What is the best career for business?

What is a good career path for someone interested in math/business?

• I have always been interested in math (my best subject) and I have always thought I wanted to go into business. I am a junior and high school and am now starting to realize I want to choose a career that helps people, not just some pointless career to make a lot of money. Are there business/ finance jobs like this, or are there some that help people and bring good to the world? Thanks

• Answer:

  Most jobs help people. For example, the janitor that cleans the public restroom or the HVAC repairman that gets the old lady's AC working on the hottest day of the year are bringing good to the world. The accountant that helps a business understand its cash flow and thereby keeps it in business and employing people is certainly helping that company's employees. Engineers that improve the world for people through technology are helping people. Typically people are very happy with their new iPad or that new bridge that cuts their commute in half. A good career path for someone interested in math would either be business or engineering. Note that an engineer that understand both the technical and business ramifications is particularly invaluable. Accounting is the traditional business / math path for many. However you specifically asked about finance. There are many types of finance jobs. I would suggest you ask career centers at colleges that interest you - what are the jobs of folks that recently graduated with finance degrees. Then research those jobs and determine if they satisfy your desire to help people. This is my hard suggestion. The rest that follows in to help you determine what your consider is pointless. Lets use Warren Buffet as an example, many feel he is just a rich guy that made a lot of money. However others feel that he has created / grown many businesses which employ and provide a better life for many people, his stock has provided many with a more secure retirement and he is / will be donating a huge fortune to charity to help many people. In 2008, he (via Bershiere Hathaway) lent certain businesses billions of dollars which allowed them to survive during a period when others had stopped lending, thereby saving thousands of jobs. Does the $40 billion that he will give to charity help more people and bring more good to the world than a teacher that works in a poor school and attempts to educate his classroom of 30 students. Only you can decide if that is a career that you feel is worthwhile or pointless. There is a basic question of which kind of person has helped society more: Henry Ford / Steve Jobs vs Mother Teresa / Martin Luther King. I would argue they both have greatly helped society and you need both in the world. You certainly need the Mother Teresa's to help the truly down and out in society but a Steve Jobs has created both high paying jobs for tens of thousands and brought enjoyment / enhanced productivity (and therefore economic growth) to millions of people. Finance careers that are useful in forming companies, providing them capital to grow and providing a reasonable return to allow folks to retire comfortably are doing society a major service. However just as there are ministers that have mislead their churches; there are certainly those in finance that repackage "liar loans" into a pretty package to be sold to others which helped create the economic recession that we find ourselves in now. Let me sit back and make one more comment about business in general. I know a person who has a career in logistics. This requires a mathematical background (he has a masters degree in math) to determine the best methods for shipping. He feels that he is providing a valuable service by insure blood products get to hospitals on time, kids get their Christmas presents on time and businesses can grow and hire more employees because via his work they are able to market to a broader marketplace and reach more customers. Some people feel that buying a Starbucks coffee provides them significant pleasure. Are the people that work at Starbucks helping people or are they just in pointless jobs?