Career Opportunities with an Business Degree

The skills you’ll gain by studying for a Business degree will help you to build commercial awareness and this could lead to a career in any sector or industry.

If you think that you’ll enjoy the corporate, high powered world of big business then a degree in Business, Business Studies, or a related subject could be your gateway to a high status, high salary career.

All industries will benefit from the skills you’ll gain during your degree, so if you’d prefer not to take the traditional, commercial career path then a degree in Business could still be a worthwhile option.

Equally, if you’d like to run your own business in the future then your degree will equip you with the knowledge and know how to successfully be self-employed.

One excellent advantage of studying Business is that it can open up the way to a variety of entry level roles and graduate schemes once you’ve completed your degree.

If you want to specialise further after graduation, for example in to Marketing or Human Resources, then postgraduate study is also a popular option for Business graduates.

Typical career opportunities with a Business degree

Business graduates go on to work in any number of industries. Big, small, national or international, there are companies all over the world that look for business graduates because they have the key skills a company needs to thrive.

Here’s a closer look at some of the areas that Business graduates move into after graduation:

Accounting and Finance

A Business or Business Studies degree will have modules that cover accounting and finance but you’ll usually need further study if you want to take this career path.

For students that want to go down this career route it might be worth considering taking a graduate role and asking whether your employer would cover the cost of further training.

Management

Being a manager isn’t an easy job but it can be a highly rewarding role. Of course, managerial roles also have a higher salary attached; more opportunities for career progression, and you could find yourself working in any industry or field.

Although it’s unlikely that you’ll move straight into a managerial role as soon as you graduate your degree will give you all the skills you need to become a successful manager in the future.

Business Consultancy

If you’d like a career that combines using your strong analytic skills and an advisory role then you might want to consider working in business consultancy.

Generally you’ll work as part of a team and use your business expertise to advise businesses on either their business as a whole or on specific projects.

You may specialise in a specific area of business, such as becoming a marketing consultant. You may also specialise in a particular type of business and combine your skills with another area of interest, such as construction or retail.

Retail and Sales

Sales isn’t just about cold calling and the career opportunities for Business graduates in this field are many and varied.

Large retail companies are one of the biggest employers of Business graduates and often offer graduate training programmes or trainee management programmes. In some cases you may be able to undertake a work placement during your degree with a view to being taken on at entry level after graduation.

These programmes are highly competitive so if you’re thinking about going down this route you’ll need to have an excellent academic record and plenty of experience to demonstrate your passion for business.

More unusual career opportunities with a Business degree

Any industry would benefit from a graduate with strong analytical skills and good business acumen so you don’t just need to follow a traditional career path after graduation.

Less common career opportunities for Business graduates include:

Media

Although a Business degree isn’t generally the most creative degree choice there’s no reason why you couldn’t move into a creative role after graduation.

Business careers in media include:

• Sales
• Human Resources
• PR
• Finance
• Operations
• Marketing and Branding

Marketing and Advertising

Again, although you may not find yourself involved directly in creative tasks the analysis and reporting skills gained during your degree will be highly valuable in a Marketing or Advertising role.

Tasks in this role include:

• Managing client relationships
• Conducting market research
• Liaising with other professionals including copywriters and graphic designers
• Analysing markets
• Evaluating campaign results

Human Resources

If you want a career that enables you to combine your business acumen with strong interpersonal skills then you may enjoy working in HR.

A career in HR involves recruiting, training, and managing teams of staff. You may also be involved in the financial aspects to decide rates of pay and be in charge of the pay roll.

A good basic understanding of business operations and management will stand you in good stead for a successful career in HR.