Login

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

March 29, 2024, 07:47:54 pm

Author Topic: Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.  (Read 8949 times)  Share 

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

harvey_specter

  • Victorian
  • Forum Regular
  • **
  • Posts: 59
  • Respect: 0
  • School: MHS
Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.
« on: July 01, 2015, 07:24:11 pm »
0
Hi,

Been thinking of doing a Commerce degree for a while, but just a bit overwhelmed with the research I've done so far. There's so much to know. Plus, reading about Commerce and the majors' is one thing, but knowing realistically how they can serve you when searching for a job is much harder.

Can anyone help me understand the different types of majors, and what sort of jobs each would equip a person to do?

ShortBlackChick

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1103
  • Respect: +212
Re: Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2015, 12:21:45 am »
+7
I feel like that you might not be getting responses as your query is an incredibly open ended one. It's like going to Maccas and asking someone what you should get, when they have no idea wth your preferences are and what your personality is like and then getting them to sit around and tell you what each option is.

I think you should let us know what your knowledge is at the moment, and maybe tell us what has interested you so far by what you have read so that someone who is knowledgeable can give you some more information. Why have you been considering commerce? What is your vision of it? What kind of work do you imagine yourself doing? etc.
2010: History Revolutions 35
2011: English 3/4, Accounting 3/4, Economics 3/4, Mathematical Methods 3/4, International Studies 3/4.

Quote
This C**t, under the name of anonymous, started giving me shit and I called him a C**t and now look. I'm f****n banned.

harvey_specter

  • Victorian
  • Forum Regular
  • **
  • Posts: 59
  • Respect: 0
  • School: MHS
Re: Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2015, 12:37:03 pm »
0
That's a very fair statement, I did leave it pretty open ended.

I guess my interests in Commerce arose with my study of politics and history. I was always interested in how 'money' impacted countries and their people to be pushed into certain directions. My interests certainly peaked around the time of the Global Financial Crisis.

In terms of why I'm doing it? I'll be honest and say that Commerce opens a lot of doors which is exactly what I need considering I'm not too sure what I actually want to do for an occupation. I'm more interested in the theoretical aspects of commerce than I am in the mathematical though.

Any ideas?

ShortBlackChick

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1103
  • Respect: +212
Re: Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2015, 04:29:05 pm »
+5
Anyone can disagree with me but I think you should consider Economics 100%.

I'm not sure I can explain to you what economics is but have a look at a few programs that exist that might suit your interests.

This is the for an Economics Major at Monash for its various degrees. I've done Principles of Microeconomics and last semester I also did Prosperity, poverty and sustainability in a globalised world which was amaaazing. I also think you could benefit from a double degree in Commerce and Arts as you could major in Economics as well as Politics, International Relations and History. As an arts student who has taken electives from the BusEco faculty I find knowledge from both different courses can help consolidate my understanding of concepts in my studies, if that makes sense.
http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2014handbooks/aos/economics/ug-bus-economics.html

This is a degree that combines all of those into one, havent heard too much about it but I know someone doing it.
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/courses/politics-philosophy-and-economics

I'll leave you with two perspectives on what economics is, the first is by an Economist called Partha Dasgupta and the second by Jeffrey Sachs:

Quote
Economics in great measure tries to uncover the processes that influence how people's lives come to be what they are. The discipline also tries to identify ways to influence those very processes so as to improve the prospects of those who are hugely constrained in what they can be and do. The former activity involves finding explanations, while the latter tries to identify policy prescriptions. Economists also make forecasts of what the conditions of economic life are going to be; but if the predictions are to be taken seriously, they have to be built on an understanding of the processes that shape people's lives; which is why the attempt to explain takes precedence over forecasting.

Quote
I have spent the past twenty years working with the heads of state, finance and health minsters and villagers in dozens of countries in all parts of the world. I have visited and worked in more than a hundred countries with around 90 percent of the world's population. The cumulative experience of seeing the world from many vantage points has helped me to appreciate the real circumstances on our planet- the
causes of poverty, the role of rich-country policies, and the possibilities for the future. Gaining proper perspective on these issues has been my struggle and challenge for two decades. Nothing else in my intellectual life and political engagement has been as rewarding.
2010: History Revolutions 35
2011: English 3/4, Accounting 3/4, Economics 3/4, Mathematical Methods 3/4, International Studies 3/4.

Quote
This C**t, under the name of anonymous, started giving me shit and I called him a C**t and now look. I'm f****n banned.

Rohmer

  • Victorian
  • Trendsetter
  • **
  • Posts: 112
  • Respect: +10
Re: Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2015, 05:40:12 pm »
+2
Sounds like you'd be interested in a degree like Arts/Economics, Arts/Commerce, or PPE (As mentioned, it's at Latrobe, but it's also well established at ANU if you're willing to go interstate).

When it comes to commerce, it sounds like you'd be interested in Economics, Finance and maybe International Commerce/Business (I would view the latter as kind of a 'soft' major of limited career assistance, but it's an option). How much maths is involved in these majors kind of depends on what units you take. A lot of the finance major is actually plugging numbers into a formula rather than 'maths' so the numbers part isn't too bad in that respect. It's a narrower major than economics though, and many of the subjects aren't really linked to politics, history, or international ramifications. There are a couple of exceptions (e.g. International Finance, which is one of the better units in the major imo) but it sounds like your interests lie closer to economics. Having said that, finance might be a good second major as part of a Arts/Com degree.

I haven't done a lot of economics (only did the first year units, majored in finance), but as you can see - https://www.monash.edu/pubs/handbooks/aos/economics/ug-bus-economics.html - there are quite a few options re: electives. From what I understand, the core units towards 2nd/3rd year can involve quite a bit of maths (like, proper calculus), although I suspect that like the finance major, you can structure your degree somewhat to avoid doing too much of this.

wonga

  • Guest

ShortBlackChick

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1103
  • Respect: +212
Re: Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2015, 02:37:06 am »
0
Personally I'm not sure the above is ideal because it is limited in the Arts half of the double degree, unless you want to specialise in either of the 3 specialisations. OP has said they are interested in History and Politics, which would only be covered on a limited basis, which is why I recommended the normal Arts/Commerce degree, which is broad enough that you can pick whatever majors you are interested in. And nothing stops you from going on exchange even if you're in a normal degree.
2010: History Revolutions 35
2011: English 3/4, Accounting 3/4, Economics 3/4, Mathematical Methods 3/4, International Studies 3/4.

Quote
This C**t, under the name of anonymous, started giving me shit and I called him a C**t and now look. I'm f****n banned.

Fyrefly

  • ★☆★ 一期一会 ★☆★
  • Honorary Moderator
  • ATAR Notes Legend
  • *******
  • Posts: 4495
  • Respect: +307
Re: Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2015, 11:31:27 am »
+2
Personally I'm not sure the above is ideal because it is limited in the Arts half of the double degree, unless you want to specialise in either of the 3 specialisations. OP has said they are interested in History and Politics, which would only be covered on a limited basis, which is why I recommended the normal Arts/Commerce degree, which is broad enough that you can pick whatever majors you are interested in. And nothing stops you from going on exchange even if you're in a normal degree.

Agree on this. Don't lock yourself in with specialist degrees unless you don't get the ATAR for the mainstream version.

i.e. Do Bachelor of Arts instead of Bachelor of Arts (Global); do Bachelor of Commerce instead of Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting).

Basically, stay away from anything with stuff written in brackets, because that's essentially what you're being forced to major in. Since you're someone who doesn't really know what they want to study at this stage, don't lock yourself into anything that will require transferring to a new degree to escape from it.
|| BComm + DipLang (Jap) @ Monash ||

harvey_specter

  • Victorian
  • Forum Regular
  • **
  • Posts: 59
  • Respect: 0
  • School: MHS
Re: Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2015, 02:02:22 pm »
0
Thanks for all the suggestions. I've actually already completed a Bachelor of Arts degree. Majoring in Politics/History.

ShortBlackChick

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1103
  • Respect: +212
2010: History Revolutions 35
2011: English 3/4, Accounting 3/4, Economics 3/4, Mathematical Methods 3/4, International Studies 3/4.

Quote
This C**t, under the name of anonymous, started giving me shit and I called him a C**t and now look. I'm f****n banned.

harvey_specter

  • Victorian
  • Forum Regular
  • **
  • Posts: 59
  • Respect: 0
  • School: MHS
Re: Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2015, 11:53:06 am »
0
Man, Monash offer some great courses. If only it wasn't so far from where I lived, unfortunately they don't offer too much in the way of online courses either.

ShortBlackChick

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1103
  • Respect: +212
Re: Commerce: Jobs, Majors and everything else.
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2015, 03:50:37 pm »
0
Have you looked at what other uni's offer in terms of Masters courses? Have a look around and maybe even contact the universities to see if you can gain some more information?
2010: History Revolutions 35
2011: English 3/4, Accounting 3/4, Economics 3/4, Mathematical Methods 3/4, International Studies 3/4.

Quote
This C**t, under the name of anonymous, started giving me shit and I called him a C**t and now look. I'm f****n banned.