Careers Inside Business but Outside the Box

There are a lot of blog posts that talk about “the best jobs to get with a business administration degree” or “career paths for business management majors” and this is logical, considering the large number of people interested in business and taking business management courses and programs. For most, these types of blog posts represent important information to help students consider future career options.

However, what isn’t talked about much in the standard blog post, is the careers that are a little off the beaten business path. We mean the ones that a business management degree will benefit, but aren’t the typical business management role.

Some business management students have never walked a straight line in terms of their education or career. They took business because certain aspects appealed to them and they could see a way of applying it that differed from their classmates’ ideas. The mainstream activities aren’t quite what these students are after. They likely had parents who were excited about their enrollment into business school (“Oh good! Suzie is going to do something ‘normal’, like other kids”), but then questioned some of the potential jobs and ideas their child was ultimately interested in. “Why can’t you just work in a nice office and get a good benefits package like your cousin Walter,” they likely asked. (Although even if your name is Suzie I’m sure the cousin they compared you to wasn’t named Walter.).

Is this you? Are you one who doesn’t want to walk the typical business management degree career paths? Do you like many business management concepts, but not the traditional occupations? If so, read on. Here is our top 5 list of jobs that differ from the tradition business management degree career paths.

Casino or Bingo Hall Manager

Wow – this one is a big departure from traditional business management – or is it? While a casino manager is generally someone who progressed from the casino floor up the proverbial ladder, that business degree will make the climb a whole lot faster. Why? Because there is a lot of business-minded work in running a casino.

Casino managers not only work to ensure laws are being adhered to and manage outrageous amounts of cash, they also oversee the management of staff, maintenance of the facility and machinery and deal with customer complaints. It’s always an interesting environment and the job is not a traditional nine to five. Casinos are first and foremost services and the service industry has different demands of management. There’s glitz and excitement and stress, but if you can handle it and love being in a people-dominant industry, you may find yourself with an enviable salary in return.

Bereavement Coordinator

Never heard of a bereavement coordinator? You’re not alone. This is a behind-the-scenes role of managing the people and programs that interface with those going through grief. It’s also a high-stress job because there is the constant management of social workers and councilors who are dealing with emotionally-charged situations and individuals.

These coordinators often work out of hospitals, clinics, hospices and retirement residences. Their prime function is to ensure both the individual with a terminal illness and their loved-ones have the support and compassion they need. Not only does this involve managing one-on-one care with social workers and councillors, it can also involve managing group programs, educational curriculum, training and more.

Event Planner

Many students who have looked at international business management careers find event planner to be a well-fitting job. This is because of the need for many organizations to host business people from out of town (often internationally) at awards ceremonies, meet-and-greets and other functions that can impact the outcome of a business relationship. But, don’t go imagining the party planner as the life of the party – this is much more of a behind-the-scenes role.

Think of event planning as the most detail-oriented, deadline driven job on the planet. While event planners have teams of people behind them taking care of numerous details, they must constantly oversee everyone on the team, ensure decisions are correct to the client’s needs and keep track of the deadline. It’s a role that includes all aspects of business from budgeting and marketing to operations and logistics. It’s the ideal job for someone who is social but can stay focused on the task at hand as event planners have to attend the events they put together – so it’s evenings and weekends for the most part. While an event planner may work for one corporation that hosts a lot of events, they may also work in the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, convention centres) or be self-employed.

Knowledge Facilitator

A relatively new job in the business world, knowledge facilitators look for the gaps in information in a business and the information employees are receiving. This role is best suited to a person who understands business and the flow of information throughout it. They need to have excellent communication skills and be good at building relationships while also capable of big-picture thinking.

Ultimately, this individual is tasked with creation, inflow and outflow of information to ensure employees are informed, but not overwhelmed.

Head-hunter

For the most part, the terms head-hunter and professional recruiter are interchangeable. These individuals are tasked with hiring for mid to senior roles in organizations that either don’t advertise the positions or want to draw from the most expansive pool of candidates possible. Head-hunters tend to be business-savvy people who are well connected in their specific niche of industry. Some focus on accounting, others on marketing professionals, still others may help only with senior executive searches. It’s like being a professional match-maker.

It’s more than collecting and scanning resumes. In a business client’s firm, the role they need to feel is a key part of that business, so a head-hunter must have the business sense to see who is a good fit both in experience and in personality. They only put their strongest candidates forward. Head-hunters work with an organization’s HR department and their executive ranks in order to collect the data needed to find the right person, present them to the client and help with the hiring process to a degree, saving the company time and money.

If you’re exploring the world of business, but not sure if the traditional roles are the right fit, expand your horizons and look to jobs like these five that still take advantage of business management knowledge, but branch out from the everyday careers.