I'd try to focus in on these areas:

Business Intelligence
Lean Six Sigma
Business Process Management
Data / Business / Operations Analysis

With a huge downturn in the market, companies have found value in understanding current trends, risk management, and cost cutting initiatives. All data analyst know that when things are in turmoil, that drives a surplus amount of work for us. I'm a business analyst with six sigma black belt certification, this means the downturn drives work for me to analyze current assets, forecasting where the business and market (product's market) is headed. Then the creative part kicks in when the market begins to turn, you get to make revenue generating recommendations which will indefinitely solidify your job stability thus making you an invaluable asset.

People who go into "business" from college credited courses have the mindset of learning about how business operates. You can learn this all hands on with a foot-in-the-door job (admin assistant) first hand, then figure out where your niche is. I'd suggest that over a "career change" and potentially work for a corporation large enough to sponsor certificates and MBA's. You'll earn the working experience a long with the accredited certifications.

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Thanks for the info peoples.

The thing is I don't want to be someone elses asset anymore.

I spent three years in a company where I was given a loose enough job description that I had to on some level or another manage client relationships and think for myself.

The only problem was that thinking for yourself was considered a threat by people above you and that ended up with me being punished. Like my job description, grounds for punishment were vague and undefined.

I've decided I don't want to be in that position anymore. I want to be the boss, so I want to have my own companies.

I like what you suggest nyce, that looks like it can apply to running your own business from the get go.

I just graduated from Marketing. It's really interesting and definitely valuable knowledge for running a business, but don't get too brainwashed by the "OMG This is God's gift to humanity" attitude that profs may have.

quote:

Originally posted by Slylee finance? ugh...my last job involved a lot of finance-like work. lots of excel spreadsheets and keeping track of payment plans and who paid what, trust account money, etc... crunching numbers for 2 hours or more makes my brain go nuts. i can't imagine being an accountant.

That's my shit! Well not the day to day keeping tabs on people, but crunching numbers.

quote:

Originally posted by Joss Weatherby Thanks for the info peoples. The thing is I don't want to be someone elses asset anymore. I spent three years in a company where I was given a loose enough job description that I had to on some level or another manage client relationships and think for myself. The only problem was that thinking for yourself was considered a threat by people above you and that ended up with me being punished. Like my job description, grounds for punishment were vague and undefined. I've decided I don't want to be in that position anymore. I want to be the boss, so I want to have my own companies. I like what you suggest nyce, that looks like it can apply to running your own business from the get go.

I wouldn't suggest that if I thought you'd feel like someone elses asset. It was intended on you taking away something from working within a business environment instead of receiving an accredited degree. In my case, I came from a MIS degree and now am a Sr. Business Analyst. I knew NOTHING about business, I was a tech guy as far as anyone was concerned. I had to learn business by working through it (in all arms, sales, marketing, finance, operations, etc) as a very low grade level employee. Basically the "drifter" in the company, which has it's pro's and cons.

If intelligence is a threat to anyone in the business world, that threat is more an act of unprofessionalism. I'd question why I'd be working in that environment / company where my voice *could* be heard but isn't.

Overall, I think we all ultimately want something of our own. I can tell you now I know what can work for small business enterprises. Better yet, create a superior mid-market product that is cost effective, self sustaining, yet common place in all house holds. I like to think of it as the NEW VELCRO. Once you learn all the working pieces, all you need is that superior product. That's the opportunity I'm waiting for.

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quote:

Originally posted by ******** you don't need a degree to run a business - but it could help make some connections, imo. If you plan on working for someone else that is another thing entirely. I'd look at sites like monster etc.. to see what qualifications people are looking for in your intended position. I've had a few business ideas myself. It really goes like this imo Pay for Staff as required - so they are willing to work for you to do what you can't do yourself market - for your product i.e. people willing to buy your product. then logistics - there really isn't anything to it on the basic non political side of things. business is a form of politics though.

Yea, I am just wondering if school really helps you learn how to do things right...

Dude all of these generalist "management and "entrepreneurship" degrees are a total waste of time. They are basically just as useless as an arts degree. If you want to go into business, go into business. It is 90% about domain knowledge, not some bullshit management theory they teach you at uni. To be successful in business, you need to be an expert in a certain field. Otherwise, you are just a wannabe entrepreneur who ends up bankrupt and failing life.

My advice... If you want to go to uni, study a PROFESSION. Anything else is a complete waste of time. Professions:

Economics
Accounting
Finance
Law
Engineering
Computer science
Medicine
etc.

Once you have your desired profession, you may like to supplement that with some management skills. This is why double degrees exist. The same goes for MBAs. If you have only an MBA, but no area of expertise, you will be laughed straight out of any interview.

I am currently studying bachelor of science and bachelor of management, double degree. The only reason I am doing the double degree is to provide evidence of soft skills. I can honestly say management theory is an absolute joke. No manager is going to sit around thinking "what would Maslow do?".

My 2c.

Last edited by echosystm on Apr-23-2009 at 14:13

My gf works in the marketing department for cirque du soleil and she makes more than all of the people with mba's because she skipped school and started early. If you can show your skill set marketing is one of those jobs where no degree is necessary. If you do not have those skill sets go to school.

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quote:

Originally posted by get nyce I wouldn't suggest that if I thought you'd feel like someone elses asset. It was intended on you taking away something from working within a business environment instead of receiving an accredited degree. In my case, I came from a MIS degree and now am a Sr. Business Analyst. I knew NOTHING about business, I was a tech guy as far as anyone was concerned. I had to learn business by working through it (in all arms, sales, marketing, finance, operations, etc) as a very low grade level employee. Basically the "drifter" in the company, which has it's pro's and cons.

That sounds like what I did to some degree at my previous job. I didn't come away with a better job title though because of the reasons I mentioned above... I am also in the tech field, which is a bonus because I think that in a couple of my ideas I can provide most of the labor for free to myself in the start.

quote:

Originally posted by get nyce If intelligence is a threat to anyone in the business world, that threat is more an act of unprofessionalism. I'd question why I'd be working in that environment / company where my voice *could* be heard but isn't.

It was very unprofessional... It was a small firm who thought they did branding and identity development. It got the point where I hated it, and they started to not like me. They gave me the choice of quitting or being fired. So I guess I fired myself this last week.

quote:

Originally posted by get nyce Overall, I think we all ultimately want something of our own. I can tell you now I know what can work for small business enterprises. Better yet, create a superior mid-market product that is cost effective, self sustaining, yet common place in all house holds. I like to think of it as the NEW VELCRO. Once you learn all the working pieces, all you need is that superior product. That's the opportunity I'm waiting for.

I have a few ideas that are products and another couple that are more in the service sector.

For example, I worked on Root Cause Analysis software for one of the bigger RCA consulting firms. Their software sucks, I think I can make a better product and provide a better service in the end.

Also two of the companies, depending on performance, eventually could be merged into one company providing both services under one roof. Both of those are in the multi-media services industry. There are also independent products that could be developed within those companies to provide revenue.

quote:

Originally posted by echosystm Dude all of these generalist "management and "entrepreneurship" degrees are a total waste of time. They are basically just as useless as an arts degree. If you want to go into business, go into business. It is 90% about domain knowledge, not some bullshit management theory they teach you at uni. To be successful in business, you need to be an expert in a certain field. Otherwise, you are just a wannabe entrepreneur who ends up bankrupt and failing life. My advice... If you want to go to uni, study a PROFESSION. Anything else is a complete waste of time. Professions: Economics Accounting Finance Law Engineering Computer science Medicine etc. Once you have your desired profession, you may like to supplement that with some management skills. This is why double degrees exist. The same goes for MBAs. If you have only an MBA, but no area of expertise, you will be laughed straight out of any interview. I am currently studying bachelor of science and bachelor of management, double degree. The only reason I am doing the double degree is to provide evidence of soft skills. I can honestly say management theory is an absolute joke. No manager is going to sit around thinking "what would Maslow do?". My 2c.

Yea thats what I have heard from other people, especially the analogy to an Arts Degree.

I already have quite a bit of computer science skills, no degree, but I have been programming for 10-11 years and worked 3 years in a company where thats most of what I did.

IMO, if you want to go into business, you should pick up these things in your own time or at short courses:

Accounting
- Report elements
- Basics of reporting (balance sheets, income statements, equity, etc.)
- Financial ratios

Law
- Legal structures relevant to your country
- Basics of contracts

Finance
- Time value of money
- CAPM and risk/return

Economics
- Basic micro: supply, demand, equilibrium
- Basic macro: interest rates, exchange rates, unemployment, etc.

Marketing
- Segmentation, targeting, etc.
- Marketing strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, focus, etc.)

A real business man only knows enough about these things to pay the right people to do it for him properly. A real business man specialises on his area of expertise, not being a jack of all trades. If, however, you want to work for someone ELSE... then you should just choose to specialise in your area of interest. Degrees are only really useful if you want to work for someone else, or you have to go to uni to learn such things (eg. medicine).