It might be a cliché, but you really can do just about anything with a business degree. The curriculum provided arms new grads with a set of skills that make them indispensable to the career they choose.

We’ve rounded up 11 different types of jobs you can get with a business degree to give you an idea of just how versatile that particular bachelor’s degree is.

The unique skillset a business degree gives you

Degrees at business schools are no small feat and certainly no small investment for students. But the payoff with a business degree is that it really can take you anywhere. A business degree trains you to be:

Analytical
Financially savvy
Organized and an experienced planner
Well-versed in economic trends
Aware of personnel and organizational behavior
An ethical decision-maker
Strategic thinker and problem solver

11 jobs you can get with a business degree

Depending on your strengths and areas of interest, you can tailor your career after business school to your own dream career. Here are 11 different jobs you can get with your business degree.

Management consultant

Management consultants serve a broad number of industries and other managers. In essence, they are hired to help the management team of a company to meet its organizational goals, solve complex issues, or improve efficiency within their departments. Management consultants help to solve business problems, and they can be specialists in their own right, focused on finance, organizational behavior, change management or DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).

According to PayScale.com, the average salary for a management consultant is $88,623. Those who have just graduated and are starting their careers can still expect to make an average salary above $70,000, while experienced consultants can earn well over six-figure salaries.

Accountant

Accountants work for small businesses and large, and some even go into business themselves as entrepreneurs. They are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of financial documents, preparing financial reports, and making sure taxes are paid on time. Not only are they essential to a business, but they can do many things on a daily basis, adding variety to the job. Most important is an aptitude for math and a keen eye for detail.

Accountants and auditors are reported together by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with an average salary of $73,560. Both professions are tasked with preparing and analyzing financial records, which a business degree prepares them for. There will likely be on-the-job-specific training, as well as applicable certifications for the state or industry that you are working in.

Financial analyst

Across the country, business grads who go on to become financial analysts earn average salaries of $83,660. You might be wondering why these experts earn more than the accountants and auditors, and that’s because they take the analysis of financial documents one step further. They advise both businesses and individuals (in the case of customer-facing roles at banks, for example) on how best to spend money in order to maximize their return. The opportunities for advancement in these roles are endless, with massive salaries and management responsibilities.

Business journalist

Business journalists have a little more flexibility in their working environments than other professionals with business degrees. If you’re looking for a job that you can do remotely or on your own hours and have the communication and writing skills to match, this job could be an excellent fit for your life.

When salaries are reported, the larger group of reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts are lumped together, with an average pay rate of $49,300 per year. Business reporters, however, with their specialized background can expect to make more than the average, especially as they gain years of experience.

Marketing manager

Marketing has always been a massive part of business, but lately, with digital platforms and social media marketing, the profession has expanded its tools and become quite high-tech. Marketing managers are responsible for creating the strategy that a brand will use to attract its customers, from branding to content to advertising.

Managers also have a team of professionals who work for them to execute all the components of a company’s plan. The profession will suit both creative thinkers and big-picture problem-solvers who love to work with large teams. Marketing managers make $141,490 per year on average.

Human resources specialist

Human resources specialists can work in several different roles, from recruitment and onboarding to personnel issue resolution and benefits administration. This job offers a combination of strategy (in terms of personnel staffing and retention) and relationship building and problem-solving for business school grads.

HR specialists get to work with, well, people and make a real difference in their colleagues’ work lives. In 2020, $63,490 was the average salary, though specialists with more than 10 years of experience made an average salary of greater than $100,000.

Purchasing manager

Purchasing managers can expect to make an average salary of $125,940. On top of managing a group of purchasers or buyers, purchasing managers typically develop an organization’s procurement policies and procedures.

The profession combines aspects of team development, hiring, and training on the personnel side, while also allowing for strategic thinking and ensuring that the team is following ethical practices.

Operations research analyst

On average, an operations research analyst makes a salary of $86,200. A combination of analytical skills and mathematical skills are put to task in this job to use data to come up with solutions for companies. In this field, some job postings also require a technical background, depending on the industry.

For example, an operations research analyst in an engineering firm may need to have both an engineering degree and a business degree. But the specialization would lead to higher pay expectations and more exciting work for someone with both technical aptitude and business knowledge.

Fundraiser

Most people in the fundraising space work for nonprofit organizations, including governments, education departments, healthcare organizations, and political campaigns. They are responsible for raising money and organizing events in support of their organizations and causes. Typically, a strong business background is required, along with excellent communication skills and the ability to develop a rapport with potential donors.

The average annual salary for a fundraiser is $59,610. While you can expect pay increases depending on the industry you work in or the years of experience you accrue, only the top 10% make more than $100,000 per year.

Actuary

For business school grads with an aptitude for math and statistics, becoming an actuary might be in the cards. These professionals calculate risk for insurance companies. They also need to have excellent reporting and presentation skills to communicate their detailed findings to management.

Actuaries play an essential role in helping insurance companies forecast a potential payout and calculate appropriate premiums. On average, actuaries make $111,030 per year. In addition to the lucrative salary, the job is expected to grow in demand by 24% over the next decade.

Business development manager

A business development manager will make a salary of around $130,085, according to Salary.com. Even the average range of salaries lies above the six-figure mark, and that’s because successful business development managers help make significant profits for their employers.

Typically, a business development manager is responsible for developing relationships with potential clients and setting the stage for strategic business partnerships. They have a business degree, understand their company’s goals, and create opportunities aligned with the corporate mission and their company’s current goals.

Kattie Thorndyke

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