Discover Options

Discover Options: Business + Entrepreneurship

For complete information on assessing yourself, choosing majors, and exploring careers, review our starter tips to Discover Options in all careers as well as the specialized tips on this page.

Careers in Business

Beyond careers in accounting and finance, there are numerous options to consider within the world of business.

Here is a list of common areas of business to work within:

• Accounting: Systematically record, summarize, and analyze financial data for tax, audit, and other systems.
• Actuarial: Help weigh risk and chance of losses for insurance, stock and bond portfolios, hedge funds, product launches, and more.
• Business Management and Administration: Assist with performance management of business operations, as well as the organization of people and resources. Learn more about Business Management and Administration on ONET Online or Management Occupations in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
• Consulting: Provide expert advice or guidance to individuals or organizations to help them make informed decisions and solve specific problems.
• Consumer Products: Create products that the public wants and needs.
• Finance: Manage large quantities of money on behalf of an organization or individual.
• Operations and Logistics: Ensure the right amount and quality of goods are produced and delivered properly, safely, and efficiently.
• Real Estate: Develop, appraise, market, sell, lease, and manage commercial, industrial, residential, or agricultural properties.
• Retail: Participate in major functions such as merchandising and buying, store operations, sales promotion and advertising, and personnel management.
• Sales: Facilitate transactions between a business and customer through strategic means.

As you research industries that are interesting to you, you may find other areas of business that suit your interests, personality, strengths, and values. Do not let this list limit your future goals.

Learn More

Discover additional options in Business and Financial Occupations in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Careers in Entrepreneurship

When you think of a successful entrepreneur, you may envision an individual in their university residence hall that simply started a business one day and magically “made it big.” However, each entrepreneur has their own unique path and story. While some entrepreneurs do start creating multi-million dollar businesses out of college, such as Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, others work under mentors and gain experience to feel comfortable breaking out on their own, such as Steve Ells, founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill. 

Regardless of the path that you choose, know that there are unlimited methods, tools, and strategies to draw inspiration from when starting your business.

If you are set on starting your own business immediately after college, be sure to research the various steps and complexities that come with this endeavor. To reach success, there are many critical decisions to make and rules that need to be addressed. While there is no single source for all filing requirements, you can begin with the steps outlined by the U.S Small Business Administration.
 

Academic Preparation

UCSB Majors

Though UCSB does not offer a comprehensive degree in business, many of our students successfully pursue careers in business. If you are looking to choose a major at UCSB that will best prepare you for a path like this, there are a number of majors that can prepare you well.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of most businesses, employers related to Business + Entrepreneurship hire students from a wide range of majors that span the social sciences, humanities, and life and physical sciences. There are only a few instances in which you need a certain major to break into a specific area (e.g., accounting).

Choosing an effective major related to Business + Entrepreneurship depends on the skills you aim to gain and the knowledge you want to obtain. For instance, if you want to acquire more analytical skills, you may want to study Economics, Financial Math and Statistics, or Actuarial Science. If you want to develop business skills related to communication, diversity and inclusion, or customer experience, you may consider choosing majors like Communication, Global Studies, or Sociology. 

Although these are common majors for students interested in pursuing Business + Entrepreneurship, we suggest that you major in an area that matches your interests, personality, strengths, and values.

UCSB Minors 

To complement your major, you can also choose to acquire a minor. Minors can help you focus on gaining a specific skill set or expanding your knowledge in a specific area. 

For instance, if you are interested in enhancing your written, verbal and visual skills for a business setting, consider the Professional Writing: Business Communication minor. Focus will be placed on the design, development, and recreation of print and new media documents such as status reports, proposals, press releases, feasibility reports, policies and procedures, and brochures. 

If you are majoring in a humanities or social science discipline, you could complement your studies with an analytical minor such as Statistics. To gain additional knowledge related to how business affects society, a Labor Studies minor could also be beneficial.

Learn More

If you are interested in adding a minor to your undergraduate degree, visit UCSB’s General Catalog of Minors.

Professional Associations

To gain the latest information on the business sector, joining a professional association will provide you with insight into what current professionals are focusing on. For example, if you are considering actuarial science, explore the Casualty Actuarial Society or the Society of Actuaries. If you are interested in management, review the American Management Association, the National Management Association, or the Sales Management Association. If you would like to gain experience in real estate, join the National Association of Realtors. There are professional associations related to almost every industry and field.