As a Human Biology major, it’s often easy for me to ignore the economic news
and current events. I get absorbed in the bubble of studying for tests, applying
to medical school, and getting by with minimal sleep. As a high school or college
student, the “real world” often seems remote and in a distant future. However, I’ve
realized that there are only benefits that come out of being aware of what’s going on
out there – whether it’s related to business, healthcare, and especially, the economy.
As a part of a Business Foundations course at UT Austin, I’m currently taking a
Finance course. There are so many days in my classes as a senior, when it’s tempting
to doze off and simply read the textbook to learn later. In my finance class however,
I feel as though I’m learning something that will be relevant to my future every
single minute. In fact, I remember on the very first day of the semester, I walked
out of the class simply amazed. Did you know that in 25 years, attending a private
university for 4 years would cost about $1 million? Did you know that it’s important
to not go past 30% of your credit card limit in order to maintain a good credit card
rating? Did you know that despite all the complaints regarding taxes, our current
taxes are some of the lowest in the history of the United States?
This finance class may simply be an elective in my college career, I feel as though I
have learned things I will use daily in my future. In fact, we are currently learning
about how filing taxes works – and I can say with no shame that up until this week,
I had no idea what kind of calculations went into filing taxes. Not only do these
things help me be more confident of an independent future, but being aware of
national and global economic conditions makes for intelligent conversation while
networking. During a recent medical school interview, I was able to apply my
knowledge about the workings of corporations and partnerships that I learned in
my Finance class to spark an interesting conversation with my interviewer.
At the end of the day, it’s easy for each of us to focus simply on the course load
related to our major and getting that 4.0. However, I’d say it’s important, if not
essential, to at least take a few business classes during your four years in college.
Take a Finance class, and understand what kinds of things a large portion of your
paycheck goes to each month, or what it takes to stay debt free. Take a Marketing
class, and learn how to sell yourself in order to obtain the best job. Or, take a
Management course to learn how to better manage time – both in your personal
and work lives. I say this not to encourage you to only pursue a business degree –
I say this because a well rounded person is one that is knowledgeable not only in
the most detailed aspect of his career, but also on how to manage himself in the
business world.
Victory Step Education Team
