18 Business Career Paths To Consider in 2023 (With Roles)
Updated March 16, 2023
Business careers can offer an exciting, rewarding career path for anyone. With sufficient training and experience, business professionals can work in various fields, including accounting, marketing, finance and management. There are plenty of promisngi careers to choose from in the business sector, and many have excellent job outlooks, so it's important to understand your choices.
In this article, we discuss 18 different paths of a career in business to help you find one that suits you and your goals.
What are business careers?
Business careers are jobs you can get after completing a business degree. Depending on your specialization, your career options can expand beyond the business sector to provide business-focused roles in other industries.
Corporations, universities and nonprofits seek business professionals to serve in various roles, such as marketing, accounting and finance. In each specialization, you can choose from numerous jobs, allowing you the freedom to find a career best suited for your particular skill set and lifestyle.
A business degree makes most graduates qualified to work within most of these specialized fields. In a business program, you learn the requisite critical thinking and analytical skills necessary to succeed in any career, and you may also concentrate on particular specializations if desired. Depending on the employer and industry standards, some careers may require additional certification, training or an advanced degree.
Related: Average Salaries of 10 Popular Jobs for Business Majors
18 career paths in business
Here are 18 different business career paths to consider, along with lists of specific jobs for each track:
1. Advertising and marketing
Advertising and marketing professionals create campaigns to promote products or services for different organizations. Many jobs in this field focus on building customer relationships and effectively creating a brand that attracts loyalty. Positions in this field include:
2. Economics
Those with careers in economics use quantitative and theoretical methodologies to analyze business events and guide informed decisions. Many jobs in economics require a high capability for performing analytics and understanding mathematics. Positions in this field include:
Related: 16 Jobs for Business Economics Majors
3. Finance
Finance careers involve money management, particularly concerning investments, assets and liabilities. Many finance professionals work in the commercial banking sector, like the stock market. Jobs in this field include:
Related: 15 Popular Business Degree Jobs
4. Human resources
A career in human resources involves coordinating the relationship between employees and organizations. Many human resources jobs include people management and understanding how recruitment, compensation, benefits and employee improvement processes function. Positions in this field include:
Related: Tips for an HR Interview (With Sample Questions)
5. Accounting
Careers in accounting entail working with legal compliance standards to create reports, such as financial statements, and managing budgets by analyzing finances. Those who work in the accounting field can specialize in tax preparation or corporate accounting. Jobs in this field include:
6. Hospitality
Careers in hospitality focus on the business aspect of travel and tourism. These careers center around curating satisfying client experiences and ensuring smooth business operations while maintaining company standards. Jobs in this field include:
7. Entertainment
Business entertainment careers, like careers in hospitality, revolve around arranging guest experiences. Those who work in entertainment are often responsible for planning and executing events, such as musical concerts and festivals, or creating innovative guest opportunities in businesses like restaurants. Jobs in this field include:
Related: 12 Business Jobs in the Entertainment Industry
8. Administration
Business administration involves the management of business operations. Careers in this sector supervise different commercial businesses and may entail management and leadership responsibilities. Business administrative professionals have a broad understanding of all the specializations necessary to run a successful business. Jobs in this field include:
Related: Business Administration vs. Business Management: What's the Difference?
9. Project management
Project management professionals play an important role in nearly every field by planning and directing specific projects. They can work on various tasks, such as helping build new business infrastructure or implementing organizational changes. Jobs in this field include:
10. Supply chain management
Supply chain management professionals support the efficient flow of goods and services. Much of supply chain management work combines logistical, distributive and technological processes. Individuals in this field work on the business supply side of commercial activities to help develop raw materials into products. They can also perform customer management tasks that help businesses gain advantages over competitors. Jobs in this field include:
Related: What Is Supply Chain Management?
11. Fundraising
Fundraising professionals work toward garnering voluntary contributions, like monetary donations, to support an organization's financial goals. Fundraising is a popular career choice for business professionals who want to work in the nonprofit sector, which heavily relies on benefactors to succeed. Jobs in this field include:
12. Sales
Sales is a dependable career choice for business professionals, and it involves selling a targeted number of goods or services within a specific period. Sales professionals work for businesses in nearly every commercial industry to help companies strategize and reach their profit goals. Jobs in this field include:
Related: Top 20 Business Degree Jobs
13. Training and development
Training and development professionals work within organizations to teach employees specific skills and expand their knowledge sets. Those who specialize in training focus on helping employees improve their performance within their current roles. In comparison, those specializing in development focus on professional growth and an employee's future advancement. Jobs in this field include:
Related: Guide to a Career in Training and Development
14. Insurance
Insurance professionals work for companies that provide clients with casualty and accident coverage for their cars, health, property and lives to prevent financial loss. Those who work in this field are responsible for combining risk management and sales skills. Jobs in this field include:
Related: Insurance Jobs: Types, Salaries and Duties
15. Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs invest financially in setting up businesses and organizations. While entrepreneurs can start any venture of their choice, they're typically responsible for using creative thinking, innovation, business fundamentals and concept originality to help launch enterprises. Entrepreneurs usually work for themselves, though jobs in this field include:
16. Operations
Operations professionals work toward streamlining organizational processes and systems. They often help managers and organization leaders more efficiently meet business and consumer needs within daily operations. With responsibilities in logistics, management, quality control, purchasing and consulting, a capable operations manager can build the foundation for a successful venture. Jobs in this field include:
Related: 15 Most Lucrative Jobs in Business (With Salaries and Duties)
17. Education
Business education professionals work to support business students within an educational setting. They're typically not involved in the business operations of their organizations. Instead, business educators teach, mentor, advise and prepare students to enter the business world after graduation. Jobs in this field include:
Related: How To Become a Teacher With a Business Degree
18. Sustainability
Sustainability is one of the newest career fields available to business professionals. Those who work in sustainability help companies become more environmentally friendly. They do this by consulting on business practices to help organizations take advantage of sustainable technology, materials and strategies to decrease their carbon footprint. Jobs in this field include:
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