What do you learn from your college major? It's more than just the content of your classes - you can learn that anywhere (Wikipedia, books, etc.). It is really the whole experience of college, classes, professors, classmates, and choices you make along the way. That is the real value of a college degree: the entire experience. I am in my fourth year studying business management and I've really taken away a number of lessons that I wouldn't have expected to learn when going in.
When do you pick your major? In my experience with K-12 education, I was introduced to the idea of having to pick a field to study in middle school, then throughout high school they introduced more and more of what to expect from college if I were to pick that path. "Academic and Career Planning" they called it. Well, in about the sixth grade they had me take a test to find my preferred major. I just put in my interests, how I would like to work, and what type of money I would like to make. It gave me civil engineering as my top field of study.
By the time I got to high school, I didn't really think much about what I wanted to study. I didn't even know if I wanted to go to college. I remember a week or two before my senior year of high school, my dad and I were talking about next steps. I mentioned that I was thinking of taking a gap year and just focus on my job for that year. He cautioned against that and recommended that I instead go to UW Baraboo, a small college only about 20 minutes away. I could still live at home, still work at my job, and commute to school. I mulled it over and ultimately decided to give it a shot.
I made my decision during my new student onboarding. I was given two choices, an "associate of arts and sciences" degree, and pick my 4-year major later, or an "associate of business administration" degree, and pick my specific business-related major later. At the time I was a manager at my job and I wanted to keep pursuing that. I chose business.
So now, 3 years from making that choice, what have I learned? Well, on the surface, I've learned a number of things I need to know in good business operations. I understand the Federal Reserve, the FOMC, and setting interest rates. I know basic accounting principles. I have a framework for considering ethics in business issues. But all of these are things I could have learned outside of school. I joined the student government, first as a senator at-large, then in my sophomore and junior years as student body president. I learned how to run meetings, get things done, and be a voice for my school to the higher administration. One thing I am most proud of from this time was when I got the opportunity to speak to many potential donors for our college's scholarship organization. This pushed me outside of my comfort zone - I've never really done any public speaking before - and taught me how to represent something I care about. Alongside this, I got to meet a large and diverse friend group, something I didn't really prioritize in high school. All in all, I've really pushed myself beyond where I was in high school and became a better man.
Today, what does business management mean to me? It is no longer about "climbing the ladder" at Culver's, but now it's about understanding organizations. It is about knowing how to be a good leader of people and a good manager of things. It is about getting the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today's world. I have learned how to work with people, lead, communicate, and push myself beyond what I thought I could do. That is what I am learning from my degree. What did you learn from your degree?
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