1. Before this class began, the concentration I had in mind was accounting. I chose accounting based on the exposure I had in high school. I was drawn to accounting initially; math is one of my stronger subjects. Once enrolled in the course, I realized this course is less about math and more about thinking logically. Instead of memorizing formulas and theorems, I spent most of my time managing and distributing money between company accounts. After several accounting classes I decided to look into it once in college.
2. I have decided to not change my initial concentration. The combination of the information presented by guest speakers, along with the career exploration assignment, has helped secure accounting as my concentration.
3. I am nearly positive that accounting is my primary concentration. However, I elect a second concentration in Computer Information Systems. The CIS guest speaker did a very good job in convincing me CIS would open many doors. Given the continued abundance of computers in the workplace, companies will still need developers and IT professionals. My academic advisor informed me that it would take me an extra semester to graduate. In the grand scheme of things, this seems like a very wise investment. If I can maintain a solid GPA, I am much more marketable for jobs in the future. The only other question I would have about double concentrating would be the benefits of working for a company that utilizes both degrees.
4. The guest speakers were very helpful in terms of choosing a concentration. The two most beneficial were the accounting and CIS speakers. The accounting speaker gave good perspective on the normal routine of a controller. All the tasks he mentioned I wouldn’t mind doing, and some of them I would consider fun. He also gave a feeling for the time it would take me to move up the ranks of the company, and the benefits at each position. Finally, he informed me on the types of qualities recruiters look for in their applicants. The speaker convinced me that CIS may be another option. With the added information regarding benefits and job opportunities in the CIS field, I found a new interest.
5. Over the course of high school, I always thought I would choose business as a major. My interest in money was the initial thing that drew me to business. Considering money runs our world, I want to be directly involved with it. I am very pleased with choosing business as my major. I am confident that the material I will, and have already learned will be of broad use in the real world.
6. I would feel comfortable with meeting with a career advisor in the College of Business, because I already know just enough to be able to understand the help that they offer. I have always felt that with more information you can more easily succeed in a subject. By meeting with an advisor, I could gather information about what prospective employers are looking for and thus be more prepared for interviews.
7. Out of all of the information I received in this class the project most helpful was the career exploration assignment. By researching the different types of companies looking for accounting majors, I was able to see which companies I should investigate as possible employers. By looking at the possible salaries for these companies, I was able to see how much money I would be making while working for each of those companies. In terms of where I would be living, I was able to better narrow down possible residencies.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Business Publication #3 Business Week
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9B5QH480.htm
This article summarizes Burger King’s plan to overhaul the image of their company from a drive-thru to a sit down style restaurant. How Burger King intends to do this is what I found interesting. Plans to redo the interiors and exteriors of all 12,000 restaurants worldwide are extensive. The exteriors will feature new signs, many saying "Home of the Whopper", but the interior holds the real changes. All of the tables and chairs are replaced with more elegant style furniture and furthermore, LCD televisions are used as menus. The estimated cost for this plan is $300,000 to $600,000 per restaurant. Needless to say, this is quite a big risk of the corporation. So far, sales have increased in test cased restaurants, however many franchise owners are still skeptical. Those opposed to this feel the culture of Burger King has already been established and it would take more than renovations for people to consider Burger King anything more than a fast food restaurant.
This article summarizes Burger King’s plan to overhaul the image of their company from a drive-thru to a sit down style restaurant. How Burger King intends to do this is what I found interesting. Plans to redo the interiors and exteriors of all 12,000 restaurants worldwide are extensive. The exteriors will feature new signs, many saying "Home of the Whopper", but the interior holds the real changes. All of the tables and chairs are replaced with more elegant style furniture and furthermore, LCD televisions are used as menus. The estimated cost for this plan is $300,000 to $600,000 per restaurant. Needless to say, this is quite a big risk of the corporation. So far, sales have increased in test cased restaurants, however many franchise owners are still skeptical. Those opposed to this feel the culture of Burger King has already been established and it would take more than renovations for people to consider Burger King anything more than a fast food restaurant.
Business Publication #3 The Economist
http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14563636
This article summarizes the ever growing popularity of smart phones throughout the world. Even with a weak economy, the market for smart phones has risen. However, the main focus is to inform the reader on companies creating preloaded smart phones, which I find interesting. The two main companies leading this development are Motorola and INQ. Instead of having popular applications, like Facebook or Twitter, available for download via online marketplace, the phones come preloaded with these applications. By anticipating customer usage, these companies are better able to serve their user base, including the ability to import contacts from the user’s social networks out of box. Economists say this innovation will be extremely popular as more people turn to smart phones for their business and personal lives.
This article summarizes the ever growing popularity of smart phones throughout the world. Even with a weak economy, the market for smart phones has risen. However, the main focus is to inform the reader on companies creating preloaded smart phones, which I find interesting. The two main companies leading this development are Motorola and INQ. Instead of having popular applications, like Facebook or Twitter, available for download via online marketplace, the phones come preloaded with these applications. By anticipating customer usage, these companies are better able to serve their user base, including the ability to import contacts from the user’s social networks out of box. Economists say this innovation will be extremely popular as more people turn to smart phones for their business and personal lives.
Monday, October 5, 2009
City Exploration
Salt Lake City, Utah
Close Proximity to Family: Yes, it is not in the same state, but well within driving/flying distance. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Mountains: Yes, the mountains are located within driving distance from Salt Lake.
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Gif/VolcanicPast/RegionMaps/map_usa_regions_rocky_mountains.gif
Weather: Yes, being geographically close to Denver the weather will be similar to Denver's. http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/utah/salt-lake-city.htm
Sports Teams: No, Utah has its own basketball team (Jazz) and will not broadcast Rams and Broncos games as frequently as Denver would. I can still buy the premium sports packages to watch my favorite teams, but I would not be able to attend every home game. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Dream Companies: Some but not all are located in Salt Lake City.
KPMG: Yes, http://www.kpmg.com/global/whoweare/locations/Pages/default.aspx
Stifel Nicholas: No locations, http://www2.stifel.com/site/content.aspx?id=6
Gamestop: No locations, http://www.gamestopcorp.com/factsheet.aspx
Google: No locations, http://www.google.com/corporate/address.html
NFL: No locations, http://www.hoovers.com/nfl/--ID__40330,target__business_directory--/free-co-samples-index.xhtml
The cost of living index rates Denver at 104.88, which means it is above the average cost for cities in the United States.
Cost of Living: The cost of living index rates Salt Lake at, 97.87 which means the cost of living is below average for cities in the United States.
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Close Proximity to Family: Yes, Denver is definitely within driving distance from Cheyenne. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Mountains: Yes, Cheyenne is within driving to the mountains. http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Gif/VolcanicPast/RegionMaps/map_usa_regions_rocky_mountains.gif
Weather: The weather is not the exact same as Denver's, but it is located close enough to Denver that it will be similar. http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/wyoming/cheyenne.htm
Sports Teams: Wyoming does not have any professional sports teams, so they may broadcast Colorado sports more frequently. Even so, it is not realistic that I would be able to drive to every Broncos home game from Cheyenne. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Dream Companies:
KPMG: No locations, http://www.kpmg.com/global/whoweare/locations/Pages/default.aspx
Stifel Nicolaus No locations, http://www2.stifel.com/site/content.aspx?id=6
Gamestop: No locations, http://www.gamestopcorp.com/factsheet.aspx
Google: No locations, http://www.google.com/corporate/address.html
NFL: No locations, http://www.hoovers.com/nfl/--ID__40330,target__business_directory--/free-co-samples-index.xhtml
Cost of Living: The cost of living index states that Cheyenne is 86.50, which means it is below the national average for cost of living. http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Cheyenne-Wyoming.aspx#
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Close Proximity to Family: Yes, Santa Fe is within driving/flying distance of Denver. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Mountains: Yes, Santa Fe is within driving distance of the mountains.http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Gif/VolcanicPast/RegionMaps/map_usa_regions_rocky_mountains.gif
Weather: Yes, the weather is comparable to Denver because of their geographical locations. http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/new-mexico/santa-fe.htm
Sports Teams: No, New Mexico does not have any professional sports teams, so they may air Colorado sport more frequently. This however does not change the fact that I would not be able to drive to every single Broncos home game. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Dream Jobs:
KPMG: No locations, http://www.kpmg.com/global/whoweare/locations/Pages/default.aspx
Stifel Nicolaus: No locations, http://www2.stifel.com/site/content.aspx?id=6
Gamestop: No locations, http://www.gamestopcorp.com/factsheet.aspx
Google: No locations, http://www.google.com/corporate/address.html
NFL: No locations, http://www.hoovers.com/nfl/--ID__40330,target__business_directory--/free-co-samples-index.xhtml
Cost of Living: The cost of living index lists Santa Fe at 121.76. This means it is more expensive to live in New Mexico than most places in country. http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Santa_Fe-New_Mexico.aspx#
Close Proximity to Family: Yes, it is not in the same state, but well within driving/flying distance. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Mountains: Yes, the mountains are located within driving distance from Salt Lake.
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Gif/VolcanicPast/RegionMaps/map_usa_regions_rocky_mountains.gif
Weather: Yes, being geographically close to Denver the weather will be similar to Denver's. http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/utah/salt-lake-city.htm
Sports Teams: No, Utah has its own basketball team (Jazz) and will not broadcast Rams and Broncos games as frequently as Denver would. I can still buy the premium sports packages to watch my favorite teams, but I would not be able to attend every home game. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Dream Companies: Some but not all are located in Salt Lake City.
KPMG: Yes, http://www.kpmg.com/global/whoweare/locations/Pages/default.aspx
Stifel Nicholas: No locations, http://www2.stifel.com/site/content.aspx?id=6
Gamestop: No locations, http://www.gamestopcorp.com/factsheet.aspx
Google: No locations, http://www.google.com/corporate/address.html
NFL: No locations, http://www.hoovers.com/nfl/--ID__40330,target__business_directory--/free-co-samples-index.xhtml
The cost of living index rates Denver at 104.88, which means it is above the average cost for cities in the United States.
Cost of Living: The cost of living index rates Salt Lake at, 97.87 which means the cost of living is below average for cities in the United States.
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Close Proximity to Family: Yes, Denver is definitely within driving distance from Cheyenne. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Mountains: Yes, Cheyenne is within driving to the mountains. http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Gif/VolcanicPast/RegionMaps/map_usa_regions_rocky_mountains.gif
Weather: The weather is not the exact same as Denver's, but it is located close enough to Denver that it will be similar. http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/wyoming/cheyenne.htm
Sports Teams: Wyoming does not have any professional sports teams, so they may broadcast Colorado sports more frequently. Even so, it is not realistic that I would be able to drive to every Broncos home game from Cheyenne. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Dream Companies:
KPMG: No locations, http://www.kpmg.com/global/whoweare/locations/Pages/default.aspx
Stifel Nicolaus No locations, http://www2.stifel.com/site/content.aspx?id=6
Gamestop: No locations, http://www.gamestopcorp.com/factsheet.aspx
Google: No locations, http://www.google.com/corporate/address.html
NFL: No locations, http://www.hoovers.com/nfl/--ID__40330,target__business_directory--/free-co-samples-index.xhtml
Cost of Living: The cost of living index states that Cheyenne is 86.50, which means it is below the national average for cost of living. http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Cheyenne-Wyoming.aspx#
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Close Proximity to Family: Yes, Santa Fe is within driving/flying distance of Denver. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Mountains: Yes, Santa Fe is within driving distance of the mountains.http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Gif/VolcanicPast/RegionMaps/map_usa_regions_rocky_mountains.gif
Weather: Yes, the weather is comparable to Denver because of their geographical locations. http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/new-mexico/santa-fe.htm
Sports Teams: No, New Mexico does not have any professional sports teams, so they may air Colorado sport more frequently. This however does not change the fact that I would not be able to drive to every single Broncos home game. http://www.50states.com/us.htm
Dream Jobs:
KPMG: No locations, http://www.kpmg.com/global/whoweare/locations/Pages/default.aspx
Stifel Nicolaus: No locations, http://www2.stifel.com/site/content.aspx?id=6
Gamestop: No locations, http://www.gamestopcorp.com/factsheet.aspx
Google: No locations, http://www.google.com/corporate/address.html
NFL: No locations, http://www.hoovers.com/nfl/--ID__40330,target__business_directory--/free-co-samples-index.xhtml
Cost of Living: The cost of living index lists Santa Fe at 121.76. This means it is more expensive to live in New Mexico than most places in country. http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Santa_Fe-New_Mexico.aspx#
Internships
KPMG
KPMG Campus Internship
http://www.kpmgcampus.com/job/interning.shtml
The campus internship program offers students a chance to get a head start on what goes on at KPMG. The site mentions that employers look for more than just good grades, they look for applicants that have proven they can deal with the tasks presented at auditing firms. The internships also give students a chance to develop relationships with people currently working for KPMG. This opportunity will help students find a mentor they can go to if they are ever having in trouble in the workplace. The final part of this internship is, most of the applicants that do a good job end up getting hired by KPMG after graduation.
To apply students are encouraged to see their counselor before a career fair comes to campus.
NFL
NFL Summer Internal Auditing Internship Program
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80b0a833&template=with-video&confirm=true
This internships lets students apply the knowledge the have learned at school and apply to their love of sports. The internship covers many different categories, but the one I am interested in is the internal auditing position. This program gives students the opportunity to engage in mentoring relationships, guest speakers and develop connections throughout the industry.
To apply send a resume to the recruitment office of the NFL.
Ernst & Young
College Internship Program
http://www.ey.com/US/en/Careers/Students/Programs/Internships
Similar to KPMG Ernst & Young is one of the Big 4 accounting firms and offers semester or summer internships to students. This program gives students the opportunity grasp some of the concepts that they will doing every day once graduated. The team building skills networking and feedback from work are all major reasons why I would consider this internship.
To apply talk to your college recruiter to see when Ernst & Young are coming for summer internship interviews.
KPMG Campus Internship
http://www.kpmgcampus.com/job/interning.shtml
The campus internship program offers students a chance to get a head start on what goes on at KPMG. The site mentions that employers look for more than just good grades, they look for applicants that have proven they can deal with the tasks presented at auditing firms. The internships also give students a chance to develop relationships with people currently working for KPMG. This opportunity will help students find a mentor they can go to if they are ever having in trouble in the workplace. The final part of this internship is, most of the applicants that do a good job end up getting hired by KPMG after graduation.
To apply students are encouraged to see their counselor before a career fair comes to campus.
NFL
NFL Summer Internal Auditing Internship Program
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80b0a833&template=with-video&confirm=true
This internships lets students apply the knowledge the have learned at school and apply to their love of sports. The internship covers many different categories, but the one I am interested in is the internal auditing position. This program gives students the opportunity to engage in mentoring relationships, guest speakers and develop connections throughout the industry.
To apply send a resume to the recruitment office of the NFL.
Ernst & Young
College Internship Program
http://www.ey.com/US/en/Careers/Students/Programs/Internships
Similar to KPMG Ernst & Young is one of the Big 4 accounting firms and offers semester or summer internships to students. This program gives students the opportunity grasp some of the concepts that they will doing every day once graduated. The team building skills networking and feedback from work are all major reasons why I would consider this internship.
To apply talk to your college recruiter to see when Ernst & Young are coming for summer internship interviews.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Possible Jobs
KPMG
External Auditor
http://www.us.kpmg.com/services/content.asp?l1id=30&l2id=0
Stifel Nicolaus
Internal Auditor I (click on the job title to go to job description)
https://www.hiretrue.com/hiretrue/showJobBoardPositions.do?jobBoardPK=17
Google
Financial Analyst, Mergers and Acquisitions
http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/answer.py?answer=159188
Gamestop
Director of Tax (click on the job title to go to job description)
http://careers.gamestop.com/Careers/Jobs/NonStores.aspx?dept=Corp
NFL- This corporation did not have a job requesting a degree in accounting, but I am going to do a double concentration in finance and this position lists a finance degree as one of its requirements.
Analyst
https://www.nfl.apply2jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJob&RID=73&CurrentPage=1
After reading all of the job descriptions, I have decided that accounting is definitely the right concentration for me. Every job listing I read with an accounting concentration is something that I would enjoy doing everyday. Ever since I was little, I have been interested in money. The idea that money is the core of our society has always made me interested in managing it and seeing how it gets distributed between companies. The company I am leaning towards now is KPMG. Aside from the auditing position, the experience I would obtain from this job would be unmatched for future jobs. Another reason I am strongly considering the Big 4 is the variety of accounts I would be working on. The Big 4 audit for so many different companies that I could get a feel for the type of company I would like to work for in the future. Aside from the auditing positions I now am feeling more comfortable with the financial positions than I was originally. I found out that most of the auditing positions have a base salary, so I would not have my entire salary based upon my stock picks.
External Auditor
http://www.us.kpmg.com/services/content.asp?l1id=30&l2id=0
Stifel Nicolaus
Internal Auditor I (click on the job title to go to job description)
https://www.hiretrue.com/hiretrue/showJobBoardPositions.do?jobBoardPK=17
Financial Analyst, Mergers and Acquisitions
http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/answer.py?answer=159188
Gamestop
Director of Tax (click on the job title to go to job description)
http://careers.gamestop.com/Careers/Jobs/NonStores.aspx?dept=Corp
NFL- This corporation did not have a job requesting a degree in accounting, but I am going to do a double concentration in finance and this position lists a finance degree as one of its requirements.
Analyst
https://www.nfl.apply2jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJob&RID=73&CurrentPage=1
After reading all of the job descriptions, I have decided that accounting is definitely the right concentration for me. Every job listing I read with an accounting concentration is something that I would enjoy doing everyday. Ever since I was little, I have been interested in money. The idea that money is the core of our society has always made me interested in managing it and seeing how it gets distributed between companies. The company I am leaning towards now is KPMG. Aside from the auditing position, the experience I would obtain from this job would be unmatched for future jobs. Another reason I am strongly considering the Big 4 is the variety of accounts I would be working on. The Big 4 audit for so many different companies that I could get a feel for the type of company I would like to work for in the future. Aside from the auditing positions I now am feeling more comfortable with the financial positions than I was originally. I found out that most of the auditing positions have a base salary, so I would not have my entire salary based upon my stock picks.
Career Exploration
The concentration I am interested in is Accounting.
One job a person with an accounting degree can have is an auditor. An auditor keeps track of their companies financial information. This can include; keeping track of public records, making sure payments are made on time and offering services to clients. These services can include; budget analysis, investment advice and information technology consulting. The education needed for an auditing position is a 4 year bachelors degree in accounting. The majority of the training for auditing is usually done on the job. The most prestigious certification an auditor can get is called a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). Many firms value a CPA as much or more than an MBA. There are many other certifications; CMA (Certified Managerial Accountant),CIA (Certified Internal Auditor), just to name a few. According to the source, the employment outlook for the next 5-10 years is good. The demand for auditors is very high and it is predicted the that the total auditing jobs will increase by 18%, making almost 226,000 new jobs. The world will always need auditors, but the major factor that will determine jobs available is the amount of accounting regulations that are put in place. Sarbanes Oxley drastically changed the accounting industry and the more regualtions that are put in place, the more accountants will be need to carry out the new laws. The starting salary for an auditor can be anywhere between $31,500 and $48,250 a year. The three things that concern me about this job are; the fact it may get repetitive, uncertainty in passing the CPA exam and the major gap in starting salaries.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos001.htm
Another job a student with a accounting degree can have is a financial analyst.
A financial analyst usually work hand in hand with financial advisers. Analysts look at companies financial information and decide if the company would be a good investment. Sometimes analysts are given bonuses if the stocks the pick increase in value. The education required for this job is a four year bachelors degree in finance, business administration, accounting, statistics, or economics. Unlike auditors there is not a specif certification needed to advance through the ranks of a company. There is certification that can make you more marketable to potential clients. The most common certification for financial analysts is a CFA (Certified Financial Analyst). According to the source, with the way the economy is progressing the outlook for financial analysts is strong. The amount of jobs for financial analysts, with an increase of 34%. The only problem is these knew jobs will be harder to get, this is because of the large amount of people that want these jobs. The major factor impacting financial analysts jobs is without question the state of the stock market. In a "Bull Market" brokerage firms will be hiring as many analysts as possible, because they feel with more analysts the brokers can get more information about the stocks they are selling. In a "Bear Market" however; firms will not be hiring as many new applicants and will only be keeping the analysts that have provided the firm with good stock picks. The average starting salary for a financial analyst is between $36,446 and $58,989 a year, plus bonuses for good stock picks. There are three things that worry me about this job as a possible career choice. The first is the competitions of the job market. The competition means my grades and interpersonal skills will have to be much better than the average applicant to obtain a job. The second reason I am questioning this as a career would be the risk in this job. With the amount of money I make depending on stocks, I would never be certain of the amount of money I would be making. The final reason is, I would be investing other people's money. I do not know if I could deal with being the reason a person loses money.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos259.htm#training
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?hdSearchByOption=0&hdLocationOption=0&hdKeyword=financial+anaylst&hdJobCategory=FA03&hdNarrowDesc=Financial+Services&hdZipCode=&hdStateMetro=&hdGeoLocation=U.S.+National+Averages&hdCurrentPage=1&hdViewAllRecords=&hdJobCode=FA06000010&hdJobTitle=Financial+Analyst+I&hdCurrentTab=1&hdZipCodePosted=&hdPaycheckCalc=&hdpageName=&hdOmniJobTitle=Financial+Analyst+III&hdOmniNarrowDesc=Financial+Services&op=salswz_psr&pagefrom=salaryresults&hdOmniState=&hdOmniGeoLocation=U.S.+National+Averages&d50th=72294.9797&jobcounter=5&countertype=1&totaljoblistnum=2&wsrcode=SW2&geo=U.S.+National+Averages&metrocode=&geometrocode=&zipcode=&jobcode=FA06000012&narrowcode=FA03&state=&statecode=&r=salswz_salresnxt_psr&educationcode1=&cmbEducation=&joblevelcode=&jobfamilycode=10&rdbLocationOption=0&txtZipCode=&hdNarrowDesc=&hdAjaxDisplaySection1=1&hdAjaxDisplaySection2=&hdAjaxKeyword=financial+anaylst&hdAjaxKeywordWithOR=%23financial%23+OR+%23anaylst%23
A third career I am considering is a financial manager. A financial manager oversees all of the operations of their company. Some of the tasks financial mangers deal with are, the preparation of financial reports, setting long term goals and implement cash management strategies. The minimum requirement to be considered for a financial manger position is a bachelors degree in finance or accounting. With the consistently increasing competition for these positions many applicants are going back to school to get their MBA degree. Since each company runs their financial operations differently most of the experience for this job is learned progressing through the companies ranks. There is no required certifications to become a financial manager, but two certification that will put your ahead of other applicants are a CPA and CMA (Certified Manger Accountant). The employment for financial managers is expected to grow at the current rate it is growing, with a 13% increase in jobs available. The competition level for these jobs is high, considering the high paying salary, there will always be more applicants than positions available. With this job, the amount of jobs available will strongly depend on the economy. During a strong economy companies will be more likely to promote more people to financial manager status. Similar to what our accounting guest speaker said, "in a down economy, the Big 4 will rarely promote people to partner." The average starting salary for a financial manager is anywhere between $237,364 and $397,215. Even though this is a position I would love to achieve there are a few things that worry me about this job. The first would be the high level competition. Even more so than a financial analyst position, the competition for this kind of job is so high I do not know if I would be able to beat out all of the applicants. The second would be the high level of stress that comes with this job. Having a lot of control of the company, could make me second guess a lot of my choices, resulting in a lot of stress. The third is the amount of time it would take to achieve this position. I understand that in the business world you have to work your way up the ladder, but I would like to achieve this status of financial manager soon rather than later.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos010.htm#training
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?op=salswz_psr&jobfamilycode=10&txtKeyword=Financial+manaer&hdOmniNarrowDesc=Financial+Services&hdZipCode=&hdOmniTotalJobsFound=41&pagefrom=selectjob&hdJobCategory=FA03&hdGeoLocation=U.S.+National+Averages&countertype=1&totaljoblistnum=2&joblevelcode=&hdCurrentPage=1&hdNarrowDesc=Financial+Services&hdLocationOption=0&hdViewAllRecords=0&hdJobTitle=Chief+Financial+Officer&hdSearchByOption=0&hdKeyword=Financial+manaer&rdbSearchByOption=0&hdStateMetro=&jobcounter=1&hdSortBy=0&hdJobCode=FA06000031&hdJSBoolDisplayAdvertisement=&hdAjaxKeyword=Financial+manaer&hdAjaxKeywordWithOR=%23Financial%23+OR+%23manaer%23&hdAjaxDisplaySection1=0&hdAjaxDisplaySection2=1
One job a person with an accounting degree can have is an auditor. An auditor keeps track of their companies financial information. This can include; keeping track of public records, making sure payments are made on time and offering services to clients. These services can include; budget analysis, investment advice and information technology consulting. The education needed for an auditing position is a 4 year bachelors degree in accounting. The majority of the training for auditing is usually done on the job. The most prestigious certification an auditor can get is called a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). Many firms value a CPA as much or more than an MBA. There are many other certifications; CMA (Certified Managerial Accountant),CIA (Certified Internal Auditor), just to name a few. According to the source, the employment outlook for the next 5-10 years is good. The demand for auditors is very high and it is predicted the that the total auditing jobs will increase by 18%, making almost 226,000 new jobs. The world will always need auditors, but the major factor that will determine jobs available is the amount of accounting regulations that are put in place. Sarbanes Oxley drastically changed the accounting industry and the more regualtions that are put in place, the more accountants will be need to carry out the new laws. The starting salary for an auditor can be anywhere between $31,500 and $48,250 a year. The three things that concern me about this job are; the fact it may get repetitive, uncertainty in passing the CPA exam and the major gap in starting salaries.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos001.htm
Another job a student with a accounting degree can have is a financial analyst.
A financial analyst usually work hand in hand with financial advisers. Analysts look at companies financial information and decide if the company would be a good investment. Sometimes analysts are given bonuses if the stocks the pick increase in value. The education required for this job is a four year bachelors degree in finance, business administration, accounting, statistics, or economics. Unlike auditors there is not a specif certification needed to advance through the ranks of a company. There is certification that can make you more marketable to potential clients. The most common certification for financial analysts is a CFA (Certified Financial Analyst). According to the source, with the way the economy is progressing the outlook for financial analysts is strong. The amount of jobs for financial analysts, with an increase of 34%. The only problem is these knew jobs will be harder to get, this is because of the large amount of people that want these jobs. The major factor impacting financial analysts jobs is without question the state of the stock market. In a "Bull Market" brokerage firms will be hiring as many analysts as possible, because they feel with more analysts the brokers can get more information about the stocks they are selling. In a "Bear Market" however; firms will not be hiring as many new applicants and will only be keeping the analysts that have provided the firm with good stock picks. The average starting salary for a financial analyst is between $36,446 and $58,989 a year, plus bonuses for good stock picks. There are three things that worry me about this job as a possible career choice. The first is the competitions of the job market. The competition means my grades and interpersonal skills will have to be much better than the average applicant to obtain a job. The second reason I am questioning this as a career would be the risk in this job. With the amount of money I make depending on stocks, I would never be certain of the amount of money I would be making. The final reason is, I would be investing other people's money. I do not know if I could deal with being the reason a person loses money.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos259.htm#training
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?hdSearchByOption=0&hdLocationOption=0&hdKeyword=financial+anaylst&hdJobCategory=FA03&hdNarrowDesc=Financial+Services&hdZipCode=&hdStateMetro=&hdGeoLocation=U.S.+National+Averages&hdCurrentPage=1&hdViewAllRecords=&hdJobCode=FA06000010&hdJobTitle=Financial+Analyst+I&hdCurrentTab=1&hdZipCodePosted=&hdPaycheckCalc=&hdpageName=&hdOmniJobTitle=Financial+Analyst+III&hdOmniNarrowDesc=Financial+Services&op=salswz_psr&pagefrom=salaryresults&hdOmniState=&hdOmniGeoLocation=U.S.+National+Averages&d50th=72294.9797&jobcounter=5&countertype=1&totaljoblistnum=2&wsrcode=SW2&geo=U.S.+National+Averages&metrocode=&geometrocode=&zipcode=&jobcode=FA06000012&narrowcode=FA03&state=&statecode=&r=salswz_salresnxt_psr&educationcode1=&cmbEducation=&joblevelcode=&jobfamilycode=10&rdbLocationOption=0&txtZipCode=&hdNarrowDesc=&hdAjaxDisplaySection1=1&hdAjaxDisplaySection2=&hdAjaxKeyword=financial+anaylst&hdAjaxKeywordWithOR=%23financial%23+OR+%23anaylst%23
A third career I am considering is a financial manager. A financial manager oversees all of the operations of their company. Some of the tasks financial mangers deal with are, the preparation of financial reports, setting long term goals and implement cash management strategies. The minimum requirement to be considered for a financial manger position is a bachelors degree in finance or accounting. With the consistently increasing competition for these positions many applicants are going back to school to get their MBA degree. Since each company runs their financial operations differently most of the experience for this job is learned progressing through the companies ranks. There is no required certifications to become a financial manager, but two certification that will put your ahead of other applicants are a CPA and CMA (Certified Manger Accountant). The employment for financial managers is expected to grow at the current rate it is growing, with a 13% increase in jobs available. The competition level for these jobs is high, considering the high paying salary, there will always be more applicants than positions available. With this job, the amount of jobs available will strongly depend on the economy. During a strong economy companies will be more likely to promote more people to financial manager status. Similar to what our accounting guest speaker said, "in a down economy, the Big 4 will rarely promote people to partner." The average starting salary for a financial manager is anywhere between $237,364 and $397,215. Even though this is a position I would love to achieve there are a few things that worry me about this job. The first would be the high level competition. Even more so than a financial analyst position, the competition for this kind of job is so high I do not know if I would be able to beat out all of the applicants. The second would be the high level of stress that comes with this job. Having a lot of control of the company, could make me second guess a lot of my choices, resulting in a lot of stress. The third is the amount of time it would take to achieve this position. I understand that in the business world you have to work your way up the ladder, but I would like to achieve this status of financial manager soon rather than later.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos010.htm#training
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?op=salswz_psr&jobfamilycode=10&txtKeyword=Financial+manaer&hdOmniNarrowDesc=Financial+Services&hdZipCode=&hdOmniTotalJobsFound=41&pagefrom=selectjob&hdJobCategory=FA03&hdGeoLocation=U.S.+National+Averages&countertype=1&totaljoblistnum=2&joblevelcode=&hdCurrentPage=1&hdNarrowDesc=Financial+Services&hdLocationOption=0&hdViewAllRecords=0&hdJobTitle=Chief+Financial+Officer&hdSearchByOption=0&hdKeyword=Financial+manaer&rdbSearchByOption=0&hdStateMetro=&jobcounter=1&hdSortBy=0&hdJobCode=FA06000031&hdJSBoolDisplayAdvertisement=&hdAjaxKeyword=Financial+manaer&hdAjaxKeywordWithOR=%23Financial%23+OR+%23manaer%23&hdAjaxDisplaySection1=0&hdAjaxDisplaySection2=1
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Business Publication #2 Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/29/tiger-woods-billion-business-sports-tiger.html
This article summarizes the financial accomplishments of Tiger Woods over his career. What I found interesting about this article was the variety of ways Tiger Woods makes his money. First and most obvious, Tiger is a professional athlete. Golf however, is different than many professional sports because of the way salaries are done. In the NFL, NBA and most other professional sports players are given a set salary. Todd Helton for example, will make his salary regardless if the Rockies make it to the World Series or not. Yes, he will make more money depending on how far his team goes in the playoffs, but there is never a threat of him making nothing. In the world of Golf you only make money if you win. There are plenty of professional golfers that can go months without making a dime because they are not playing as well as other golfers. The amount of money Tiger has made shows how truly dominant he is at his craft. Outside of golf Tiger makes the rest of his money through endorsements. Tiger has deals with Nike, Pepsi, Gillette, Electronic Arts, Accenture and AT&T. When watching a sporting event it is also impossible not to see an ad featuring Mr. Woods. Through Nike Tiger has his own brand of golf clubs (TW Victory Red Blade Series), Pepsi gave Tiger his own brand of Gatorade (Gatorade Tiger) and he currently is the star of the #1 selling golf video game on the market (Tiger Woods PGA TOUR). His revenue stream comes from so many different sources, that it is a wonder he did not eclipse this mark sooner.
This article summarizes the financial accomplishments of Tiger Woods over his career. What I found interesting about this article was the variety of ways Tiger Woods makes his money. First and most obvious, Tiger is a professional athlete. Golf however, is different than many professional sports because of the way salaries are done. In the NFL, NBA and most other professional sports players are given a set salary. Todd Helton for example, will make his salary regardless if the Rockies make it to the World Series or not. Yes, he will make more money depending on how far his team goes in the playoffs, but there is never a threat of him making nothing. In the world of Golf you only make money if you win. There are plenty of professional golfers that can go months without making a dime because they are not playing as well as other golfers. The amount of money Tiger has made shows how truly dominant he is at his craft. Outside of golf Tiger makes the rest of his money through endorsements. Tiger has deals with Nike, Pepsi, Gillette, Electronic Arts, Accenture and AT&T. When watching a sporting event it is also impossible not to see an ad featuring Mr. Woods. Through Nike Tiger has his own brand of golf clubs (TW Victory Red Blade Series), Pepsi gave Tiger his own brand of Gatorade (Gatorade Tiger) and he currently is the star of the #1 selling golf video game on the market (Tiger Woods PGA TOUR). His revenue stream comes from so many different sources, that it is a wonder he did not eclipse this mark sooner.
Business Publication #2 Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/technology/ci_13362212
This article reported on the Rocky Mountain Life Science Investor Conference. This is an event where many smaller medical companies can come and pitch there ideas to 25 venture capitalist companies. What I found interesting about this article was, all the different ideas these companies had. One company, Beacon Biotechnology, is developing a microchip that would totally change the way medical doctors look for diseases. By pouring a drop of blood on the chip, it is able to identify up to 100 different diseases. With this piece of technology doctors would not have to worry about guessing what type of disease a patient has, it would be shown on the chip. Another idea I found interesting came from a company called BiOptix. There project is to develop a biomedical scanner that can detect various amounts of viruses and bacteria. There product can be used to find the early stages of cancer. This day in age anything we can do to give us the edge over cancer imperative. It was documented that in total the companies are looking for $150 million in financing. Each of the companies that I read about in this article were asking for, on average, $5 million in financing. This amount may seem high, but if these companies can do what they intend on doing it save a lot of lives and generate a big pay day for investors.
This article reported on the Rocky Mountain Life Science Investor Conference. This is an event where many smaller medical companies can come and pitch there ideas to 25 venture capitalist companies. What I found interesting about this article was, all the different ideas these companies had. One company, Beacon Biotechnology, is developing a microchip that would totally change the way medical doctors look for diseases. By pouring a drop of blood on the chip, it is able to identify up to 100 different diseases. With this piece of technology doctors would not have to worry about guessing what type of disease a patient has, it would be shown on the chip. Another idea I found interesting came from a company called BiOptix. There project is to develop a biomedical scanner that can detect various amounts of viruses and bacteria. There product can be used to find the early stages of cancer. This day in age anything we can do to give us the edge over cancer imperative. It was documented that in total the companies are looking for $150 million in financing. Each of the companies that I read about in this article were asking for, on average, $5 million in financing. This amount may seem high, but if these companies can do what they intend on doing it save a lot of lives and generate a big pay day for investors.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Career Fair Assignment
1. I went to the fair on Wednesday, Sept. 16
Ameristar Casino
Capital Financial Strategies Group
2. Ameristar:
Q What kind of extra activities do you look for in your applicants?
A Customer service is one of the major aspects of our industry so we want someone who can be social. Any type of team organization, whether it's a sports team, environmental club, anything that you can say you participated group work.
Q What type of GPA do you look for in your applicants?
A Anything above a 3.0 will get you noticed, but what we really look for are interpersonal skills. So basically your grades get you in the door, but your interview has to set you apart from the rest of the group.
Capital Financial Strategies Group
Q Is there any specific concentration you are looking for with your applicants?
A We tend to look at the business and economic majors for our positions. As far as concentrations go we tend to look for management, accounting or finance. Our applicants all start out in the same pool and then they are filtered into one of two groups, finances or management. Your concentration doesn't necessarily indicate which group you will go in, it just comes down to which area the company feels you would do the most good in.
Q When do you start doing internships?
A Most of our internships are directed at juniors and seniors.
3.The hardest part of the career fair would have to be, the fact this was a new experience for me. I had never been to a career fair before, so I had no idea what to expect. I was a little flustered at the beginning, but as I talked to more companies I became more comfortable with the new atmosphere.
4. The next time I go to the career fair I will try and ask questions more personal to me. Instead of just asking, "what kind of extra activities do you look for in your applicants?" I will ask, "I am a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilion fraternity, do you look at fraternities as an extra-curricular?" When talking about GPA I will say I have X.XX GPA how do I stack up against most applicants?"
5. From the companies I asked questions to, I learned that grades are very important, but not always the most important thing. Considering the fields I want to go into, I will need to participate in activities that show companies I can be personal to their customers. When going into an interview I will need to be prepared. This is because it seems companies base the majority of their decision on how you present yourself. Overall I thought the career fair was a great experience, it gave me an idea of what I need to do over the course of my college career to be competitive in the job market.
Ameristar Casino
Capital Financial Strategies Group
2. Ameristar:
Q What kind of extra activities do you look for in your applicants?
A Customer service is one of the major aspects of our industry so we want someone who can be social. Any type of team organization, whether it's a sports team, environmental club, anything that you can say you participated group work.
Q What type of GPA do you look for in your applicants?
A Anything above a 3.0 will get you noticed, but what we really look for are interpersonal skills. So basically your grades get you in the door, but your interview has to set you apart from the rest of the group.
Capital Financial Strategies Group
Q Is there any specific concentration you are looking for with your applicants?
A We tend to look at the business and economic majors for our positions. As far as concentrations go we tend to look for management, accounting or finance. Our applicants all start out in the same pool and then they are filtered into one of two groups, finances or management. Your concentration doesn't necessarily indicate which group you will go in, it just comes down to which area the company feels you would do the most good in.
Q When do you start doing internships?
A Most of our internships are directed at juniors and seniors.
3.The hardest part of the career fair would have to be, the fact this was a new experience for me. I had never been to a career fair before, so I had no idea what to expect. I was a little flustered at the beginning, but as I talked to more companies I became more comfortable with the new atmosphere.
4. The next time I go to the career fair I will try and ask questions more personal to me. Instead of just asking, "what kind of extra activities do you look for in your applicants?" I will ask, "I am a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilion fraternity, do you look at fraternities as an extra-curricular?" When talking about GPA I will say I have X.XX GPA how do I stack up against most applicants?"
5. From the companies I asked questions to, I learned that grades are very important, but not always the most important thing. Considering the fields I want to go into, I will need to participate in activities that show companies I can be personal to their customers. When going into an interview I will need to be prepared. This is because it seems companies base the majority of their decision on how you present yourself. Overall I thought the career fair was a great experience, it gave me an idea of what I need to do over the course of my college career to be competitive in the job market.
Business Publication #1 BBC news
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8257032.stm
This article reported on the effectiveness the "Cash for Clunkers" program has had on US auto sales in the last few months. After reporting that the "Cash for Clunkers" scheme did bolster the auto industry temporarily, many analysts are now reporting that the US auto industry is in store for a "V curve" pattern. This statement makes a lot of sense, and that is what I found interesting about this article. A "V curve" is another way of saying the auto industry reached its peak during the "Cash for Clunkers" program. This means that since the program has ended, the auto industry is liable to fall just as quickly as it rose during "Cash for Clunkers". I agree with this statement, because anyone that wanted to sell their old car did it during the "Cash for Clunkers" sale. Since the sale is over no one will be bringing in their old car looking to buy a newer, more fuel efficient car. Without the "Cash of Clunkers" customers coming onto dealership lots, there will not be enough sales to keep the auto industry at the current level of sales it is at. This will inevitably cause dealerships to lose money and possibly put us right back where we started. I hope the "Cash for Clunkers" program was the extra push we needed to get the US auto industry back on track, but according to this and several other reports I have read it hardly seem likely.
This article reported on the effectiveness the "Cash for Clunkers" program has had on US auto sales in the last few months. After reporting that the "Cash for Clunkers" scheme did bolster the auto industry temporarily, many analysts are now reporting that the US auto industry is in store for a "V curve" pattern. This statement makes a lot of sense, and that is what I found interesting about this article. A "V curve" is another way of saying the auto industry reached its peak during the "Cash for Clunkers" program. This means that since the program has ended, the auto industry is liable to fall just as quickly as it rose during "Cash for Clunkers". I agree with this statement, because anyone that wanted to sell their old car did it during the "Cash for Clunkers" sale. Since the sale is over no one will be bringing in their old car looking to buy a newer, more fuel efficient car. Without the "Cash of Clunkers" customers coming onto dealership lots, there will not be enough sales to keep the auto industry at the current level of sales it is at. This will inevitably cause dealerships to lose money and possibly put us right back where we started. I hope the "Cash for Clunkers" program was the extra push we needed to get the US auto industry back on track, but according to this and several other reports I have read it hardly seem likely.
Business Publication #1 The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,26083609-643,00.html
This article was an informative piece following up on the statement that Federal Chairman Ben Bernake made yesterday. Bernake told Washington that, "the recession is very likely over at this point." The response this has generated from investors is incredible. As of today all markets are up, some have reached points higher than they have reached in months. The response by investors, over one man's statement is what I found so interesting about this article. I understand that this man is very high up in terms of economic knowledge, but how can one man's opinion generate this kind of response? After his statement he was quick to state that even though the recession is ending, many people's lifestyles will not change. If there are no new jobs and employment statuses are not changing, how can people go out and spend money if there is no promise of new income? Overall I am glad that this statement has sparked some upward movement in terms of the stock market. What worries me however, is how he came upon this theory. If in his statement, Bernake supported his claim with statistical evidence or stock reports I could be sure that this recession is truly over. Now, he may have went into more detail about this in another report, but by reading this report alone I am not sold that the recession is over.
This article was an informative piece following up on the statement that Federal Chairman Ben Bernake made yesterday. Bernake told Washington that, "the recession is very likely over at this point." The response this has generated from investors is incredible. As of today all markets are up, some have reached points higher than they have reached in months. The response by investors, over one man's statement is what I found so interesting about this article. I understand that this man is very high up in terms of economic knowledge, but how can one man's opinion generate this kind of response? After his statement he was quick to state that even though the recession is ending, many people's lifestyles will not change. If there are no new jobs and employment statuses are not changing, how can people go out and spend money if there is no promise of new income? Overall I am glad that this statement has sparked some upward movement in terms of the stock market. What worries me however, is how he came upon this theory. If in his statement, Bernake supported his claim with statistical evidence or stock reports I could be sure that this recession is truly over. Now, he may have went into more detail about this in another report, but by reading this report alone I am not sold that the recession is over.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Concentration Paper
Part 1
1 Edward Blackman
2 Highlands Ranch Colorado
3 Corbett Hall
4 Intro to Business, Business Computing Concepts, Math 117/118, Oceanography, Current World Problems and Basic Writing (Comp 150)
5 I am currently not working.
6 Ever since I was little I knew I was going to end up at Colorado State or CU Boulder. I wanted to stay in state and go to one of the larger universities in Colorado. After going on campus visits to both universities I felt I would get along with the people at Colorado State better than CU. Along with the people Colorado State has a higher ranked business school, which will help me get the kind of job I want. When everything is said and done, the reason I went to college was to get a good job and I believe Colorado State gives me a great opportunity to do that.
7 I chose business as a major because I have always been interested in it. My dad is a stock broker so before I was 15 I could tell you what a ticker symbol was, the difference between a bond and stock, and many other items that many students will be exposed to their first year in the business school. I started my own stock portfolio when I was a junior in high school, using money I made working, I was able to purchase shares in a variety of different companies. I am not saying I want to be a stock broker, but that early exposure to the business world gave me an idea of what I wanted to concentrate on in college.
8. My favorite way to spend my free time is hang out with friends.
9. I have met many students in this class, but going into the class I did not know anyone.
10. I have not met any of the faculty members in the college of business.
11. I am not interested in studying abroad. This is mainly because of the cost and the constant moving around. While studying I want to get acclimated to a place and focus on my school work.
12. Business Week- Have heard of it and read it occasionally.
Fortune- Have heard of it and read it occasionally.
Forbes- Have heard of it and read it occasionally.
The Economist- Have heard of it, but I have never read it.A
BBC- Have heard of it, but I have never read it.
Denver Post- Have heard of it and read it occasionally.
Forbes- Have heard of it, but I have never read it..
Wall Street Journal- Have heard of it and I read it frequently.
13. As of now I don't have any questions.
Part 2
1 My strengths and weaknesses are fairly straight forward. As far as subjects in school I have always been stronger at math than English. I guess this is because there is somewhat of a gray area in English. What I mean by this is, one plus one will always be two. This is a clear cut answer and when taking a math test you are either right or wrong. When it comes to English you can write a paper that you think is great, but when you give it to your professor they could tell you that it could have been written better. This is what frustrates me about English, there is always a better way to write or explain something. When it comes to the business world my strength would have to be my ability to learn topics quickly. In high school I could get away with not paying attention in class and just teaching myself the material later. This ability has helped me in school, but it has also gotten me into trouble. With my ability to grasp subjects quickly I usually wait until the last minute to do assignments. I am trying to get rid of this habit (that is why I'm typing this paper on Saturday, as apposed to Monday at 3 PM).
2. Accounting- This is the concentration I am leaning towards right now for several reasons. There is a very good future on the horizon for accountants. On the Internet there is always postings about top ten most hired majors and accounting is always on that list, if not at the top of it. Another reason that I would choose accounting is the starting salary. In the business school handout I was given at orientation, accountants have the second highest starting salary of all concentrations. The final reason I am interested in accounting is because I enjoy it. I took a few accounting classes in high school and did fairly well in them. The material came easy to me and it made the courses fun and interesting.
Management- I am currently not interested in this concentration. The main reason this concentration is unappealing to me is, it seems to broad. I could be totally off in my thinking, but doesn't a concentration in management mean you are taught how to run a company? In my opinion to be able to run a company you first need to understand how the company works. This means a student going in for an interview with a management degree can't be interviewing for anything more than a low end position in the company. Just because the student has a management degree doesn't mean hes the CEO right off the bat. They have to work your way up the corporate latter and with no specialty skills like accounting, finance, ex how is he supposed to get noticed in the company? Management holds one of the lowest salaries out of all of the concentrations and it is not hard to see why. Without anything more than a general knowledge of business why should they get paid more than someone with a special skill?
Marketing- This concentration seemed interesting to me when I was younger, but once I talked to people with a concentration in marketing I was quick to knock this concentration off my list. From what I understood many people here the word marketing and immediately think of advertising or sales. If this is true I can't understand why people would bother to get a degree in marketing. When it comes to advertising you need to be able to grab customers attention by being creative and witty. These traits can not be taught, you either have them or you don't. This is even truer when it comes to the world of sales. You can not teach someone to be a good salesman, salesman have natural charisma and the ability to connect with their prospects. Once again this is something that you either have or you don't. From what I have heard for people with a marketing degree, everyone of them thought they would be writing commercials or writing up ads for the newspaper. Once they graduated, most of them ended up doing market research and conducting tests on different parts of the population. This is something that I would absolutely hate doing, which is why I don't think my concentration will be in marketing.
Computer Information Systems- This concentration is currently third on my list. I know a good deal about business computer software, but I know very little when it comes to the internal hardware of computers. In all honesty I do not know much about what this concentration is, but I am assuming it would be dealing with the computer networks around office buildings. If this is true, than my job would consist solving problems with people's computers around the office. This could be rewarding, solving people's problems, but in the long run I don't know if I posses the skills to move up the pay scale in this particular field. As I said in my WHY Factor I am in college to make money, and even though this concentration has the highest starting salary, in the long run I feel I could make more money in a field like accounting or finance.
Finance- If for some reason I don't like accounting, my fall back is finance. This is because it seems to be the closest to being a stock broker without actually being a broker. My dad is one of the recruiting chairman for his company and he says brokerage houses target students with finance and accounting degrees. If I decide being an accountant is not for me, my second option would have to be a financial analyst. This way I could pick companies for my firm to recommend investing in without the pressure of losing someone money. Finance doesn't have a high starting salary, but with my background knowledge and work ethic I think I could fair well in this field.
Real Estate- I have no interest in this concentration for a variety of reasons. To begin with, when I think of this concentration I think of a real estate agent. In that field it is all about salesmanship and from my marketing post you know how I feel about that. Also out of all of the concentrations this one seems to have the most unstable future. Unlike accounting, where the world is always going to need someone to keep the books, real estate is a very up and down industry. When the housing market is up I image people with this degree are loving their job and can't think of anything else they would rather be doing. On the other hand, when the market is down, I bet those same people are questioning why they ever got a degree in real estate. The instability of this field really sours me on this concentration and I can't see myself making this my concentration.
As far as picking a concentration, the one thing I can ask of the guest speakers is, to let us know the ceiling for their profession and what kind of money is being made once that ceiling is reached.
Part 3
For the Jung Typology Test I scored a ENTJ.
For the Princeton Review my colors are Yellow and Blue
After taking the two quizzes I was given confidence that I am on the right path as far as careers go. My yellow personality shows that I like working and analyzing numbers. The website indicated that I should look into accounting or law (considered this) as fields to meet my interests. My blue personality shows that I need to work in a career that is focused on the future. This is right up my alley, because if I go into the field of finances and become an analyst, my entire job would be predicting the future success of companies based on their financial statements. The Princeton Review test was very informative and helpful in showing me that I have picked the right major for myself.
The Jung Typo Test determined that I am a leader. In my results it showed that I can motivate and organize people to assist me in achieving long term goals. This is exactly what I want to be doing. My goal is to become a CEO or partner for some type of financial institution and according to the test that's not as far fetched as I once thought it was. For a career choice the test recommended to become an executive of a company so that I can use my leadership skills to get the company going in the right direction. The Jung Typo test was a very beneficial one for me because it showed me that I have what it takes to become a leader in corporate America.
1 Edward Blackman
2 Highlands Ranch Colorado
3 Corbett Hall
4 Intro to Business, Business Computing Concepts, Math 117/118, Oceanography, Current World Problems and Basic Writing (Comp 150)
5 I am currently not working.
6 Ever since I was little I knew I was going to end up at Colorado State or CU Boulder. I wanted to stay in state and go to one of the larger universities in Colorado. After going on campus visits to both universities I felt I would get along with the people at Colorado State better than CU. Along with the people Colorado State has a higher ranked business school, which will help me get the kind of job I want. When everything is said and done, the reason I went to college was to get a good job and I believe Colorado State gives me a great opportunity to do that.
7 I chose business as a major because I have always been interested in it. My dad is a stock broker so before I was 15 I could tell you what a ticker symbol was, the difference between a bond and stock, and many other items that many students will be exposed to their first year in the business school. I started my own stock portfolio when I was a junior in high school, using money I made working, I was able to purchase shares in a variety of different companies. I am not saying I want to be a stock broker, but that early exposure to the business world gave me an idea of what I wanted to concentrate on in college.
8. My favorite way to spend my free time is hang out with friends.
9. I have met many students in this class, but going into the class I did not know anyone.
10. I have not met any of the faculty members in the college of business.
11. I am not interested in studying abroad. This is mainly because of the cost and the constant moving around. While studying I want to get acclimated to a place and focus on my school work.
12. Business Week- Have heard of it and read it occasionally.
Fortune- Have heard of it and read it occasionally.
Forbes- Have heard of it and read it occasionally.
The Economist- Have heard of it, but I have never read it.A
BBC- Have heard of it, but I have never read it.
Denver Post- Have heard of it and read it occasionally.
Forbes- Have heard of it, but I have never read it..
Wall Street Journal- Have heard of it and I read it frequently.
13. As of now I don't have any questions.
Part 2
1 My strengths and weaknesses are fairly straight forward. As far as subjects in school I have always been stronger at math than English. I guess this is because there is somewhat of a gray area in English. What I mean by this is, one plus one will always be two. This is a clear cut answer and when taking a math test you are either right or wrong. When it comes to English you can write a paper that you think is great, but when you give it to your professor they could tell you that it could have been written better. This is what frustrates me about English, there is always a better way to write or explain something. When it comes to the business world my strength would have to be my ability to learn topics quickly. In high school I could get away with not paying attention in class and just teaching myself the material later. This ability has helped me in school, but it has also gotten me into trouble. With my ability to grasp subjects quickly I usually wait until the last minute to do assignments. I am trying to get rid of this habit (that is why I'm typing this paper on Saturday, as apposed to Monday at 3 PM).
2. Accounting- This is the concentration I am leaning towards right now for several reasons. There is a very good future on the horizon for accountants. On the Internet there is always postings about top ten most hired majors and accounting is always on that list, if not at the top of it. Another reason that I would choose accounting is the starting salary. In the business school handout I was given at orientation, accountants have the second highest starting salary of all concentrations. The final reason I am interested in accounting is because I enjoy it. I took a few accounting classes in high school and did fairly well in them. The material came easy to me and it made the courses fun and interesting.
Management- I am currently not interested in this concentration. The main reason this concentration is unappealing to me is, it seems to broad. I could be totally off in my thinking, but doesn't a concentration in management mean you are taught how to run a company? In my opinion to be able to run a company you first need to understand how the company works. This means a student going in for an interview with a management degree can't be interviewing for anything more than a low end position in the company. Just because the student has a management degree doesn't mean hes the CEO right off the bat. They have to work your way up the corporate latter and with no specialty skills like accounting, finance, ex how is he supposed to get noticed in the company? Management holds one of the lowest salaries out of all of the concentrations and it is not hard to see why. Without anything more than a general knowledge of business why should they get paid more than someone with a special skill?
Marketing- This concentration seemed interesting to me when I was younger, but once I talked to people with a concentration in marketing I was quick to knock this concentration off my list. From what I understood many people here the word marketing and immediately think of advertising or sales. If this is true I can't understand why people would bother to get a degree in marketing. When it comes to advertising you need to be able to grab customers attention by being creative and witty. These traits can not be taught, you either have them or you don't. This is even truer when it comes to the world of sales. You can not teach someone to be a good salesman, salesman have natural charisma and the ability to connect with their prospects. Once again this is something that you either have or you don't. From what I have heard for people with a marketing degree, everyone of them thought they would be writing commercials or writing up ads for the newspaper. Once they graduated, most of them ended up doing market research and conducting tests on different parts of the population. This is something that I would absolutely hate doing, which is why I don't think my concentration will be in marketing.
Computer Information Systems- This concentration is currently third on my list. I know a good deal about business computer software, but I know very little when it comes to the internal hardware of computers. In all honesty I do not know much about what this concentration is, but I am assuming it would be dealing with the computer networks around office buildings. If this is true, than my job would consist solving problems with people's computers around the office. This could be rewarding, solving people's problems, but in the long run I don't know if I posses the skills to move up the pay scale in this particular field. As I said in my WHY Factor I am in college to make money, and even though this concentration has the highest starting salary, in the long run I feel I could make more money in a field like accounting or finance.
Finance- If for some reason I don't like accounting, my fall back is finance. This is because it seems to be the closest to being a stock broker without actually being a broker. My dad is one of the recruiting chairman for his company and he says brokerage houses target students with finance and accounting degrees. If I decide being an accountant is not for me, my second option would have to be a financial analyst. This way I could pick companies for my firm to recommend investing in without the pressure of losing someone money. Finance doesn't have a high starting salary, but with my background knowledge and work ethic I think I could fair well in this field.
Real Estate- I have no interest in this concentration for a variety of reasons. To begin with, when I think of this concentration I think of a real estate agent. In that field it is all about salesmanship and from my marketing post you know how I feel about that. Also out of all of the concentrations this one seems to have the most unstable future. Unlike accounting, where the world is always going to need someone to keep the books, real estate is a very up and down industry. When the housing market is up I image people with this degree are loving their job and can't think of anything else they would rather be doing. On the other hand, when the market is down, I bet those same people are questioning why they ever got a degree in real estate. The instability of this field really sours me on this concentration and I can't see myself making this my concentration.
As far as picking a concentration, the one thing I can ask of the guest speakers is, to let us know the ceiling for their profession and what kind of money is being made once that ceiling is reached.
Part 3
For the Jung Typology Test I scored a ENTJ.
For the Princeton Review my colors are Yellow and Blue
After taking the two quizzes I was given confidence that I am on the right path as far as careers go. My yellow personality shows that I like working and analyzing numbers. The website indicated that I should look into accounting or law (considered this) as fields to meet my interests. My blue personality shows that I need to work in a career that is focused on the future. This is right up my alley, because if I go into the field of finances and become an analyst, my entire job would be predicting the future success of companies based on their financial statements. The Princeton Review test was very informative and helpful in showing me that I have picked the right major for myself.
The Jung Typo Test determined that I am a leader. In my results it showed that I can motivate and organize people to assist me in achieving long term goals. This is exactly what I want to be doing. My goal is to become a CEO or partner for some type of financial institution and according to the test that's not as far fetched as I once thought it was. For a career choice the test recommended to become an executive of a company so that I can use my leadership skills to get the company going in the right direction. The Jung Typo test was a very beneficial one for me because it showed me that I have what it takes to become a leader in corporate America.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
My WHY factor
Everyone has a WHY factor when it comes to college. A WHY factor could be anything from; wanting to learn more about a particular subject, getting a job that you love or making friendships that last a life time. My WHY factor is none of the aforementioned goals. MY WHY factor is to simply make money. I know that is not the most compassionate or thoughtful answer, but it's true. It has been thoroughly documented that people who attend college, on average have a higher salary than people who have high school as their highest education level. I know that people such as; Bill Gates, Henry Ford and Steve Jobs didn't go to college but that is three people out of millions who found success without a degree. I have aspirations just like everyone else, but I'm not crazy. In today's society you need a degree to work most places that pay a decent salary. A high paying salary will enable me to live the life I want to live. By this I mean not having to live pay check to pay check, like many Americans. I am not saying that I will be able to make enough money to spend outrageous amounts of money daily, but enough that I can afford to make big purchases every once and a while. Aside from myself this will make for a better life for my future family. The more money I make the better schools I can send my children to, which in turn will help them make more money, provided they have the proper work ethic. Finally the more money I make the sooner I will be able to retire. I know this sounds crazy talking about retiring at 18, but mathematically it's true. If I need a certain amount of money to retire, the faster I can accumulate that money the quicker I will be done working. Money is my WHY factor, it is the reason I get up in the morning.
Dream Locations
Denver Colorado- This location was an easy selection, because it has everything that I need right in my own backyard. One of the most important reasons why I love living in Denver Colorado is because my family is here and it is familiar to me. I have lived here almost my entire life, college is a big enough change on its own, and I can’t imagine what a whole new state would be like. Another reason why I love living in Denver is because of its close proximity to the mountains. I have been skiing and snowboarding for as long as I can remember. Outside of those activities I hike, white water raft and snow mobile. If I wasn’t able to do these things in my life I would feel like something was missing. Weather, is the third reason why Denver is my “dream location”. Some people hate the fact that on Monday it can be 75 degrees and sunny, while on Tuesday you could be starring at 2 feet of snow the second you step outside. This is one of my favorite aspects of Colorado, the unpredictability. The constant changes in the weather seem to keep my on my toes and ready for any situation. The more you read of my blog the more you will discover how big of a sports fan I am. I will be making constant references to the Broncos, Nuggets, Rams and Rockies. I am first and foremost a Broncos fan and I pride myself in cheering on the Broncos regardless of their record. I would consider myself a fan of the other three teams, but my passion for the Broncos outweighs my support for the three above teams combined. Having the Broncos and the other sports teams all located somewhere in Colorado, I am free to attend any home game I please. Finally and most practical, the majority of the companies I listed in my “Dream Companies” all have offices somewhere in Colorado. This way I would not have to move out of state to interview for a position at one of my dream companies. These and many other reason are why I would never want to leave Denver Colorado.
Dream Jobs
KPMG http://kpmg.com/Global/Pages/default.aspx
Stifel Nicolaus http://www.stifel.com/framesetURL.asp?URL=/homepageFrameset.asp
Google http://www.google.com/corporate/
Gamestop http://www.gamestopcorp.com/
National Football League http://www.nfl.com/careers/internships
Stifel Nicolaus http://www.stifel.com/framesetURL.asp?URL=/homepageFrameset.asp
Google http://www.google.com/corporate/
Gamestop http://www.gamestopcorp.com/
National Football League http://www.nfl.com/careers/internships
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