7 Business careers you can pursue with a global studies degree

By P.C. Chhabra

With increasing globalization and growing economy many corporations have companies overseas and are always in search of international business employees.  A degree in global studies is in great demand as careers in business, politics, finance and foreign services focuses on economics, culture and globalization as a whole.

As per 2017 report 57% employers preferred a graduate degree for positions in the international relations. The career opportunities like management consultants, economists, executives and many more help in cutting through complex intercultural issues and causes a positive impact on the organisations globally. Here are some business careers that are in huge demand for students who have a degree in global studies.

Management Analyst

There’s a huge demand for management consultants and these jobs are estimated to grow by 14% by 2030. To have a career in this field it is vital to have interpersonal skills as this job profile consists more of building relationships and analytical work. A management analyst works to help companies find solutions to issues related to foreign markets. Apart from this a management analyst advises the management how to enhance the company performance by solving organisational problems, gathers and analyses company data, interviews overseas management to resolve company issues on an international scale and more. This field offers work opportunities in both private and government sectors.

International Marketing Manager

In order to become an international marketing manager, one must ensure that they are aware of the global market trends and develop products that meet the demand of the market worldwide. The demand for marketing managers is predicted to grow by 10% by 2030. The duties of an international marketing manager are to develop pricing strategies, analyse findings to determine customer opportunities, overseeing budgets, advertising media and more. Besides this another role that a marketing manager has to play is to increase the global sales and create a balance between competitive business strategy with a creative vision. 

Financial Analyst

A person wanting to have a career in this field should understand how different policies, regulations, political trends affect an individual’s portfolios and investments. The number of jobs for a financial analyst is expected to grow by 6% in the next 9 years. This career involves preparing finance report, evaluate organisations financial decisions, recommending foreign investments and more. Apart from this a financial analyst should also focus on the geographical area, patterns affecting a particular industry or product and such more.

Economist

This field offers variety of career opportunities in fields like healthcare, education and development. And the job role of an economist is expected to increase by 13% by 2030.  The responsibilities of an economist are to create tables and charts representing their findings, design policies and make recommendation to solve issues related to economic worldwide and others. Another role that an international economist has to play is to analyse global issues such as helping  to increase a company’s profit, analysing international consumer demand for services and products and more. To become an economist, one should have knowledge about goods, services, circulation of resources and other skills.

Human Resources Manager

The role of an HR manager is to hire employees, serve as a bridge between employees and management and this role is expected to grow by 9% by 2030. Apart from this and HR plays many distinct duties in the organisations like coordinating and directing employees benefit programs, handling staff issues like training, productivity, supervising international staff, contractors and more. To become a successful human resource manager, one must have the ability to keep employees motivated and should be able to enhance the company’s efficiency level thoroughly.

Policy Analyst

The market needs policy analysts and to become one, one must possess strong skills like public speaking, written, interpersonal skills and more. Job opportunities in this field is offered by multinational corporations and governmental agencies. The duty of a policy analyst is to develop and test theories using statistical tools, gather and examine data from sources, identify key trends, strategies and more. Apart from this, policy analyst has to focus on pertaining international relationships like global business policies, foreign law and more.

Executive

The estimated job growth by 2030 for an executive is 8%. If one is interested in this field of career, they should have skills like problem solving, decision making, management and much more. An executive works to plan organisational strategies to help fulfil the company’s mission while managing the resources as well as the employees. Apart from this, an executive works to assign department managers and heads overseas, negotiate signing off contractual agreements, direct operational activities and more. One can become a general manager, chief operating officer or a chief executive officer depending on the size of the organisation.

From career of a consultant to an executive, there are various business career paths for students to take with a global studies degree, giving them a role to shape the organisation, manage corporations and also prepare themselves for the future.

The author is executive director of Sanskriti University.