Business degrees are one of the most popular degrees for college students, and have a reputation of landing you a stable accounting job straight out of undergrad. Those jobs are valuable and need to be done, but what if accounting isn’t your thing? Not all business graduates end up tracking finances, so you can take inspiration from others if you’re stuck on what to do next. Many unique jobs in business are steadily growing. You have the choice of going into anything from management to machine learning!
Some higher-paying and non-entry-level positions require an MBA or further certification, but with a bachelor’s degree, you are well on your way. To start you off in the wide world of business, here are 12 jobs you can go into as a business major that aren’t accounting.
Most larger businesses have an HR department, where specialists work to recruit new employees, handle benefits for current employees, and settle conflicts in the workplace. If you have great interpersonal skills and love communicating, this job would suit you well! Your business degree will come in handy because you know the ins and outs of how businesses run, and the ethical conduct companies need to follow to treat its employees well. Some companies require certifications from organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management, or you can look for entry-level HR assistant positions.
Hospitals and doctors’ offices typically have medical managers who oversee recruiting hospital staff, coordinating daily schedules for doctors and other staff, and dealing with health insurance providers. This all keeps a hospital running well, so that health care providers can focus on taking care of the patients. Medical managers play a role in making sure people get good health care, but don’t interact directly with patients.
Many businesses need people to find more clients for their services, or customers to buy their product. Account executives in sales, or salespeople, have deep knowledge of the company’s product, and the needs of both current and prospective customers. This role pays a base salary, and often pays an additional commission depending on how many sales you make. You’d be a great fit for this job if you’re a people person and can be persuasive.
If you’re super organized, like to lead, and have good communication skills, consider a role in project management. Companies need someone to track the progress of goals, coordinate employees working on the same project, and analyze outcomes of a finished project. Project managers also keep stakeholders in a company informed. Project management at tech companies requires some knowledge of the software involved in the product, but you don’t necessarily need a tech degree. Plenty of non-tech companies need project managers, too!
If you prefer numbers to people, or have an interest in consumer psychology, you might want to become a financial research analyst. Analysts gather financial data from a company, analyze it, and write reports to help companies maximize their profits. They dive deep into market and consumer trends to determine best practices for companies in that market. You also typically only need a bachelor’s degree to get an entry-level research analyst position.
Have you ever wondered what it means when someone says they’re a consultant? Consulting is all about helping businesses run better by recommending strategies based on analysis of a company’s finances, customers, employees, and products. It’s known for being a higher-paying job, but can also be competitive and have long hours. Management consultants often work for consulting firms, and they often recruit students straight out of business school.
Investment bankers manage finances for clients ranging from individuals to large companies. Knowledge of market trends is important, since being an investment banker means you’re helping clients earn money by investing in stocks. Investment bankers also help clients cut costs. According to Indeed, many financial firms that hire investment bankers require an MBA, or master’s of business administration.
A role in marketing allows you to be creative by promoting a product through a specially-designed advertising campaign. Skills in social media come in handy, especially as many consumers are turning to TikTok and Instagram as their main sources of information. A business degree gives you relevant skills for managing campaign finances and analyzing market demographics. Companies may look for specialized degrees such as marketing or advertising, but you can still get into the marketing world with a broader business degree.
If you’re interested in a media career, consider business reporting. Business reporters present financial and economic reports for newspapers, TV and radio, business magazines, or social media. Their content is based on research, investigation, and data analysis. People may not have the time to do all their own research, but benefit from the advice someone knowledgeable about business provides.
If you’re a math junkie, you’ll excel in a position like an operations research analyst. An analyst’s job is to take large amounts of raw data and analyze it using statistical analysis and mathematical algorithms and modeling. Using this information, you can suggest fixes for business to improve operations or profits. If you want to expand your skills, consider taking a course on machine learning. Ever heard of the Spotify or TikTok algorithm? This is machine learning, which involves computers using algorithms to analyze big chunks of data. The computers continuously learn the more data they have.
Financial managers are employed by a company to make sure money is being spent well, and enough earnings are coming in. Their job may include figuring out where to invest money, developing financial goals, overseeing spending decisions, and producing reports based on financial data. This job also involves leadership and teaching others. With further education and certification beyond a bachelor’s in business, such as Chartered Financial Analyst, you have the tools to become a chief financial officer one day.
If you’ve held several volunteer positions or are passionate about nonprofit work, consider going into fundraising. This job involves organizing campaigns to raise money for organizations. Fundraisers have to understand what compels people to donate, advertise the campaign, organize donor information, and coordinate volunteers to complete the project.
Assistant buyers aid upper-level buyers in helping a company purchase goods in a cost-effective way. They keep track of inventory, budgets, and administrative tasks. They also have to work with sellers and learn about market trends. Think about this job if you have great negotiation and organizational skills. It’s also an entry-level job, with no extra certification required.
