Getting ready to graduate, and looking into colleges. I'm wanting to go to a business school, seeing as I'm doing photography full time now as a business. I'm self-taught up till now and continue to expand my photography in this way, doing it as a business (hopefully) while in school. There are a lot of business degrees out there! Which one would be most useful in this field? Anyone have an experience/input? I really appreciate it!
If you want to choose a business program of study that would be most beneficial to a career in photography, I would suggest marketing. Getting yourself out there and having a firm grasp of the "four P's" will be valuable skills. However, make sure you take a heavy dose of business law courses as well. You will want to have a firm understanding of contracts, negotiations, etc.
I have two bachelors degrees in business with focuses on management and marketing, and I am currently working on an MBA, so I'm right there with ya.
Been a long time since I was in school (college grad of '86).
I went with management from a small liberal arts/business college. Got a heavy dose of accounting, magagerial accounting and such - good stuff. Management (good stuff). Less so I got marketing but I could have picked more marketing over finance - back in the 80s it was Wall Street as King, so finance was a good second major type area.
The school had no art classes - I was on the newspaper, TV station, etc to get my film/camera/video experience.
I don't think the word entrepreneur existed then LOL
There is marketing and there is sales. Marketing is fine, but sales is what you need. I kind of wish I know more about market research and demographics (as in where to get the data).
Management is handy as you learn planning, measuring, goal setting, etc.
Marketing will teach you about the different avenues out there (media, wom, etc). Setting up an accurate survey can be handy, but IMO there are better (as in more productive/profitable) ways to spend your efforts when in a small business.
Money is a key thing - accounting, managerial accounting, economics - these are key.
Entrpreneurship would be interesting - how to evaluate a business plan, raise capital, grow a company - all excellent things.
Very good thread. So running your own photography business is considered 'real' business experience? I ask because I will be applying to MBA programs next year; so my wedding photography ventures could be used as a legit item on my application?
Very good thread. So running your own photography business is considered 'real' business experience? I ask because I will be applying to MBA programs next year; so my wedding photography ventures could be used as a legit item on my application?
I'm not entirely sure, but I imagine it's worth something. I have my business license, state tax ID and all that jazz as well. I'm not sure if it would count as business experience without all that.
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."
My first degree (Tokyo Institute of Technology) is in photography. Sadly, I have the knowledge and the equipment, but lack the talent. So, I continued to study.
My second diploma is in computer technology (Centennial College), which surprisingly helped my photography. Then, I did a diploma in New Media and Technology Management (University of Toronto), followed by Project Management (York University), then more IT / Cisco certification (Ryerson University), next was Advanced Project Management (Stanford University), then a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at Athabasca University, and currently, I am almost finished a second masters degree, a Master of Arts, this time in Communications and Technology. So, for me, education is a continuous journey of learning. It is not a destination.
Best advice, follow your heart and do whatever makes you say, WOW. You will never go wrong. Also, the path is not a straight line, so enjoy the hills and valleys, as well as the twists and turns, they make it all very exciting.
From a B-school perspective, I vote for Entrepreneurship.
Edited to add: I'm a current MBA student, and the business planning course I'm in right now, which is going to be the most helpful to me with regards to the photo business, is classified as Entrepreneurship. It's covering everything from the business plan, to marketing, to accounting... basically if you're going to be a one-man show, no matter the type of business, this will be the way to go. It's a sort of jack-of-all-trades specialization.
I have a degree in Business and Finance, and now back in school getting a second bachelors in Media Design and Photography. I figure it will work out well cause I have the accounting and finance background, and the business experience.
