what to do after business school

What Can I Do After Business School?

If you’re a prospective business student or recent business school graduate, and wondering what you can do with an in-demand business degree, there is excellent news. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the business sector is booming. Significant job growth for business occupations is projected from 2020 to 2030. Now is the time to enter the field of business, develop your brand, climb the corporate ladder, and make an impact.

The question remains, however, what exactly can you do after business school? How can you launch your career – or advance your skillsets – after graduation? We cover these questions (and more) below.

Professional Possibilities After Business School

Across an assortment of professional divisions, employment outlooks for business school graduates prove to be optimistic. After all, business specialists are needed in just about every industry, company, and department. Business majors have versatile and valuable skillsets that can be applied to many sectors.

For example, business careers can be held in accounting and finance, advising clients on acquisitions, reviewing expenditures and transactions, managing mergers, and preventing negligent practices.

Even fields like advanced manufacturing require business-savvy students. A degree in manufacturing management, for example, educates learners on themes like logistics and team dynamics while honing in hands-on skills.

Advertising and marketing firms equally need business school graduates for events, across social media platforms, magazine newspaper publications, film, and television. Business professionals in this realm can analyze markets, conduct research, evaluate data analytics, manage clientele, supervise writers and graphic design teams, and provide overall direction and development on business strategy.

Similarly, other vocations need applicants with business degrees to ensure best practices. Business occupations in consulting, for instance, combine an employee’s academic and analytical experience to provide valuable advice on branding, projects, businesses, campaigns, and communication initiatives.

From the Classroom to Careers: Business Experts Enter the Workforce

In 2019, close to 12,450,000 U.S. residents were employed in business fields, with 52% of jobs requiring at least a bachelor’s degree and 25% of positions needing applicants who earned an advanced degree. The same year, the average wage for graduates with business degrees was $65,000.

The top four employed occupations for business specialists in 2019 were the following. For all careers listed below, the expected, entry-level education is a bachelor’s degree.

A Business Education that Advances Your Skillsets and Success

Entering the workforce right away isn’t the only option. Earners looking to enroll in business school may also seek to strengthen their business network, increase their proficiencies, transition into a new career, improve job performance, earn a promotion, boost their salary potential, or become better leaders.

Business degrees enable students to discover the multidisciplinary properties of the profession while preparing graduates for the ever-changing occupational world. Business students typically study business theories related to administration, finance, management, and marketing. Business students should also expect to learn principles of accounting, entrepreneurship, human resources, international business, and beyond. This provides them with a comprehensive education that can be applied to many fields.

If you have a certificate or an associate degree in business administration and hope to further your future career goals, going back to business school is a practical and popular choice.

From 2018 to 2019, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that U.S. postsecondary institutions awarded one million associate degrees and two million bachelor’s degrees, with business-related majors and programs being among the most common fields of study.

Earning an associate degree in business usually takes around two years full-time, while a bachelor’s degree in business typically takes four years of study. Both degrees train graduates for entry and mid-level careers.

Obtaining an advanced degree in business is another option to enhance your future success and career potential. This requires enrolling in a business-related master’s program. Upon graduation, a graduate degree in business can open doors to leadership opportunities in financial operations and planning, market research, project management, and more. A master’s degree, like a master’s in business administration (MBA) or master’s in organizational leadership (MSOL), generally takes one to three years of full-time study and prepares students for business leadership roles as executives or managers.

For those looking to acquire a doctorate in business administration, earning a DBA takes around four to five years of full-time course work. The curriculum prepares graduates for CEO and postsecondary business professor positions.

Across all industries and sectors, strong advisors, decision-makers, leaders, and managers make a profitable organization possible. From corporate to creative industries, completing business school creates innovative opportunities to open a business or go on to fulfill careers in charity, consulting, fashion, finance, human resources, management, marketing, media, and more. Today, strategic thinkers and thought leaders with an education in business are necessary — whether employed by small entrepreneur-run companies or international empires.

Are you ready to discover what a degree in business can do for you? Click here to learn more about business courses and careers!