Business Majors...

sp2008
Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:09:42 +0000

Oh please, “successful” surgeons make a lot less compared to “successful” businesspeople. Once you go through the long hell that is medical school living poorly and racking up debt (unless your parents are wealthy), you can usually hope to make up to 200-400K as a good surgeon (not including general practitioners who make less). Granted, the median businessperson does not make this much, there is much more VARIABILITY in that businesspeople can make an uncapped amount of money, usually 200K+ for CEOs, sometimes millions per year. To make millions, a surgeon would have to open his own practice, BECOME a businessperson, and be extremely successful. It’s a matter of earning potential.

That said, I agree that business programs across the US are inundated with people who wouldn’t be considered “high intellectual caliber,” and very easily get their degrees from any source that will accept a payment. But, these are the graduates who are going to be in the bottom, say, 50th percentile of salary earnings unless they truly are brilliant or catch a huge break. The students who graduate from top schools, however, have an edge due to overall rigor of the school, past academic preparation, internship access, etc. While these “top” students can expect to get 50-75K (150 if you get into a crazy i-banking job) straight out of college, there’s potential for tremendous growth if you’re good.

Surgeons, once they have completed their education and barring any major screwup or job change, can safely expect nice six-figure salaries because of sheer skill and scarcity of surgeons. Business is less secure and overpopulated (someone has to fill those cubicles and lower management jobs), but has a higher range of salaries for those who stand out and climb the ladder.

I personally consider myself “intellectual” but am passionate about and plan to major in business. I guess I am one of the ones who doesn’t fit the above shallow, jock, avaricious stereotypes of businesspeople. Ever think that businesspeople have intellectual hobbies? Degree of intellect isn’t determined by college major. Education costs a lot of money, and some of us aren’t blessed with available capital, or don’t want to assume massive debt to be paid off for the rest of our lives. So when we retire early after accumlating massive capital, we can do/study anything we want that money can buy! (Or, by exhibited life accomplishment.) Not to mention the great overall advantage we give to our children when it comes to education and resources.

Personally, I recognizze that money is by no means an honorable thing to strive for, but it is a necessity in life. The more you have, the more opportunities and freedom you have to do that which stimulates your interest/intellect. Of course, not everyone sees it this way, but know that there ARE honorable reasons for going into business. Businesses offer millions of jobs to workers (e.g. surgeons), sustain and improve the quality of living that we take for granted, provide the opportunity for foreign countries to develop, etc.

Not to mention, statistical regression of data shows a (diminishing) positive correlation between both absolute income and happiness, and relative income and happiness.

But don’t mistake me for advocating the pursuit of business simply for the money. It should be a passion. Money is a means to pursue other (hopefully intellectual) things, not an end.