and Accounting. At my school, it is possible to finish finance and accounting degrees in four years. If you want to take summer classes, you can finish in three years. Last summer, I interned for Bank of America Private Bank assisted a team that worked with ultra high net worth families in Chicago. I learned more about what I want to do with my degree through that internship than I had before.

As many of you mentioned, school can not/ does not teach you business. To be able to understand the business you are looking at, try to get a low level job and try it out for a few months. Plus, as the poster above stated, there are many people willing to interview they think will understand business.

Good luck!

Jordan

You mentioned interning. This is a MUST!!!!!! I can't stress it enough. I didn't, I only worked for my dad, which could have been considered an intership of sorts. But it didn't help me out.

If I would have done a true internship I would be doing a lot better than what I'm doing now. It's my biggest regret I have from college.

[J-Sud]

I have also heard of a good joke...

lim GPA->0 (Engineering Major) = Business major

Anyway, I am graduating with a BS in Electrical Engineering from A&M. I def. agree with the tech. degree then get a MBA. Thats my plan at least.

just my .02

Originally Posted by TurboFan

There's a saying in engineering: "You can always hire an engineer to do a business man's job, but you can't hire a business man to do an engineer's job".

Thousands of engineers every year go into MBA programs. They'll always have that degree, and they can't take it away from you. Even at this point in my career, with over 10 years of experience and a lovely position in middle management any job I look at still wants to see that I have an engineering degree. I won't use it, but that degree means something. It's as hard or harder than any other major you can do in college.

The one thing that I see engineering college teach better than any other is problem solving. Whether it's a mechanical problem, electrical, industrial or business problem, the problem solving skills taught in engineering school will serve you through your whole life (except with women - that's a whole different story).

All of my friends that have completed med school and were engineers as undergrads, or completed law school with an undergrad in engineering agree - med school and law school have nothing on engineering school. An MBA is a joke compared to engineering school!

[TurboFan]

Originally Posted by J-Sud

I have also heard of a good joke...

lim GPA->0 (Engineering Major) = Business major

Anyway, I am graduating with a BS in Electrical Engineering from A&M. I def. agree with the tech. degree then get a MBA. Thats my plan at least.

just my .02

I wonder how many people here understand that equation!

[J-Sud]

glad you liked it....btw your avatar is hilarious...

[hl0m4n]

i just declared my major today. it was between business adminstration and account. from what i read business administration is just a general business major right while accounting is a more specific course in business?

anway, my major is account .

[Couch]

Originally Posted by hl0m4n

i just declared my major today. it was between business adminstration and account. from what i read business administration is just a general business major right while accounting is a more specific course in business?

anway, my major is account .

Congrats man.

Just get use to all the accountant jokes.

My roommate in college was an accounting major. He's working on his CPA right now. He is the epitome of an accountant. Can't separate his work from the drink in his hand at the bar.

[hl0m4n]

doing accounting i can still get MBA later on right? looking at wikipedia it says i need to take business administration. from what i read and talked about with the counsler its finance<business admin<accounting...

i have time to change. what exactly is the difference between business admin and accounting?

[FirstClass]

Originally Posted by hl0m4n

doing accounting i can still get MBA later on right? looking at wikipedia it says i need to take business administration. from what i read and talked about with the counsler its finance<business admin<accounting...

i have time to change. what exactly is the difference between business admin and accounting?

You can get an MBA if your undergrad degree was in art. Undergrad degree doesn't matter.

[itsxtian]

Congrats on your decision.

Yes you can get an MBA regardless of your major, but here's a few important points:
- You'll need to take the GMAT and get a pretty good score (depending on the schools you want to apply to and your undergraduate degree/gpa)
- Work experience counts like no other. Top tier schools require 5-8 years minimum. Random schools require 1-2 years, some others require 2-5. I took my GMAT last October (1.5 years out of college), did fairly well, but want to work more to build up my work experience, which is essential to getting into a good program.
- A lot happens while you wait to build up your work experience. Relationships, new career paths, DEBT, finding yourself, career ops, new m3 coupes, etc. What you decide on an undergrad, (I believe) it should not be reliant on the fact that you will apply for an MBA. Do what you want to, because in the long run that is what is going to make you happier in life.

I started as a comp. sci major but couldn't hang/didn't like it, ended up double-majoring in communications & film studies, minor in asian american studies.

I use a lot of what I learned from my major today (I work in online advertising at a very reputable company) and love it.

So I guess in that sense, I'll play devils advocate... undergraduate degree doesn't matter (that much), but it can. What does matter is your college experience and what you get out of it. If you are the most motivated/go-getter person out of college you will excel like no other (regardless of your major), but if you just take life as it's handed to you... not so much.

[hl0m4n]

^ thanks man for the advice. but what exactly is the difference between business admin and accounting? is it just accounting is more specific oriented compared to business admin just being a general business course?

[TurboFan]

If you don't know the difference between business admin and accounting, you may want to learn more about accounting.

Accounting is actually a very rigourous field of business study, and the CPA exam (Certified Public Accountant) is no joke. It's like passing the Bar for a lawyer or the PE for an engineer. You don't have to go for the CPA, but accounting is a respected profession in and of itself with high standards and complex rules to understand and memorize. General business administration can be a lot of different things, but it's just that - a general overview of the business world. If you want to have a better shot at a job after college, and one that pays well, stick with accounting, or if you can't hack it, consider finance.

[nissan]

Stick with accounting, general business studies won't help much w/getting a job later. Most firms want either accounting or finance grads. Accounting is slightly more difficult than finance, but it's not all that bad. CPA exam is nothing compared to the bar IMO. That isht is fn hard (failed 1x): CPA < bar <= CFA

[Kalin]

Do what interests you. I'm of the opinion that an undergrad degree is fast becoming (or already is) simply a litmus test of one's capacity to learn and function on one's own. Taking it the next step is where it matters; life should be continual education.

For ex: my undergrad was in Japanese language / Asian Studies, Chemistry minor. I got out, worked in the semiconductor industry and got my MCSE. Got tired of the cube life and joined the Navy. I'm currently getting my masters in Strategic Intelligence (Terrorism Studies).

Nowhere in this does chemistry or Japanese factor, other than sushi orders.

If I were to do my undergrad again, I would major in chemistry rather than minor... or engineering.

[TurboFan]

I can't say enough good about an engineering degree. It's one of the most versatile out there. But you can't just show up and get one. It's a hell of a lot of work.

I would agree that the bachelors degree is quickly becomming the HS diploma of the 50's-60's. Used to be you could have a good job and make decent money with just a high school diploma. Now you need a 4 year degree for anyone to look at you, let alone make enough to live on. If you have a lower level degree, you'll have to have a masters to do anything, or some advanced training (MCSE is a great example).

You can still get somewhere with a 4 year degree in an advanced field like engineering, accounting or finance, but even those are rapidly moving towards a masters if you want to move up in a career.

[Dragonman4]

Originally Posted by batchelorc

I was an Information Systems major and I'm flying an Apache now...

That sounds like one of the sweetest jobs ever. I remember that one commercial for the US Armed forces about the apache pilot and he said something like. People ask me what I do for a living, and I tell them I fly around and blow things up.

[Kalin]

Originally Posted by Dragonman4

That sounds like one of the sweetest jobs ever.

I hear they're hiring.

[hl0m4n]

i know college isn't a place that gives you step by step instructions to making own business but to enchance tools, etc account suitable for opening a business in future? i know im asking questions that i should be answering myself but i just want your feedback as alot of you guys it seems are finished and living on