6 Reasons Why Business Education is Important in Schools
No matter what industry you end up in, business is a part of it, and not the kind we can brush off. This is true in the modern age, where every form of marketing, sales and finances are hooked into internet algorithms and social media echelons.
Whether you are producing art, starting a business, or working as a barista, the mechanics of business and the degree to which you are versed in them, makes a big difference to how well you perform.
In this article, we will describe 6 reasons why business education is important in middle schools and high schools. By the end, you will be clamoring to add business-based aspects to your curriculum.
Before we dive in, it might be worth looking at a theoretical example of how business education operates in the world. Unlike algebra, having a baseline knowledge of how business works is the components of many pragmatic, logistical and practicable trades.
Furthermore, business teachings are predominant in the world in which we live, and this applies whether we are aware of it or not. With that said, here are 6 of the finest benefits to knowing them.
Full of Transferable Knowledge
First and foremost, business education is full of transferable knowledge that students can use throughout their lives. This might be the most important factor, because all of the subsequent reasons in this article can be classed as transferable skills. It is hard to come up with a single career aspiration that doesn’t incorporate business knowledge to some degree, however small. Take the barista example – learning about sales and their mechanics can help you to sell more coffee, which is sure to impress your manager.
This, of course, is a low bar example, but the same is true if you have written a novel. Knowing a thing or two about marketing will give you a leg up against those that don’t, which can optimize your chances of selling that book. How? By applying that knowledge to the situation. For example, business education teaches you a thing or two about how competitors operate in tandem, as well as other elements – which is good to know if you are promoting something you have created.
Another example is the predominance of social media and how a tumultuous amount of marketing is conducted through social media channels. Knowing this, and expanding on that knowledge in a professional zone helps a great deal with interest and fascination to the average student.
Boosts Self-Confidence
Confidence is a highly valuable trait, but self-confidence is even better. Splitting hairs, much? Well, not really. Business education involves many things, but one that is particularly resonant with students is that of presentation skills.
Presentations can be intimidating for many students, and even a dreaded task. But doing them regularly will give them, over time, an unshakeable confidence that arms them to deal with other parts of their learning with assertion and commitment.
This is one benefit of this point, but another could be the way that it benefits them for job interviews, social situations, and the list goes on and on; life is full of challenges that are dealt with better with a little subconscious self-confidence.
Develops Problem Solving Skills
One important aspect of business education is problem solving. This can be in relation to finances, sales, or how to communicate with a buyer or seller, but in all cases, it deals with logistical thinking, which is a valuable skill to practice.
Moreover, when we think of problem solving skills, we can apply them to all facets of life, such as budgeting (personal and professional), creating innovative products, or even the day-to-day mundanities such as shopping.
Most importantly in the vocational department is that employers like to see it. It shows that you have a range of adequacies beyond the qualifications specific to the job such as logical thinking, resilience, lateral thinking and determination. Having proof of problem solving skills connotes all of this.
Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork
Teamwork is universal in many environments, and business education is rife with it. This is another area where this form of education will give students an ingrained sense of how to work within a team. Not only this, but it can show the right candidates how to be a team leader, which is good for any resume and is transferable to all college and university education endeavors.
Furthermore, many enjoy working in a team for its own sake, and this is a positive thing in itself – the chance for students of a certain type to enjoy their education and find their place within the infrastructure of a team.
Conversely, and this applies to many of these points, it might also help them to realize that they don’t like to work within a team, but will prefer a solo venture for their career (see: entrepreneurship for college students). This is equally invaluable to know.
Develops Marketing Awareness
The world we live in is one that is plastered in marketing to the same degree that the Matrix is scattered with vigintillions of numbers that make up the fabric of its universe. Everywhere you look, there is a marketing strategy implemented into what you are seeing.
Yes, this fact goes far and deep, from the adverts that we consume in the 5 second commercials on YouTube, to the banner ads we subconsciously see on the banners at the sides of web pages.
To learn how to identify with how media works is to gain a deeper knowledge about how the world operates, and to what extent conglomerates rely on marketing to stay in business. In short, how marketing makes the world go around.
This knowledge is gainful for its own sake, as it gives students an understanding that those who don’t study business education do not, a great tool for the analytical, but is also a skill set that paves the way for further studies in this regard, such as media studies, or any career trajectory that uses marketing as a core principle; on that note, the list of possibilities is broad and varied.
Another benefit to this aspect is that it will give students the tools to look behind the curtain, know when they are having a product marketed to them, and from that knowledge, navigate the world around them logistically, and avoid information that is disingenuous.
A Taste Of The Real World
Further than all of this, it gives them a taste of a real, true, and unadulterated world. The education we gain in middle school and high school does many good things for us, but one skill that a lot of subjects does not do is give us a sense of what it feels like when deadlines are looming, the office is zooming, and the sun is going down for the day.
This is the sort of grit that we need to prepare ourselves for, because doing so will give us a severe advantage. It is a similar tactic to how when we experience stories in various fictional forms, the emotions we experience prepare us for the real ones, and it is no different here.
Furthermore, the experience will give students a tenacity and a determination that can only be found in a real environment. An environment which can be overwhelming to the untrained peer. And it is a good foundation to build on for the entrepreneurial amongst us for when they are building their business or applying for a competitive job.
So, What’s The Verdict?
There are many more points, big and small, that could be made, but the bottom line is this: having a background in business education gives students a range of transferable skills relating to the world in which we live; a benefit that subjects like math can’t give them – at least, to the same extent.
One more factor to note is how many higher education courses such as degrees, and universities that specialize in business studies. Students who have a general knowledge of the subject are better equipped to tackle such a degree, and will expand more on what they already know.
Of course, not every student will want to pursue it further, but the ones who care will, and regardless of the degree to which you implement the subject, it is sure to give many students a taste of what it means to work in a business environment, and this can lead to career defining decisions.
