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Business: Schools and Careers

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About Business

Business picture    Business image

Business Career Overview

Although the broad category of Business can be applied to a huge collection of occupations, any of which can be said to contribute in some fashion to the success of a business enterprise, the term is widely accepted to refer to professions related in some way to finance. Many professions fall in this category; however, most of them are subsets of two general business career fields: Accountant/Auditor and Financial Planner.

Accountants and auditors are responsible for preserving the fiscal health and integrity of a business enterprise. Specific duties may include things such as verifying financial documents, maintaining records, ensuring that taxes get paid properly and on time, and making transactions involving capital or income. Clients can be corporations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, or individuals. Most accountants and auditors work a standard 40-hour week in a typical office setting. However, those who specialize in taxes tend to put in long hours during the tax season.

Financial planners help individuals or businesses manage their money by collecting financial information, analyzing it, and making recommendations. Corporate financial planners work for business enterprises including investment banks, insurance companies, securities firms, and general corporations. Personal financial planners work for individuals, assessing a person's financial needs and then recommending financial options which best meet the individual's short- and long-term goals. Specific duties may include tax advice, retirement and estate planning, and general investment strategies. Financial planners usually work standard business hours in offices or in their own homes but at times may be called upon to work longer hours and to meet with clients in the evenings or on weekends.

Business Career Education

For those seeking an entry level position in business fields, companies may hire graduates of a certificate, associate degree or bachelor's degree program in accounting, economics, finance, or a related area. However, those with a master's degree or an MBA (Masters of Business Administration) tend to have much higher levels of opportunity. For jobs in accounting, computer proficiency in terms of coursework and/or work experience is a significant asset. In order to obtain a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license (required for many accountants), most states require 150 semester hours of college coursework, which entails an additional 30 hours beyond the typical four-year bachelor's degree. Most CPA licenses must be renewed periodically and a certain number of hours of continuing professional education is a requirement for renewal.

A bachelor's degree in finance, mathematics, accounting, statistics, economics, law, or business is strongly advised for anyone wishing to become a financial planner. Ideally, a degree program should include courses in taxes, estate planning, investments, and risk management. To an increasing extent, many colleges and universities are now offering specialized programs in financial planning.

Schools for Business are listed in the column to the left.

The Subcategories tab lists career specialties for Business, each of which has a full page profile on the site.

The Find Schools tab lets you search for schools by field of study, degree level, and location.

The Videos tab lets you watch videos describing many of the career specialties for Business.