Female business majors out there, you all know the face I'm about to talk about. You walk into a room, an interview, a class, or anywhere that contains the element of "getting-to-know-you" type questions, and you're immediately hit with the "So what's your major?" question. You brace yourself, because you know the reaction that's about to come. "Business," you say, to which you're met with an equally confused, surprised, and disapproving look.
Apparently, even in 2016, people are still surprised to hear that girls aspire to be business majors and aim to one day secure positions such as CEO, CMO, or CFO of an organization. It's no surprise that still today there is a disgusting amount of prejudice and difference of equalities between men and women in terms of employment, pay, and every other aspect of the workplace.
As a senior, female business major, I've had the pleasure of indulging some wonderful (not quite) reactions to my answer to the what's my major question, and they've helped me to define some of my favorite reasons to call myself a female business major.
First, that exact look I described above:
"The Look"
Whether male, female, or any other gender out there, I have found that "the look" is ever-present, whether it's for a split-second look or a full, blown-out stare. It's important for all of us, no matter the gender, to acknowledge that this look is not OK and that there is no reason to be surprised that a woman is a business major. Side note, let's end the internalized misogyny that comes with this reaction from fellow women.
Job Possibilities
Being a business major allows for an infinite number of job possibilities. When you major in business, you typically pick between the following: Business Management (where you can specialize in a specific field, but your degree focuses on general business administration knowledge), Marketing, Human Resources, Accounting, or Finance. What's great about any of these majors is that in order to earn a degree in them, you must have a solid and well-rounded business background. When you graduate with any type of business degree, you have the exposure and basic experience to really pursue or start the path towards any business job, which leads to my next point...
Easy To Transition To New Opportunities
With a secure and solid business background with a Bachelor's degree, it is easy to switch fields once in the workforce. If a graduate enters the workforce in a sales position, they can easily transfer to another department just based on their business education. All aspects of business tie in together, so experience and skill in one field will only benefit you in another. A great example of this would be using sales experience in a marketing job; once you know what it takes to get a customer to buy a product or service, you can offer insight in terms of marketing to them as well.
At the end of the day, I love being a female business major. Let's not forget that we get to ogle the hot men in suits as well (just kidding -- but not really). No matter what your gender or your major is, take pride in what you do; you're going to kick major butt (haha, get it?)!
