First Draft 10/3/22

Why This?

I am interested in a business administration major with possibly a concentration in international studies. I found out about this major this past summer when I was looking through all of UNE’s majors to see what I might like. It struck my eye as something I could see myself doing in the future. I imagine that I would be dealing with international countries shops and companies. I would take business conferences or travel to my clientele. I am interested in learning how other countries participate in business and how they might do things differently. I also want to learn about the world and maybe my work might allow me to travel as well. When I first started my college search and thinking about what I wanted to do with my life business was the only thing that I thought I might want to explore. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and still don’t, but business has always been in the back of my mind. It is interesting how we are able to create products and specifically market them in a way to make the consumers buy them. Furthermore, in our current world due to covid the business world and economy have taken a large hit so it would be interesting to learn about how the business world has delt with that.

Professor Questions:

  • Is what you teach now the major you went to school for?
  • Why did you decided to teach business courses?
  • What’s the biggest challenge you face teaching this major?
  • What can I use this major for after college?
  • Are there any useful minors to pair with this major?
  • What is your favorite course teaching this major?

Student Questions:

  • Why did you choose a major in the business world?
  • What has been the hardest course you have taken so far?
  • What has been the easiest course you have taken so far?
  • What do you plan on doing with this major after college?
  • Was this major your first choice or did you switch majors?

Schoolwork and Real-World Work

              Based on the UNE’s program for business administration I will have to take a multitude of different business classes with some exploration’s courses too. Currently I am on track with their requirements, taking business management, statistics, and environmental science. I already have credits from high school for English and a lab science, so I do not have to take those courses. Looking forward I will have to take courses such as microeconomics, macroeconomics, technology courses, accounting, and a few other business electives. All the while I will have to take exploration courses and social global awareness. Looking at the courses now seems like a lot, but I feel as though I already have a head start because of some of my high school credits.

              With this degree I have the possible career options of a financial advisor, accountant, public relations specialist, and a sales manager. There are a multitude of options, and this degree will never be obsolete in our growing world because business is always going to be present in society.

Second Draft 10/10/22

Why This?

I am interested in a business administration major with possibly a concentration in international studies. I found out about this major this past summer when I was looking through all of UNE’s majors to see what I might like. It struck my eye as something I could see myself doing in the future. I imagine that I would be dealing with international countries shops and companies. I would take business conferences or travel to my clientele. I am interested in learning how other countries participate in business and how they might do things differently. I also want to learn about the world and maybe my work might allow me to travel as well. When I first started my college search and thinking about what I wanted to do with my life business was the only thing that I thought I might want to explore. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and still don’t, but business has always been in the back of my mind. It is interesting how we are able to create products and specifically market them in a way to make the consumers buy them. Furthermore, in our current world due to covid the business world and economy have taken a large hit so it would be interesting to learn about how the business world has delt with that.

Professor:

              I met with Professor John Austin who is an associate professor in the business department. Professor Austin definitely had some quality insights into the business world and the major through UNE. Professor Austin went to school for a degree in Organizational Studies, earning a bachelor’s degree. He worked for a few years in a company after his degree and became “interested in why some people really love change and others freak out by change”. His company advised him to look into graduate school and with this subtle push Professor Austin decided to go back to school.

              When talking to Professor Austin he had an interesting viewpoint on teach business. He says that “Business doesn’t lead to a single career so it’s harder to know what is important to help the students be successful when the students are going to be using the knowledge for completely different things”. Business can be used many different ways and is a universal background to almost any job in today’s world. Professor describes it as a “bridge to other things”. Each business needs organizational tactics and such to survive as a company. One can use their expertise from the business degree and apply it to many different fields. Professor Austin describes it as a “very flexible major that you will find value in”.

              Furthermore, a minor is a wonderful differentiator when one is applying for jobs. It makes an applicant stand out and shows they have expertise in something other than business. After mentioning that I wanted to possibly pursue a minor in applied mathematics, Professor Austin was thrilled and proceeded to mention how good that would be for me personally to stand out to employers. It shows that one is not afraid to try other things.

Student Questions:

  • Why did you choose a major in the business world?
  • What has been the hardest course you have taken so far?
  • What has been the easiest course you have taken so far?
  • What do you plan on doing with this major after college?
  • Was this major your first choice or did you switch majors?
  • Who is your favorite professor?
  • How is your experience similar or different from what you thought it would be?
  • Have you done or plan to do any internships or jobs
  • Do you have a minor?
  • What’s the biggest struggle you’ve faced in this major?
  • What is something you would tell your freshman self?

Schoolwork and Real-World Work

              Based on the UNE’s program for business administration I will have to take a multitude of different business classes with some exploration’s courses too. Currently I am on track with their requirements, taking business management, statistics, and environmental science. I already have credits from high school for English and a lab science, so I do not have to take those courses. Looking forward I will have to take courses such as microeconomics, macroeconomics, technology courses, accounting, and a few other business electives. All the while I will have to take exploration courses and social global awareness. Looking at the courses now seems like a lot, but I feel as though I already have a head start because of some of my high school credits.

              With this degree I have the possible career options of a financial advisor, accountant, public relations specialist, and a sales manager. There are a multitude of options, and this degree will never be obsolete in our growing world because business is always going to be present in society.

Draft 3 10/17/22

Why This?

I am interested in a business administration major with possibly a concentration in international business. I found out about this major this past summer when I was looking through all of UNE’s majors to see what I might like. It struck my eye as something I could see myself doing in the future. I can see myself being a businesswoman dealing with international countries. I am truly interested in learning how other countries participate in business and how they might do things differently. I also want to learn about the world and maybe my work might allow me to travel as well. When I first started my college search and thinking about what I wanted to do with my life business was the only thing that I thought I might want to explore. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and still don’t, but business has always been in the back of my mind. It is interesting how we are able to create products and specifically market them in a way to make the consumers buy them. Furthermore, in our current world due to Covid the business world and economy have taken a large hit so it would be interesting to learn about how the business world has delt with that.

Professor:

              I met with Professor John Austin who is an associate professor in the business department. Professor Austin definitely had some quality insights into the business world and the major through UNE. Professor Austin went to school for a degree in Organizational Studies, earning a bachelor’s degree. He worked for a few years in a company after his degree and became “interested in why some people really love change and others freak out by change”. His company advised him to look into graduate school and with this subtle push Professor Austin decided to go back to school.

              When talking to Professor Austin he had an interesting viewpoint on teaching business. He says that “Business doesn’t lead to a single career so it’s harder to know what is important to help the students be successful when the students are going to be using the knowledge for completely different things”. Business can be used many different ways and is a universal background to almost any job in today’s world. Professor Austin describes it as a “bridge to other things”. Each business needs organizational tactics and such to survive as a company. One can use their expertise from the business degree and apply it to many different fields. Professor Austin describes it as a “very flexible major that you will find value in”.

              Furthermore, a minor is an important differentiator when one is applying for jobs. It makes an applicant stand out and shows they have expertise in something other than business. After mentioning that I wanted to possibly pursue a minor in applied mathematics, Professor Austin was thrilled and proceeded to mention how beneficial that would be for me personally to stand out to employers. It shows that one is not afraid to try other things. Moreover, it shows that you have a different skillset and expertise that you are able to use compared to other employees.

Student Questions:

I interviewed Lily Beth Ryan who is freshman pursuing a degree in business administration. She explained that gaining a degree in business “lines up with my career plan ahead and with the knowledge and experience I will need for future endeavors”. From the start she knew she wanted to pursue a major in business administration as she has a family business that owns and operates underwater research vessels globally. She believes that the business major “includes the majority of the knowledge I need” in order to take over the company.

Lily Beth believes that her courseload is similar to what she though it would be, taking most of her general electives to push them out of the way. She explains that her courses at the moments aren’t that difficult however she believes that she will most definitely encounter more difficult courses in her future.

Schoolwork and Real-World Work

              Based on the UNE’s program for business administration I will have to take a multitude of different business classes with some exploration’s courses too. Currently I am on track with their requirements, taking business management, statistics, and environmental science. I already have credits from high school for English and a lab science, so I do not have to take those courses. Looking forward I will have to take courses such as microeconomics, macroeconomics, technology courses, accounting, and a few other business electives. All the while I will have to take exploration courses and social global awareness. Looking at the courses now seems like a lot, but I feel as though I already have a head start because of some of my high school credits. Furthermore, I am able to pursue a concentration through the business degree. Personally, I am interested in a concentration in international business. For a concentration I would take business electives specifically based in international studies instead of a mixture of classes. Some of these classes would include global marketing, international trade and finance, and American foreign policy. A concentration in international business would also require me to do a semester abroad as well.

              With this degree I have the possible career options of a financial advisor, accountant, public relations specialist, and a sales manager. There are a multitude of options, and this degree will never be obsolete in our growing world because business is always going to be present in society.

Reflection

              This major is particularly interesting to me as I want to learn how the world works and the organizational skills firms use in order to stay running smoothly. Furthermore, especially with covid it is interesting to learn how firms have adapted or have shut down. Our economy is tremendously different now and I am excited to learn about the new age of business. In addition, it makes me feel secure that business is a flexible major and one can pursue a multitude of different jobs with the major. I was also surprised to learn that if I wanted to have a concentration in international business I would have to travel abroad for a semester. This is a bit daunting for me, but it is also especially exciting.

              Business would be an appropriate fit for me however I do not want to end up in a boring dusty office. My only concern is that I would settle and work a boring 9-5 sitting in a desk chair all day. I want to be in the world and dealing with real life situations which is why I think a concentration in international business would be beneficial to me. I want to take full advantage of being involved in the world and having a position where I am able to interact with others and make a difference in the world.