Those who have a Degree in Business

[RayKnight]

Hi, I am not sure if this is the right place to be asking my questions about a degree but...I'm currently working full time and am planning to take a part-time degree so I've been trying to save up. The thing is, if I take a business degree, I have no prior knowledge as my diploma and Nitec got nothing to do with business. How many of you are taking a part-time / full-time degree or holding a degree in Business?

What are you working as and what options are available to me if I take up a degree in business? I have a Nitec for ICT and a Diploma in DET.

 

[ankursamtaney]

Are you looking at a Bachelors or Masters degree? To be shamelessly honest, I don't know what 'Nitec for ICT' and 'DET' mean, probably as I'm not from Singapore myself; I'm assuming these are technical / engineering / computers / technology related certifications you have.

Against that backdrop, in my opinion, the biggest difference that a degree in business -- i.e. a BBA, or MBA (among others) -- will make is make you, or should I say your resume, more acceptable for non-technical roles. Acceptable is a harsh word, but what I mean is that most interviewers interviewing for, say, a sales or marketing role in an FMCG company may not even look at a resume that doesn't show a degree but instead shows a diploma in an unrelated, technical field. So (a) you'll get to check the box which asks whether you have a degree, and (b) you get to market yourself in a more relevant fashion saying "I have a degree in business, where i've learned this this and this; and I can use this knowledge and my skills to drive you business and take it to the next level. You get the gist.

In the end, however, what will get you that job or that promotion is YOU and not just your degree. The degree and what you learn in it will only help you get that interview but not necessarily the job. You may also be able to polish your skills -- presentation skills, public speaking skills, teamwork and leadership abilities, etc. during the course through workshops, projects and internships. But how you apply all of this learning to what you're doing or trying to achieve is entirely upto you and that's what really shapes you. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying don't do the degree or that education doesn't have any value. I simply mean that don't look at the degree as an end, but just a means to meet the end, if you know what I mean.

All said and done, go for it -- education is never a waste, no matter what field it is in. I hope this statement doesn't contradict what I said above; it's not meant to.

Good luck!

 

[RayKnight]

Thanks, that's an enlightening post there. I appreciate it. Regarding the abbreviations, Nitec is an ITE certificate for ITE graduates. ICT would be Info-Comm Technology. DET is Digital Entertainment Technology, doing game dev related work. I'm currently working in a game dev company but I know I can do something more. I do agree ultimately it's how I present myself that will nab me the promotion or position. But I wanna learn something outside of my field. I'm looking at a Bachelors degree in Business. Also, another question would be what kind of career options that will be opened to me and what are the topics that I'd be studying should I take up a general degree in business?

I was browsing some of the stuff on a few websites but they have different modules even though the name of the degree would be "the same".

 

[ankursamtaney]

Well sure, the modules or subjects may differ slightly across different schools and more across different countries, but in all probability all courses would cover the basics in accounts / book keeping, finance, marketing, etc. many might also additionally touch upon different areas like human resources, information technology, etc. while letting you major in any one (or more) specializations.

Career options are galore, depending on how flexible you are, what you want to do. For instance, if you specialize in marketing, you could either get into an FMCG company as a marketing executive -- take for instance Proctor and Gamble, or Coca Cola or whatever. Or join an advertising or media agency perhaps. Or if you want to stay in the techie side of things, can apply to companies like Creative, Logitech, Samsung, etc. all of which require marketing professionals. Likewise with finance.

To give you a live example -- I did a bachelor in commerce while I was DJing full time. I went for all sorts of interviews, and my first job just happened to be in the financial industry; not out of choice, it's just what worked out at that time. Before I knew it, I was working in the financial industry for 3 years and it was getting to me. I'm more of a people's person, slightly creative and love music and sound. ALOT of thought and research coupled with good old common sense went in to realizing that even pro-audio companies require finance people and analysts! By God's grace and a lot of luck, all went well and I moved into the pro-audio industry as an analyst and although I'm still crunching numbers, I'm thoroughly enjoying being in the industry. I want to study further, maybe do a masters, but am not sure if that would help in what I'm doing, so just maintaining status quo for now and will reconsider options when need arises. All this is to say that you can study further, and with some thought, a lot of research and some luck, you might just be able to land in an area you like and put your expertise to good use, rather than following a blind path of random jobs that may come your way. I hope this makes sense.