My ds wants to get a business degree and is interested in human resources.

[lynn]

I have heard many people with business degrees not having steady jobs and having to settle for some type of management job. What degree should my I suggest my ds to pursue if he wants business/human resources

[Mama Geek]

I am not in the field but a quick search on career builder and indeed which are job boards mentioned a Bachelor's in Human Resources. Here is a link to an article I found. http://hrpeople.monster.com/education/articles/1381 It looks like a good place to start searching.

 

I have often found that if you look for posted jobs that you are interested in and find out what their requirements are that you get a pretty good idea of what you need to do to get there. Also talking to people that are in the job is good and hopefully someone will post some more insight for you here.

[jhschool]

Have him study Management.

[Chocolate Rose]

There are HR degrees that he can pursue.

I work in an HR department for a large company, but my degrees are in Music Performance and Education. :D

It really depends on what area of HR he wants to be in. What are his long-term goals - Director? Manager? In-House-Trainer? Assistant? etc...

I love my job. Good for him for choosing a great career!!;)

[elcmum]

I work in HR and have a communications degree.

 

It really depends on the area he wants to work in, as 'working in HR' is pretty broad.

 

Is he interested in benefits, payroll, recruiting, employee effectiveness/engagement, consulting?

 

I'd also recommend he look into a PHR/SPHR certification, too. More often than not, individuals with those credentials are looked on more favourably.

[Chocolate Rose]

Also, he could keep his eyes open for an entry level HR-type job while going to school. He would definitely need strong office skills - Excel, Word, etc. That would help him get a better idea of all that is involved and what area he is most interested in.

[Acorn Island]

Those pursuing a career in Human Resources also benefit from taking some accounting classes. There are a lot of financial aspects to HR - compensation, benefits, etc.

 

As far as a degree, a general business degree or a degree in business with a human resources emphasis are the most common. But I agree with earlier posters, in that any degree will work. You just hit the ground running if you have had coursework in HR.

 

Good luck to your ds! :001_smile:

[Dandelion]

If he's absolutely sure he wants to go into HR, he should pursue an HR-specific degree (e.g. B.S. in Human Resources or a closely related field). Employers have so many candidates applying for each job opening these days - they can be picky, and all else being equal, they'll choose the candidate with the HR degree. It's certainly possible to get an HR job with a non-related degree, but it's more difficult.

 

If he wants to keep his options broader, a business degree with a "concentration" in Human Resources would be a good choice. This means that he would take HR classes for most of his electives. The benefit of going this route is that he would be well prepared for positions both in HR as well as general business. This might provide him with the broadest employment options.

 

I hold a B.S. as well as a Master's in Business Administration (M.B.A.). My M.B.A. concentration was in Organizational Development, which opened up the door to positions in employee development/training roles throughout my career (not HR-specific, but related). Most of the positions I had during my 20-year career were in management - I enjoyed my work, had lots of opportunities for advancement, and was very well compensated. A business degree with a well-chosen concentration can provide the foundation for a great career.

 

All the best to your son as he plans for college/career!

[plansrme]

If he has any interest in employee benefits, which would make him quite employable, most college classes cover nothing of any use in the field. He could, however, get a CEBS certification, which is quite useful and would show employers he is serious about employee benefits. There are also tons of cheap seminars on subtantive benefits compliance issues, put on by SHRM and similar groups, and those, too, would not only give him substantive knowledge but also would put him way ahead of other applicants for an entry-level benefits job.

 

I agree with other recommendations re accounting, finance, tax, etc.

 

I am an employee benefits attorney and work with benefits professionals all day long, and it is a field crying out for smart people, especially men (so shoot me, but I think that a balance of genders in a field is good).

 

Terri