Over the years I have been asked by many BBA grads for advice on the best career choice and how to achieve it. My answers have changed over the years, but my recommended process has not. Being a visual person, I like to see things, so the first step in starting a career as a fresh grad is to choose the/a position that you aspire to and work backwards to come up with the right starting position and the associated pathway to achieving your goal eventually.
Promising Career Paths for BBA Finance Graduates in 2025
Let’s start by using BBA Finance grads as an example. Promising career paths, at the moment, start with becoming an analyst, a financial analyst, a markets analyst, an investment & trends analyst to name a few as these areas are proving to be very active in promoting the next steps in the career pathway to a senior finance position.
It makes sense as we now live in an environment where data is king, and to get this grounding can be a great platform that will open opportunities for graduates. So, all you finance grads wanting to become investment bankers, wealth creators, financial advisors, fund managers, CPAs and so on, start out by becoming an analyst as there are lots of opportunities in the job marketplace.
Of course, pursue other options, look at entry level roles such as an ‘Assistant Fund Manager’ or an ‘Associate Investment Banker’. These opportunities are also out there but explore carefully by studying job advertisements; look at titles, look at prerequisites and identify gaps in skill levels where you can also consider self-development. Many analysts find their way into management consulting as a career pathway. Analysts are much sought-after right now.
Top Job Opportunities for BBA Marketing Graduates in 2025
Let’s now move to BBA Marketing grads. We are finding plentiful opportunities in many forms of e-marketing and social media marketing in particular. Many opportunities exist for social media campaign marketers, content creators, writers and copywriters.
Companies, due to the breakdown of more traditional marketing channels, largely due to communication and technology disruption, have had to re-assess their marketing communications mix to align with the speed and target marketing capabilities of e-marketing. At the moment, this is the marketing ‘flavour of the month’.
There are lots of opportunities out there, so graduates should be looking for entry level roles with titles similar to ‘Social Media Coordinator, Junior Campaign Associate and Assistant Content Coordinator/Manager’. I would suggest keep checking job advertisements, studying prerequisites, measuring skill gaps, and looking for ways to self-develop.
From another perspective, not all marketing grads want to work in e-marketing, and there are other areas to pursue such as those in market research, strategic marketing management, brand and product management to name a few. Are there opportunities here? Of course there are, and again particularly in the areas of research and strategy.
Think about your launch platform, starting with becoming a marketing analyst. Data & information collection, storage & retrieval had become an art form in themselves, and marketing is no different - data is king. Again, we have seen examples where these types of entry-level roles have led to marketing consultancy careers. Any of the above can also be part of the overall journey to becoming a Marketing Manager or a Brand Manager in the longer term
E-marketing and social media marketing are still popular fields right now.
Exploring Career Options for BBA Entrepreneurship Majors
This brings us to the slightly more unique BBA grad specialisation: Entrepreneurship. Job opportunities in this area tend to be a little narrower in scope. However, because we live in a world that says, ‘innovate or die’, the roles are out there in the form of working for startups, entertainment, sports or establishing one’s own business venture.
Startups are multiplying daily and are always looking for marketers, strategy thinkers, researchers and creative thinkers. There is however a higher degree of risk as many of the startups tend to fold early on, but this is just one characteristic of this innovative sector.
When looking for positions/careers in this segment, start with titles like ‘Research Analyst’. Data is surely king in the world of entrepreneurship. Keep an eye out for titles like ‘Thought Catalyst, Creative Thinker, Strategic Planner’. If as an entrepreneurial grad you are considering starting your own venture then it is imperative you understand what is involved in running a business and that you have the right support be it financial, accounting, marketing, law and so on.
Even consider self-development through a small business operating course, it will be worth it as the ‘death rate’ of new businesses is extraordinarily high. My pick would be to search for a startup entry role that encompasses multiple roles, maybe something like a ‘Startup Boy or Girl Friday’ position as it is all about being visible and seen. Quite frankly, being visible and valuable applies to everything I have said previously.
Benefits of SP Jain Global’s Professional Readiness Program
A valuable facility available to SP Jain Global students is the Professional Readiness Program available on each campus. It is a development program that addresses CV design, compilation and presentation, job searching maximisation, interview techniques and protocols along with personal etiquette and presentation and networking.
One of the key elements of the Professional Readiness Program, or PRP for short, is the coaching and mentoring available by industry professionals that emphasises the requirement to look at each job opportunity individually, that is tailoring the CV toward the job description, researching the organisation, looking for that competitive edge.
SP Jain Global’s PRP is exactly that, designed to assist our students in gaining that competitive edge that makes them a preferred candidate.
Achieving Long-Term Career Goals as a BBA Graduate
I hope this has given BBA graduates some useful information to help establish themselves careerwise, but always remember, do not aim for the top first, but by all means establish what the top means for you then work backwards filling in the steps need to cement the pathway. The good people to help you do this are career advisors, job placement personnel at your campus and from me, good luck to you all!
About the Author
Professor Richard Coller is an Assistant Professor (General Management/Lecturer) and a student project mentor. His vast areas of expertise include subjects such as Marketing & Strategy, Innovation, Decision-making & Leadership to name a few.