BBA as a Career- A Multidimensional Opportunity

Selection of Career:

In today’s scenario, it is a very challenging task for students and parents to select an option for study after the completion of higher secondary. The job market is very volatile in nature, and is highly competitive. It therefore requires an individual to acquire specialized knowledge and skills in their field of operations. Hence, it is essential that an individual starts developing comprehensive domain specific knowledge early on in his/her academic life.  The scope in government sectors is decreasing and at the same time, using modern technology, industries are moving from manual to automation. As a result, the importance and the requirement of huge manual forces are reducing. The core sectors are not performing well all over world and in India as well. If we look at the last five year’s economic and industrial growth in India, it was not significant enough to give hope to the young generation. If we look at the present, it is clear that all over the world, the job market has been affected because of COVID-19 and it will take a long time for it to recover. On the other hand, it also observed that some new areas are emerging and creating huge employment opportunities and that is mostly in the service sector. If we look at the developed nations, they have great strength in the service sector and India is also following the same path. The government is also promoting some areas such as entrepreneurship, skill based programs and self sufficiency programs, where the next generation will not only be looking for job, but rather, will develop the creativity to generate jobs for others. Thus, in the present situation, the students have to take very careful steps before selection of any program after higher secondary because it is very difficult to predict future trends. So we should focus more on multi dimensional career approaches rather than single outcomes.

Unique Selling Proposition of BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration):

Looking into the above facts, modern day students are increasingly opting for this program which offers them a multidimensional approach in terms of knowledge, ability and skills. At the same time, this is the reason why, in the present scenario, many colleges and institutions in India have realized that only academic engagement cannot solve the problem. There is a need for academic blending that make the students industry ready, productive, efficient and employable (even self-employable) when they start their careers and step into the industry.  It is a program covering various aspects of capability enhancement courses, skill enhancement courses and general courses which helps students understand about economics, statistics, accounting and finance as well as different subjects covering wide aspects of management like HR (Human Resources), Marketing, Finance, Banking and Insurance, Industrial Relations, etc.  Not only that, the program also teaches technical skills to the students which help them to remain up to date in this area. Further, it emphasizes on the skills which are required by the industry. This BBA program is highly appreciated by the industry because they get a multi-skilled workforce with a good overview of how industry works, and as the program is multidimensional in nature, they can put the students, as per requirement of the industry, under different departments.

 Multidimensional Career Opportunities:

 A few specific areas where BBA students are getting opportunities and also getting opportunities to develop skills are as below.

• Becoming a financial analyst- there are different areas of Finance being covered in this program which may help the students to choose a career as a financial or investment analyst. In the current situation, most of the banking and insurance organizations are recruiting a huge number of people from BBA courses.
• Becoming a marketing and sales executive- this is an area where BBA students get huge opportunities in comparison to other graduates. Companies also prefer to recruit BBA students as executives in the entry level positions.
• Opportunities in Back office operational jobs- Companies like HSBC and TCS hire BBA students to work as a back office operational executives for their foreign clients.
• Opportunities in Market research firms- Most companies have separate market research consultant teams where they recruit BBA students for doing different market research activities.
• BBA graduates get hired in leading consulting firms such as IBM, Accenture and Deloitte. Consulting firms provide access to individuals with subject matter expertise who can help them take right decisions. Being part of consulting firms allows one to gain experience across a diverse set of industries.
• Opportunities in Human Resource departments- BBA students get fundamental knowledge in different aspects of human resource management. Because of that, they can get opportunities in the companies in various functions in the HR department such as hiring activities, placements and performance evaluation.
• Opportunities as a Logistics Manager- this is also a big area of opportunity in the present market where BBA students are in demand and most industries like FMCG, Automotive and Retail hire BBA students to manage their distribution networks.
• Career as Customer Relationship Managers in Banks – the basic job is to maintain the relationship with the customer by providing them various services like grievance compliance, tele-calling and service support.
• Opportunities in startup ventures – BBA student work under different disciplines like Growth Hackers, Marketing Specialists and Product Managers.
• Build a career as a Cost and management accounting specialist- in the BBA program enough scope is there for students to clear ICWA or CA.
• Build a career as an Entrepreneur- This is an emerging area where most BBA students are starting their career because this program gives enough knowledge which is essential for entrepreneurship.
• Explore opportunities in the Government sectors- Though the course covers different aspects of general studies and management areas, there is a high chance of the students joining as Bank Probationary Officers, Civil services or other government jobs through Staff Selection Commission (SSC) etc.
• Doing a BBA would help an individual who aspires to do an MBA and get greater preference by industries in their managerial positions.

In short, a BBA is seen today as a preferred vehicle to launch one’s career, given the enormous scope it offers to those graduating in this area.