Business Administration as the Optimal Career Path - Research Paper Example

When a person chooses a career path they must select a field that they like since that person will be working in career path for the rest of their lives. Another important criterion when choosing a career is to select one that has a lot of jobs available in the marketplace. Choosing to study to be astronaut may not be too practical since the jobs in this career field are very limited. The career that I choose to investigate is the business administration field. This career path is very practical due to the fact that there are millions of jobs available in the marketplace for business administration graduates. I would like to study business administration to eventually become a manager. Studying business administration is a four year commitment at the undergraduate level and two extra years at the graduate level to earn an MBA degree. Students that want to reach the managerial level should study an MBA in order to increase their chances of reaching the managerial ranks. The best thing about studying business administration is that it opens up the doors towards doing many things in the world. A person that graduates from business administration can work either in the private or public industries. There are plenty of governmental jobs available for business administration graduates. In the United States there are hundreds of thousands of business establishments. These establishments whether they are small, medium, or large size needs a person or persons to manage the business. Another alternative that business administration graduates have is to become an entrepreneur and establish your own business. A person that chooses to study business administration has a good economic future ahead for themselves. The average salary for a manager in the United States is $63,000 a year (Indeed). It takes a lot of commitment and sacrifice to work as a manager. In the managerial field 10 to 12 hour work days are typical of the profession. Managers are exempt employees that get paid on salary basis, thus overtime pay based on hourly rates does not apply. Managers are offered excellent compensation packages that include perks such as bonuses, stock options, car allowance, dental plan, and medical plan among others. Managers working in multinational corporations often travel to other locations. The managerial field is an exciting career that offers workers to opportunity to work in different business industries. When a person is studying in college they must take advantage of the opportunity to expand their horizons. Participating in extracurricular activities can help a person improve their resume. Another important experience students should realize is to gain work experience by realizing internships. An internship can be defined as a student or recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training (Thefreedictionary). Some students get paid for an internship, while others are non-paid. The most important aspect of the internship is gaining work experience. Due to the important of an internship students must research the market for companies that offer internship opportunities. I selected three companies that are good candidates for internships. The three companies are Accenture, Microsoft, and Walt-Mart. Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company. The firm is public company whose stocks as of December 13, 2010 were trading at $46.15 a share (Accenture). The company has a great corporate culture. A corporate culture can be a motivating factor that improves the work performance of employees. Accenture has a presence and operation in over 200 countries across the world. The firm is a global powerhouse that provides business solutions to its clients. The firm generated $21.55 million in 2010. The company uses a workforce that has lots of diversity. Working for Accenture would be a great opportunity because I would learn how to become a business consultant. Consulting is liberating and profitable career path that business administration professional can pursue. The second company selected is the blue chip company Microsoft Corporation. Blue ships are companies that have a strong record of generating profits and paying dividends to its stockholders. Microsoft is one the most innovative companies in the world. Its current Windows 7 operation system has the largest market share in the industry. Microsoft was founded in 1975 by the transformational leader Bill Gates. In 2010 the company generated revenues of $62.48 billion (Microsoft). The global workforce of Microsoft has 88,596 workers. In such a large corporation there are plenty of opportunities in the managerial field. Multination corporations have all level of managerial jobs which include senior management, middle management, and supervisory jobs. The third company I selected was Walt-Mart. Walt-Mart is the world largest retailer and largest employer with over 2.1 million people under payroll. The company is one of the most efficient companies in the world. The firm has a superb supply chain and logistics. In a firm so large are plenty of managerial opportunities. The retail industry is one of the largest industries in the world. In the marketplace the industry offers plenty of jobs opportunities for business administration graduates. Performing an internship at Walt-Mart would be very valuable work experience. The career opportunities available to business graduates are enormous. Business administration is a very flexible career path that provides gratifying work. To succeed in this career a person must have excellent interpersonal skills and analytical abilities. In business working alongside others and working with teams is very important. The best ideas are sometimes hidden in the minds of the floor workers. It is the responsibility of the manager to find those ideas by fostering open communication in the workplace. Working in teams can improve the performance of an enterprise. I choose business administration as the optimal career path for me due to the fact that business administration offers so many career choices. A person can own their business, work as a consultant, become a salesperson, or work as managers among other options. I like the managerial field which offers excellent pay in the form of base salary and fringe benefits. Managers get a change to work with other people to offer direction to a company. I see myself working until I become a senior citizen in the exiting field of business administration. Work Cited Page Accenture.com. 2010. “Investor Relations.” 13 December 2010 from Indeed.com. 2010. “Manager Salary”. 13 December 2010 Microsoft.com. 2010. “Facts About Microsoft.” 13 December 2010 Thefreedictionary.com. 2010. “Internship.” 13 December 2010 Read More