It’s easier to get an education today than ever before. Go online and you’ll never run out of courses, seminars, talks, and much more on just about every subject you can imagine. But what kind of education do you really need to be successful in business? Do you need a degree? If you have a degree, are you done learning? If you really want to succeed in business or any other field, the best approach to education is to make it a lifelong endeavor.
Your Bachelor’s Degree
You can be successful in business without a bachelor’s degree, but you’ll have a lot more challenges. First, many companies won’t even look at your resume if you don’t have a bachelor’s in something, even if it’s not business. Second, it’s a prerequisite for other types of certifications and higher degrees that may be helpful to you in some careers. As a college student, you’ll also have access to career resources that might not otherwise be readily available. It’s a good idea to get a business degree or a degree in a related field, such as economics. School is expensive, but the higher salary you can command with a bachelor’s makes it worthwhile for many people. If you are worried about costs, private student loans are one option for paying for school. You can compare options online, apply and quickly find out what you are eligible for.
Broad Education
A point that is missed by many people who hope to succeed in business is that they should try to learn about much more than the particular field they hope to work in. There are many reasons for this and there are many opportunities that university can give you beyond the classroom. Taking classes in such areas as philosophy, psychology, or political science can give you a great deal of useful insight into how people think and behave. Studying one or more languages can give you an advantage if you hope to work on the global stage.
Following and understanding current events can give you insight into how the world is interrelated and can help you predict trends within your industry; elections, wars, and other incidents worldwide can affect your sector directly or indirectly at home. You’ll also have a broad base of knowledge from which to talk to those from many different backgrounds and points of view, a useful skill when networking and building relationships with others. This kind of learning can come from formal and informal sources.
Master’s Degrees and Certifications
Many think of the MBA as a kind of crowning educational glory for the most ambitious and serious, but the fact is that it is only really useful in certain fields. Make sure that it’s the standard within your industry before you devote the time and money to it. There may be other options that better suit your career path, such as becoming a CPA or participating in an executive education program. There are also fields where a subject-specific master’s degree, such as an MA in finance or marketing, is more useful than an MBA.