"The graduate with a science degree asks, "Why does it work?"The graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with an accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with a liberal arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?""
Anonymous
I see the attempted humor in this, a version of the old hippy joke, "I majored in basket weaving." But I would bet my two business undergraduate and MBA degrees, this did not come from anyone with a liberal arts education.
In retrospect, my college was too business oriented and to the extent I am more well rounded today, it is only because I pursued other interests after college, on my own.
Anyone entering business should have as much business training as they can get; however, not at the expense of all the other critical subjects in our lives. In fact, the fact that so many employed in business know only business, is a big part of the current problem.
My advice? Skip the latest tritest on management theory, this blog included, and read some history.
In retrospect, my college was too business oriented and to the extent I am more well rounded today, it is only because I pursued other interests after college, on my own.
Anyone entering business should have as much business training as they can get; however, not at the expense of all the other critical subjects in our lives. In fact, the fact that so many employed in business know only business, is a big part of the current problem.
My advice? Skip the latest tritest on management theory, this blog included, and read some history.
I'm glad to hear someone say what I've always felt was true.
ReplyDeleteIf all you study is chemistry, biology, or even basket weaving for that matter, how complete will you be?
So why do many who only study, business feel they are the complete package?
They're not.
I think business majors, more than most other majors, enter business just for the money, or what they think will be big money. All they want from college is the business degree and that only so they can make a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteAnd what's wrong with making a lot of money? It's a pre-requisite to being able to pay lots of taxes for all the goods and services others want from an increasingly generous government. Imagine if there weren't folks interested in creating and making money ... who would pay for all the various government aid programs then?
ReplyDeleteWho is John Galt after all?
The 3rd Anonymous is right; there is nothing wrong with making money. However the real point of this post, which I think has been lost, still stands.
ReplyDeleteWe all could use a more well rounded education than most of us get or even look to get.
Give me a person with a well-rounded education (liberal arts), common sense (hopefully, not mutually exclusive), a good work ethic and real passion (a key ingredient), and I'll show you someone who will most likely be successful in business. Running a business will come from experience. The other esoterica in undergrad and graduate business programs, you can go back to school to learn. At that point, you could probably teach your professor a thing or two about practicable business skills based on your "real-world" experience and his/her lack thereof.
ReplyDelete