For students preparing to study abroad, business has always been the most popular major. Every sophomore year, the prospective students are faced with the problem of major choice, such as accounting, finance, international trade, marketing, business management and etc., which major will have more broad employment prospects? Which major will have better academic qualifications and more helpful to obtain a diploma from a prestigious school? What can studying abroad add to your life? Today, let's listen to Ms Chen Jingjing, the leader of Finance Professional Group of International College to share her viewpoints.

Teacher Profile

Chen Jingjing, graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MBA in finance, which is ranked 16^th in the world. She has ten years of management experience in multinational groups, state-owned enterprises and top 500 companies in the world. She is now teaching Economics, Financial Service Regulatory Framework， Business Culture and Strategy, Customer Service Culture Construction and other courses in International College of Xiamen University.

01Choosing a major requires early preparation

First of all, students should make early preparations when choosing a major. Academic planning and career planning are often inseparable. I remember that several students got to know, loved and finally entered the international cruise industry through communication with me or through my recommendation. They worked on luxury cruise liners in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, realizing their dream of traveling around the world. All of these students have set their goals early and accumulated weight for their successful job offers during college. As I often mentioned in the course of Business Strategy, "Success lies in previous preparations, and unpreparedness spells failure."

There are two types of successful corporate strategies, one is rational linear strategic planning, the other is perceptual incremental revision strategic planning, and the same is true for personal planning. Some students may still be confused about the future and have not found a direction, but there’s no need to feel anxious. My advice is to make full preparation, then, the future is full of possibilities.

Take my own experience as an example, my former ideal is not to be a glorious teacher, but to be a domineering female president. After graduation, I tried different industries and different types of jobs. It was these work experiences that made me realize that to have a better career development, I must improve my education background. I have never relaxed my English study during the working period and obtained a bachelor's degree in English. Although I did not plan to study abroad at that time, English is a necessary skill for anyone who wants to work in an international or export-oriented company. So, when I decided to study abroad, it took me three months to take the IELTS test, apply, interview and get the offer of MBA from the University of Edinburgh. It seems a natural thing to me, but in fact it is the years’ accumulation that made me reach the threshold of the application, more than three years of working experience, IELTS 7 points, the corresponding fees, etc. However, when I suddenly looked back after many years of working experience in China, I found that teaching and dispelling doubts were what I desire, and my past experience of studying abroad and working became the impetus for me to realize my dream.

02 The advantages of the country and institutions should be comprehensively considered while choosing majors     

Secondly, students should comprehensively consider the advantages of the country and the institution while choosing majors, and make a decision as early as possible, so that there will be clear learning goals and motivation when you start the first year study. For example, for students who are interested in finance and accounting, the UK study abroad program is a better choice.

The accounting major in the UK has the longest history in the world. The accounting major of some colleges and universities have high rankings in the world. The CFOs and even CEOs of many world-renowned enterprise groups come from the accounting major in the UK. Various British accounting certificates, such as ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), are highly recognized in China. For example, many accounting departments of the prestigious Chinese companies are helmed by accounting graduates from Xiamen University. Graduates of certain majors in some universities in the UK can also be exempted from taking the corresponding ACCA subjects, and they can continue to apply for the exam even if they return to China. Therefore, there are many advantages in choosing accounting majors of the British program.

In addition to accounting, as we all know, the United Kingdom is one of the most important financial centers in the world. Its institutional system of finance is very complete, and its financial knowledge system is more complete and professional. Some powerful financial colleges have more than 20 financial majors, and the CFA (Charted Financial Analyst) certificate is the most effective pass for entering the financial industry, which is highly recognized in the world. The Financial Times compares the CFA professional qualification to the "gold standard of investment professionals". ".

In addition, the CII (Chartered Insurance Institute) certificate is also a heavyweight certificate for engaging in the financial and insurance industry. Some countries stipulate in the insurance laws that any insurance company must have at least one professional who has obtained the CII qualification，which shows the recognition and authority of CII in the world. These two certificates also enjoy corresponding exempted subjects in schools and majors with accreditation qualifications in the UK. At the same time, corresponding to the gold content of the major is the difficulty of the major. The financial major is not only one of the most difficult majors to apply for, but also one of the most difficult majors to graduate. Students who want to apply for this major should have a strong background in mathematics and physics. They should consciously learn mathematics, statistics and other subjects well in their freshman year, and it is best to prepare for the GMAT. Although financial majors in some schools do not require GMAT, higher math and GMAT scores can definitely improve the success rate of applying for financial majors, and are also a necessary knowledge reserve for learning finance. Unlike other business majors, accounting and finance have clear advantages in the British institutions. Students can choose majors and countries according to their preferences. Usually, you can focus on understanding the industries you are interested in, such as using vacations to do internships in various industries, or communicating with teachers of various majors, so as to find a major that you like or suitable for, and avoid wasting precious time and money due to changing majors. After choosing the major, choose the corresponding country and institution with strong professional advantages.

03 University is the real starting line

University is not a stage of life where you lie down and enjoy the fruits of victory. At this time, you have just completed the warm-up for the peak of your life, and you are about to start the real climb. Anxious tiger parents are always worried that their children will lose at the starting line. Many students staggered forward under the encouragement and protection of their parents from kindergarten, but stopped when they arrive dat the university, thinking that they have achieved the fruit of victory. In fact, college is the real starting line. When others lie flat or slow down, children who can recognize their own direction and start striding forward can achieve the second and most crucial transcendence. Set a goal for yourself as early as possible - a favorite major, an ideal college, a dream job, or even if it is the goal of applying to the same school as your prince or princess charming and spending a good time in college together. All are great choice.

Therefore, it will not be useless, whether students are working hard to improve their IELTS scores, solidly learn professional knowledge to accumulate grades, increase their internship experience, and participate in various activities to improve their experience. Based on the present, try more. Just like a very popular sentence this year, you can always believe in the time and effort you put in, the reach of the goal is in each step when you lower your head.