At our recent Explore Business virtual event, we heard from Senior Lecturer in Business Strategy, Dr Eric Osei. Eric shared his professional journey and offered students a taste of what to expect from studying an undergraduate course in business, from the range of modules and academic support we offer to the all-important question of employability prospects.
By Elena Carruthers. Published 12 june 2023. Last updated 14 August 2023.
Why is business a worthwhile degree?
Studying business provides students with the tools and understanding to become business leaders, entrepreneurs, and be generally well-equipped for the professional world. Eric kicked off by sharing some statistics around UK businesses, with small businesses employing 48% of the population and large corporations around 39%. It is helpful to understand the basic economics and different types of corporations there are when considering your future career steps, with each having their own unique pros and cons. Studying business helps you to understand the niches of how these types of businesses operate and what value you can bring to them.
Eric highlighted that the opportunity in studying business is that it offers you an understanding of business theories and how to apply these in practise. This is built through the real-world experience tutors bring as well as being embedded into the core modules.
What careers can a degree in business lead to?
Understanding the foundations of business enriches your knowledge of HR, marketing, operations, finance, and all of the various departments that allow a business to function effectively. This knowledge then sets you up to potentially work in any of these different departments depending on your interests.
Eric also shed light on just a few of the specific roles opened up by having a business degree including business analyst, accountant, project manager, and business development manager. Drawing on his own professional background and some of the lessons learned along the way, he reflected: “As I speak to you now, I worked as a Business Analyst and a Business Development Manager before. I’m beginning to see that things really change, the business environment is not static, it’s always evolving. Businesses are expected to analyse the environment and offer solutions.”
What are the top skills gained from a business degree?
Any business role requires discipline, critical thinking skills, organisation, strong time-management, and the ability to communicate well with others. For those hoping to become a business leader or entrepreneur, this means taking these skills to the next level such as by being able to develop strategies whilst always being solution focused.
Eric highlighted the value in soft skills such as these, meaning skills that are transferable to a range of disciplines and required by all types of business. When thinking about your future career, it is important to understand the difference between hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills relate to a specific and technical skill such as mechanical engineering, computer programming, or training as an electrician. While hard skills are valuable in their own right, soft skills are equally as important as they are primarily rooted in being able to communicate well and make effective business decisions, in turn, driving innovation.
Here at The University of Law, providing you with these transferable skills is a key component of our business courses, helping you to transition into the workplace as seamlessly as possible. When studying with us, you can access tailored support from our Employability Team as well as your academic supervisors.
Offering some insight to what students can expect from beginning their undergraduate business degree, Eric said: “When you become a student with us, we offer you that support to ensure you acquire the necessary skills and position yourself in such a way that you are suitable to be selected for and recruited by the employer.”
All of our undergraduate business degrees focus on building strong communication and critical thinking skills, so that graduates step into employment feeling confident and prepared in their abilities.
What can I do to stand out to future employers?
Having a business degree in itself is an excellent starting point for boosting your future career, but there are several other ways you can ensure that you will stand out to future employers. Eric raised the importance of volunteering and work experience as a way to demonstrate your skills in practise. Many of our undergraduate business courses offer an optional placement year which is an ideal way to get this type of experience, network with industry professionals and learn about your particular interests in the field of business.
“Putting yourself in a position that allows you to work with people builds interpersonal skills, time management, project management and so forth.”
“At The University of Law there are many opportunities for you to develop yourself, helping you to become more confident and develop these soft skills as you go”.
Step into your future career and learn more about our undergraduate business courses today.
