Over the last 20 years, many interesting opportunities have opened for graduates of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Bachelor of Business Management (BBM) across different sectors. But many opt for an MBA immediately after graduation instead of working and gaining experience in the corporate world. In contrast, engineers who join an MBA programme usually have at least three years of work experience, giving them an edge. Therefore here are a few options that fresh BBA/BBM graduates can consider:
Financial Analyst: A financial analyst analyses the efficiency of a business decision and ascertains the company’s prospects and profitability. This requires a good understanding of financial statements, business operations, and the economic environment. BBA/BBM students grads have an edge over others as they acquire these skillsets as part of the course.
IT Business Analyst: He/she acts as a bridge between the client (mostly banks, retail firms) and software engineers. An IT business analyst understands the client’s requirements and articulates these in technical terms to the software engineers. BBA/BBM graduates, especially those specialising in IT & Systems, possess the right skillset.
Market Research: This requires engaging with a set of potential customers and understanding their needs. The key objective is to study future trends and identify products/services that will be successful in the future. The crux is the ability to apply statistical techniques to business contexts. BBA/BBM graduates study statistics, business, and technology applications, which makes them suitable for market research roles.
Bank Relationship Officer: They are required to engage with clients to gain their business and expected to have finance skills to advise the latter about investments. Since the BBA/BBM programme ensures development of soft skills along with finance concepts, this offers a good start.
Credit Analyst: He/she is required to evaluate the creditworthiness of the borrowers based on the business prospects. This requires a good understanding of finance as well as the business proposition. BBA/BBM students can use skillsets gained during the programme for this.
IT Risk Analyst: These people identify potential IT risks resulting from the company’s business operations and provide solutions for ot. This requires them to understand business processes and IT systems integration. Software engineers lack the understanding of business whereas BBA/BBM graduates, with specialisation in IT & Systems, are well placed to serve as IT Risk Engineers.
These are just a few options among many, in which BBA/BBM students can garner work experience before they go on to do an MBA.
The writer is a Professor of Finance, T.A. Pai Management Institute, MAHE, Manipal
