By John DeSpagna
Campus News
As you make your way through community college, opening up your eyes to different courses is a way to explore different interests. You can try a course that you may have an interest in or may have a career aspiration in that field. In the fields of accounting and business, you will have an opportunity to explore many different electives.
Becoming familiar with the fundamentals of accounting can be important to you in so many ways. This will include helping you navigate your way through many business positions and your personal finances. An Introduction to Accounting course will help you here. The curriculum will include learning about balance sheets, income statements, accounts payable, accounts receivable, journal entries and the accounting cycle. Many well paying positions are in the field and this can also spark an interest to becoming a CPA, which is a Certified Public Accountant. Accountants are always in demand and you may have an aptitude for this type of work.
Taking a course in taxes can also be helpful to you. You can learn how to do tax returns and become familiar with how tax policies influence decision making in business. Some of the more advanced accounting classes would include Managerial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting and Cost Accounting.
Let us move over to the field of business now. Some people feel comfortable working for someone else because of a steady paycheck. Others want to own their own business. If you feel you are on the path to owning a business, then a course in Entrepreneurship may be of interest to you. You will learn about the skills to open your own business. A lot of hard work and having sufficient capital are two of the keys to having your successful business. One of the key components of an Entrepreneurship class is learning about how to create your business plan. This is a multi step process and you can create a business plan in this course that you can use to start your own business.
Another business elective you may want to look at is an Introduction to Business course. This is part of the required curriculum in most business degrees and for good reason, as this course will help you learn about the basics of business. Some of the topics include marketing, management, investments, motivation, ethics, human resource management, forming a business and marketing. This can help you learn about a lot of different concepts that you can apply in many jobs.
Have you ever thought about taking an internship? You can work in a field that you have an interest in and see if this is really a career path that you want to pursue. You can present a company that you have an interest in to the internship advisor or the advisor can help find a company for you. Either way an internship can help you with networking, learning new skills or maybe even leading to a new job.
Do you have an interest in the field of sports? The field of sports is a multi billion dollar business with many job opportunities all across the country. See if your college offers a Sport Management or Sport Marketing course to learn about the field of sports. Basic concepts such as marketing, ethics, management and facility management are some of the topics covered.
One of the fastest growing fields is in healthcare. This field is expected to have above average demand for new employees. People are living longer and many new advances are being made in the field to help drive growth. A course in Health Care Management or Management in Health Systems is what you can look for to learn about the concepts in this field.
Another common business course is Management. Being able to manage people and resources in an effective and efficient manner is a challenge in any business. A basic Management class will cover many concepts to help you learn how to manage and reach the goals of the organization.
Taking advantage of electives in your college curriculum is an important part of the college experience. Take a look at some of the accounting and business courses at your college to help you learn and possibly find a career.
John DeSpagna is a business professor and Chair of Accounting and Business Administration Department at Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York.
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