Choosing a Career in Business

Begin exploring business careers and learn which is best for your life and goals

Resource Center Home | Find Business Schools

Picking the right career in business is a matter of matching what you want to do with the kind of life you want to lead. Figuring out how to strike this balance generally requires prioritizing your time, education goals and career ambitions.

There are also several ways to achieve your career goals in business. For example, suppose you've already picked your business career path but are looking for a career boost. An online business degree might suit your needs perfectly because you can schedule your study time around your job's hours, while if you're just starting out on the business career ladder, a traditional classroom might better suit your purposes.

Prioritize the Issues for the Right Career in Business

• Industry: What field interests you most? Vault.com provides a thorough list of industries that can help give you the understanding necessary for making this decision. It is also important to investigate what kind of business careers in your target industry are growing and hiring.
• Location: Where would you like to live? Do you prefer big cities or small towns? How far and by what means are you willing to commute? Do you want to be close to your family and friends or do you want to strike out into new territory? Many people also consider the cost of living in different areas of the country or world.
• Working Conditions: What kind of environment best suits your working style? Some people need to feel rooted to a workspace where they are surrounded by coworkers, while others hope to see new faces and locations every day. When choosing your career in business, try to consider which way—or in which combination—you are most comfortable and productive.
• Work/Life Balance: Are you at a position where you can and want to devote the majority of your time to work? Do you need to factor in family responsibilities? Are you happiest when working or do you relish that stroll out of work at the end of a nine to five day?

What's Next?

According to Richard Nelson-Bolles, in his book What Color is My Parachute, the number one rule is to "go for any career that seems interesting or fascinating to you." Bolles continues to suggest, though, that prospective employees "first talk to people who are already doing that work, to find out if their career or job is a great as it seems at first impression."

This type of informational interview is an unbeatable way to begin your business career search; it is one of the few ways someone new to a particular industry can see what life is like in the field, and people are usually eager help someone who is just starting out.

Etiquette suggests that you keep these interviews short—about 20 minutes—and that you not ask the interviewee for a job. Instead, use the conversation to make connections and determine how well the job piques your interest and meets your needs. If you have access to a university's career office, you may be able to find job openings within your area of interest and get in touch with alumni already in the field.