My day job is an accountant at a large corporation. I double majored in finance and political science, but actually graduated one class shy of the polysci major (more on that in a future post), so I technically have a B.A. in finance with a minor in political science.
I thought it would be fun to put together a list of advice I wish someone had told me either early on in my college career or before I even stepped foot on campus. So here goes:
1) Double Major in Accounting
Especially if you are a finance major, double majoring in accounting is a no-brainer. I hurt myself by not doing this, because I ended up in an accounting role without an accounting degree. There is no way to sit for the CPA test without an accounting degree (and a minimum number of credits taken overall).
The second reason is that there are many accounting jobs out there, many more than any other field of business. Someone told me recently that while the unemployment rate is high overall in the US, accountants face a 2-3% unemployment. Even if you still end up in marketing, operations, etc., the skills and understanding you gain with an accounting degree are sure to set you apart.
2) Network even if it’s not fun
Some people are outgoing and absolutely love networking. We call these people salesmen. Just kidding, but seriously no matter how old it gets to hear that networking is important, the truth is a lot of people find jobs through networking.
The past three jobs I had, including my on-campus job, came at least in part from a connection I had. If I was to do-over college, I would have networked more and tried to make more connections to people who had ins at various corporations. At worst it shows you opportunities available and at best networking can literally land you a full time job after graduation.
3) Become very familiar with Excel, Access, and other software
I can’t stress enough what an advantage technical skills can be for young adults in the workplace. Our generation is more intuitive when it comes to all things technology, so it’s very important to make this a selling point when you are interviewing and interning. If I had gone into my internship with a stronger background in Excel I could have taken on responsibility and provided value a lot faster. This varies by job, as I know in operations they use Access extensively, while in my current role I barely touch it. Polish your technical skills and point them out as strengths.
4) Visit your professors during office hours
Another common piece of advice, but I can attest that once I got to know a professor better I was able to understand better where they were coming from and get more into career-related issues than strictly academics. Unfortunately it was the polysci professors that I connected with and not so much my business professors. I highly recommend visiting your professors in office hours and asking them for career advice. You have little to lose and they may have connections at places you want to work.
5) Get a LinkedIn account asap
People on the job search (and whether you like it or not, you are on the job search as a college student whether you accept that fact or not) who do not have a LinkedIn account are hurting themselves. Recruiters roam LinkedIn looking for potential candidates to fill openings they have. It’s an easy way to keep track of those you have networked with, worked with, or volunteered with and is a lot more professional environment than Facebook. Look into getting one set up and ask former bosses, professors, and others for recommendations.
That’s it for today, check back tomorrow for part 2 which has five more tips for college students majoring in Business.
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First i appreciate you for sharing these tips these are very helpful for college students who are earning their degree in business but these tips are only 5 i think you should change the title of this article.
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Wonderful tips that would help every college student majoring in accounting. Really loved the part about learning Excel, this alone would not just make work much easier, but also a lot quicker.
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Thanks for these tips! As a finance major myself, I find myself trying to ways to separate myself from the competition. Accounting wasn’t my first choice as far as a major but I am sure it will help me with job security and versatility. http://www.kampba.com.au/about-us/
These are some really amazing tips for people going into business. I like the tip about double majoring in accounting. It seems like those two majors go together already and it makes sense to understand both of them. I seems like accounting is a really important topic to know a lot about. http://www.boydassociates.com.au