Undergrad Business School - Worth it?

[boofMcboof]

A little background: I have an advertising degree and have been working as a graphic designer and photographer for over ten years. The people I've worked under have been a huge influence in terms of getting me to think along the lines of business, marketing and fitting what I do into the big picture.

I enjoy taking on and managing projects. I have experience in establishing brands for nascent companies and seen them grow up close and personal. I enjoy that aspect the most, building things from scratch.

I'm thinking about getting an undergrad degree in business but don't know if it's worth it. Most people suggest studying Econ rather than undergrad business, but I'm not mathematically inclined nor do I have any great interest in it. I figure an undergrad business degree, would make me more well-rounded. Freelancing and dealing with new clients is a pain in the butt. I prefer devoting my attention to one company at a time. The past 3.5 years I've worked for a manufacturer as opposed to an advertising or graphic design firm.

Eventually, I'd like to manage artists, project manage and guide a company's brand rather than creating the actual content.

What are your thoughts on an undergrad business degree?

[Skinz4Life12]

i double majored in finance and management

i only had a to take 1 or 2 marketing classes so i can't give much advice on that major

if you have the time and dedication to go back to school and get a degree, go for it because it will really help you become more rounded like you said

so far i have no regrets in my major selection

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

What are your thoughts on an undergrad business degree?

I'm just finishing year 2 of my business degree. So far, its pretty hard.

I think its the requirements that make it hard: 2 Accounting Classes, Calculus, Statistics, etc.

I'm finished with that stuff in a month, so I'm hoping it'll get better because I kick ass at economic stuff.

What part of business are you looking at majoring in? Marketing?

[renaissance]

Why not just take some grad level courses in the area that interests you?

[haithman]

I think it depends on the type of business school you go to and what you want to do after. To me, I think you would be well served majoring in marketing and entrepreneurship or something along those lines. I am a finance concentration and unless you want to get into investment banking/corporate finance/sales and trading etc, I wouldnt major in finance. Taking the odd class in it could be interesting though.

[buenosdiaz]

lebron james didnt go to business school

hes doing ok

[ACW]

lebron james didnt go to business school

hes doing ok

:laugh:

I say go for it! :thumbsup:

[Skinz4Life12]

finance can be a pretty nasty major. futures and options was the hardest class i've ever taken

finance owns managment in terms of difficulty

[MattFancy]

Undergrad business isn't too bad. I just graduated last year with a degree in Business Administration. The work isn't too overwhelming, not like other majors where you have a ton of papers to write all the time. Accounting and Finance were the two toughest for me, my professors didn't help the cause.

But having a business background is a great idea. There is no shortage of things you can do with it. My concentration was in Management, so I could do Accounting, Finance, or Marketing. There will always be oppurtunities somewhere if you have a business degree.

[haithman]

finance can be a pretty nasty major. futures and options was the hardest class i've ever taken

finance owns managment in terms of difficulty

yeah derivatives can be difficult. fixed income also. i am currently in an advanced corporate finance course and the cases (M&A's, LBO's, Restructuring)

can get pretty annoying

[Elessar78]

A little background: I have an advertising degree and have been working as a graphic designer and photographer for over ten years. The people I've worked under have been a huge influence in terms of getting me to think along the lines of business, marketing and fitting what I do into the big picture.

I enjoy taking on and managing projects. I have experience in establishing brands for nascent companies and seen them grow up close and personal. I enjoy that aspect the most, building things from scratch.

I'm thinking about getting an undergrad degree in business but don't know if it's worth it. Most people suggest studying Econ rather than undergrad business, but I'm not mathematically inclined nor do I have any great interest in it. I figure an undergrad business degree, would make me more well-rounded. Freelancing and dealing with new clients is a pain in the butt. I prefer devoting my attention to one company at a time. The past 3.5 years I've worked for a manufacturer as opposed to an advertising or graphic design firm.

Eventually, I'd like to manage artists, project manage and guide a company's brand rather than creating the actual content.

What are your thoughts on an undergrad business degree?

I'm a graphic designer and contemplating a similar route. Do you already have a bachelor's degree in design? If so, then maybe you can jump directly to getting an MBA in marketing. I don't think ECON has anything to offer you in terms of what you described above. That's a whole different can of worms.

But all in all, I think it's a good idea to get your bachelor's degree. I've been in the graphic design profession for six years now and I can't say I'm completely in love with it. I make a good living, but it's not mentally satisfying—if you get what I'm saying. I'm three jobs in and I've always had to answer to the suits (marketing guys) even though I think their insight is debatable.

And if you do it in the next year or two your timing might be excellent because of the job market. By the time you come out the economy may have recovered and there'd be a lot of jobs to go into.

[renaissance]

lebron james didnt go to business school

hes doing ok

ya, but neither did Michael Scott

[Skinz4Life12]

yeah derivatives can be difficult. fixed income also. i am currently in an advanced corporate finance course and the cases (M&A's, LBO's, Restructuring)

can get pretty annoying

my corporate finance courses taught me a lot and has been the most helpful to me since graduating

[buenosdiaz]

ya, but neither did Michael Scott

michael scott already knows everything you need to know about business

get some candy bars and i'll go over his lesson

[JMURedskins]

I'm thinking about getting an undergrad degree in business but don't know if it's worth it. Most people suggest studying Econ rather than undergrad business, but I'm not mathematically inclined nor do I have any great interest in it.

Based on the classes that you elect to take if you got a degree in Econ, you could see a whole lot of math or a small amount. There are a lot of theory and history classes in Econ that don't require a whole lot of math skills. You will run into a decent amount of math in the core classes.

To be honest only get the degree if it will open up a new door. Most undergrad degrees just open the door to getting into the work force in the field that you are interested in. You learn a lot more from training in you business.

[Slacky McSlackAss]

ya, but neither did Michael Scott

Yeah, but Ryan did and he almost burnt down the office with his cheese pita. FIRE GUY!!!!

[PleaseBlitz]

I have degrees in Finance and Econ. My question is why not just get an MBA?

[IbleedBnG83]

finance can be a pretty nasty major. futures and options was the hardest class i've ever taken

finance owns managment in terms of difficulty

I have degree if finance...eh! I only did it because of my job. I started in accounting. Got a job with the Comptrollers office while I was still in school. Since I hated accounting, I switched to finance since I was already in the field and I could move up more if I finished my degree in the same field.

Wish I had done Economics/Statistics.

[IbleedBnG83]

Yeah, but Ryan did and he almost burnt down the office with his cheese pita. FIRE GUY!!!!

And was also fraudulently double reporting sales and got arrested!!!

"Ryan started the fire.

It was always burning since the world was turning.

Ryan started the fire.

It was always burning since the world was turning."

[LaxBuddy21]

I actually considered a business degree as well but if I were you, I would go with a graduate level business degree rather than the time it would take to complete the undergraduate level. The classes will be more focused and you will probably get more out of them plus they take less time to complete the program. Also, any number of certificate programs may be a good place to start as well.

[boofMcboof]

What part of business are you looking at majoring in? Marketing?

Not in love with math classes but it's something I can power through. Marketing probably would be my emphasis. Weird though because I hate most marketing people and how marketing is used in real life. I don't like being inundated with advertising even though I'm part of the problem. But yeah, marketing would tie in with what I already do.

Why not just take some grad level courses in the area that interests you?

I plan on doing that first to see if the whole thing's my cup of tea. Definitely plan on staying in SoCal, so UC Irvine is an option are Cal State L.A. and the other Cal States in the area. Yeah, an MBA is probably not an option for me, I'm not smart enough to get into UCLA or USC MBA program.

I did love being a designer and photographer but the older I get, the less interested I am in it to further my career. I am taking a Maya class right now, just to do something.

In terms of Lebron James, he isn't a skinny 5'8" asian but I do have a killer outside shot.

Thanks for the input guys, I've been tossing this idea around for a couple months. The downturn in the economy made me think.

[D'Pablo]

Not in love with math classes but it's something I can power through. Marketing probably would be my emphasis. Weird though because I hate most marketing people and how marketing is used in real life. I don't like being inundated with advertising even though I'm part of the problem. But yeah, marketing would tie in with what I already do.

I plan on doing that first to see if the whole thing's my cup of tea. Definitely plan on staying in SoCal, so UC Irvine is an option are Cal State L.A. and the other Cal States in the area. Yeah, an MBA is probably not an option for me, I'm not smart enough to get into UCLA or USC MBA program.

I did love being a designer and photographer but the older I get, the less interested I am in it to further my career. I am taking a Maya class right now, just to do something.

In terms of Lebron James, he isn't a skinny 5'8" asian but I do have a killer outside shot.

Thanks for the input guys, I've been tossing this idea around for a couple months. The downturn in the economy made me think.

Might I suggest doing the Johns Hopkins online MBA? If you're unsure about your qualifications, it seems like they'll take anyone. They're apparently not accredited by some well-respected authority in the world of MBAs. However, it is Hopkins and it's nice to have that on your resume. Honestly, if Yale's School of Chinese Urban Policies on School Buses were headed by a community college professor and required a 2.0 GPA to get in, attending would still guarantee you a job upon graduation. The brand of school seems to matter more than it should.

[boofMcboof]

Might I suggest doing the Johns Hopkins online MBA? If you're unsure about your qualifications' date=' it seems like they'll take anyone. They're apparently not accredited by some well-respected authority in the world of MBAs. However, it is Hopkins and it's nice to have that on your resume. Honestly, if Yale's School of Chinese Urban Policies on School Buses were headed by a community college professor and required a 2.0 GPA to get in, attending would still guarantee you a job upon graduation. The brand of school seems to matter more than it should.[/quote']

Thanks, definitely going to check that out. I forgot about the online offerings nowadays.