Getting Ahead in Business With Further Education

You can get started in business with little or no education, but if you want to go far, you will want to have a masters’ degree or further. This is because there are two sides to business, there is the owning and operating of a small business and the management of a large corporation.

Sometimes you can start out as an entrepreneur and gain relevant or adjacent degrees, as well as on-the-job training to build your company into a large corporation, or you can get a job in the business industry right out of college.

Some relevant degrees you can get for furthering your career include online business analytics masters degrees, accounting certifications, and even business management degrees.

Other relevant degrees may be specific to the industry you choose to work such as biochemical degrees for the pharmaceutical industry or computer science degrees for the technology sector.

Having these degrees shows potential employers that you have years of study in relevant fields and have proven a master over some common knowledge areas.

If you are striking out into business on your own, then having relevant degrees can help investors feel more secure and the knowledge you gained can help you avoid some common pitfalls. Depending on the degree type, having your degree in your business cards or other branding can also attract customers.

Having a degree adjacent to your business field does not necessarily mean that you cannot get the job. For instance, if you have a bachelor’s degree in English and want to get an additional degree in accounting, then getting a government job can be a good gateway to that education.

This is because many government jobs will pay you back for the relevant degrees you earned while working there and give you credit for any degree you already have. For instance, many pay grades in the government will go off for years of education or years of work experience.

This is not the only way to use an adjacent degree to get ahead in business. However, you can also use the grammar and writing skills learned to qualify for a bachelor’s degree to help write cover letters, memos, or even office newsletters.

A degree in graphic design can get you in the door of a marketing company and your hard work can see you promoted to jobs in management or public relations.

Getting on-the-job training is a necessity for business, even when you have a plethora of degrees, because technology and techniques are always changing.

Laws and regulations are also always changing and keeping up on all of those things mean for your job, your business and industry can help keep you ahead of the competition and away from legal troubles.

Sometimes this training will look like bringing in qualified experts to teach employees the new software solutions you purchased and sometimes it will look like making sure that all your restaurant’s cooks have up-to-date food handling permits.

To keep up with your education through on-the-job training, you will want to be proactive and research what types of education are available. For instance, if you are a receptionist at a medical clinic, then you may be required to have first aid training for your job and the cost of the course may be reimbursed.

One way to get further in business is with further education. Whether you go after degrees relevant to your career field, adjacent to it or just work on your on-the-job training, the more you learn the more you can grow.

Having the right education can get your foot in the door and help you qualify for promotions down the line, so it is a good idea to research what fields of study will be best to help the career you have or want.