Why you should take management courses as a non-business major

Companies and firms nowadays prefer students with interdisciplinary course arrangements. Studies show that students with a more diverse order of courses perform better in corporate culture as they are better equipped to handle different crises at once. As a STEM, social science or arts major, having management courses in your transcript can change the way an employer looks at your résumé. Foreign universities with graduate programs also prefer applicants who can display their strength in organisational behavior. Here are a few reasons why:

Team work and leadership skills

If you are some one who is good at organising group activities, from a friend's farewell party to the semester-final presentation, your grade in a management course will be the proof of this skill. If you are not, the course will be a great place to cultivate these important skills. Companies like hiring professionals who know how to work with big groups that house a variety of individuals from different backgrounds.

Resolution of work place conflict

It is very common to come across personalities that don't match with your ideals and values in workplace. Even if it's not a personal clash, a clash between two workers working under your program can also create a tough situation. A course in human resource management can help in solving a situation like this. Learning about how to handle icky situations is not limited to those who work in human resource exclusively.

Designing programs

Research incubators and non-profits often require employees to both lead and design programs with specific initiatives. Professionals who come from academically strong backgrounds, although affluent in creating content for the program, lack the skills to designate tasks to coworkers. Understanding strengths and weaknesses of your coworkers is key here and management courses shed light on how to effectively accomplish that. Furthermore, you can utilise everyone's unique set of skills to its optimum level.

Reducing costs

Managing finances is an issue anyone working for research firms will face. Sources of funding for different programs and studies will be limited and optimising the resources available can help you immensely in the longer run. Management courses can help you develop the skills to find areas where costs can be managed, ultimately increasing your output by many folds. This skill can also come in handy if you are looking to allocate resources effectively to each person working with you under a specific program.

Changing Career Track

A huge number of STEM majors tend to join the academic world right after graduation to pursue the independent research they started back in undergraduate life. Those who work in corporate settings often move back to the academia to pursue higher degrees like doctorate or masters. Joining an office after a hiatus or many years after your undergraduate experience can be tough. Learning about workplace culture in a course can help you adjust to new situations faster. It will help you establish your presence in your workplace and help you navigate the common problems any professional may face after a change in their career track.

Noshin Saiyara is an aspiring conservationist who is deluded into thinking that she can actually save our planet from dying. Reach out to her at nsaiayar12@gmail.com to bring her back to reality.