In the “How I chose my major” series, we showcase the academic paths CSU students have taken, and students tell their stories in their own words. Read on to meet Emily, a CSU Business Administration major, and learn how she decided it was the perfect path for her college career and far beyond.
Some people know from a young age what they want to be when they grow up. For me, that could not have been further from the truth. When I was young, it seems like my interests changed every day. One second I would want to be a teacher, the next an entrepreneur, and then a politician. I could never quite land on one specific career interest. So, understandably, the idea of choosing a major was terrifying to me. How was I supposed to pick one thing to do the rest of my life?
This changed when I was given advice to look into business by a guidance counselor. Almost instantly I knew it was the perfect solution. A degree in business offered me the perfect combination of analytics and creativity. As a student in CSU’s Business Administration major, I have taken classes in finance, accounting, and computer information systems. These classes have allowed me to explore the more-analytical side of business. But, at the same time, I get to exercise my creativity and engage my passion for communications in marketing and management. This combination of classes has helped me learn the industry in a way that engages a variety of my interests.
As I have spent more time in my major, I have fallen in love with the world of business. In the College of Business we often talk about how business can be used to create a better world. If you look at every industry, whether it be sports, politics, health care, or the non-profit industry, there is always a need for people who speak the language of business. Through business, our world can function more efficiently and empower people to negotiate, innovate, and create. The broad reach of business excites me and has helped me discover how I can use my degree in a variety of industries and for important causes.
My concentration within business is marketing, and I could not be more excited about what I study. I am a people person, and I thrive on making relationships and communicating with different people. Marketing has allowed me to explore how I can do this in the future with sales, digital media advertising, or communications.
In the long run, I hope to use my degree to launch me toward a career in politics, specifically in political advertising or communications. This will allow me to combine my business skills with my passion for politics. But, in the meantime, I am in my second year at CSU and have gotten to use what I have learned to serve on campus. I have managed marketing campaigns through the College of Business. In Student Government, I have used my knowledge in finance to evaluate budgets and financial decisions regarding student fees, and then used marketing to communicate proposals and student input.
The skills that business teaches are applicable in various environments. As someone who was once unsure about my future, business has provided excitement and clarity for my life after graduation. I am passionate about what I am learning, and there is nothing better than that!
Emily Baller is a Business Administration major with a Marketing concentration. She has minors in Political Science and Political Communications and is in the University Honors Program. Emily stays active on campus by serving as an Admissions Ambassador, representing students in ASCSU (student government), directing marketing efforts for the Dean’s Student Leadership Council for the College of Business, and leading in Cru, a Christian student ministry. In her free time, Emily loves being outside, playing intramural sports, and trying new coffee shops in Fort Collins.
