A bachelor’s in business management can prepare students to lead, manage, and grow new or existing companies, and even their own businesses.
Courses in finance, entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, and accounting help students develop a range of business management skills.
Upon graduation, students can pursue careers across a broad selection of fields, including:
- Management
- Human Resources
- Entrepreneurship
- Sales
- Analyst
- Marketing
- Retail
- Account Management
- Project Management
- Consulting and Training
- Operations and Logistics
- Insurance and Risk Management
- Banking and Finance
Students also build the foundation needed to pursue an MBA. Now with the option of earning a bachelor's in management online, students can balance work and family lives to complete their degree.
Meet some of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s business management graduates, who are advancing through careers they love with skills gained in the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration.
Willie Lago, 2010 graduate
Corporate Environmental, Health and Safety Manager
Amazon employs more than 640,000 people worldwide. UL Lafayette graduate and former athlete Willie Lago is one of them, responsible for OSHA and EPA compliance as well as safety at some of Amazon’s fulfillment centers in Atlanta, Georgia.
“It’s not just making sure everyone stays safe, but making sure the building is operational and open in compliance with federal and state regulations to workplace safety,” Lago says. “I do that in a number of ways — I’m in charge of training, inspections, audits, risk assessments, and preventative maintenance schedules.”
He’s also responsible for reporting on several key performance indicators and incident metrics to “continuously drive improvement.”
“Amazon is very data driven so you have to be great with numbers,” he says.
Lago excelled within his first 10 months with the company, advancing to Regional Environmental, Health and Safety Manager.
“I like the opportunity to grow within a company. In June, I’ll fully go into my regional role, which will be my third progressive move in my time here. If you do well, it’s a company that will reward you accordingly.”
That means keeping up with the pace and adapting to change. Lago’s new move will also give him the opportunity to work remotely.
In April 2019, LinkedIn recognized Amazon as one of the most desirable workplaces on its 2019 Top Companies list, spanning nine countries, including the U.S., UK, Australia, India, Japan, China, Canada, Germany, and Mexico.
“They’re not limited by ‘how it’s been;’ they’re not afraid to be different,” Lago says. “I like that innovative and forward thinking.”
What does it take to earn a role a major company and advance? Building skills and building relationships.
Lago started that process at the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration and never stopped.
“First job out of college was through networking at the University,” he says. “From there to progress to where I am, it was learning and being curious, continuously improving myself.”
Similar careers:
- Employee training and development
- Business analyst
- Data analyst
- Human resources manager
- Project manager
- Risk manager
- Compliance officer
Melody Weiss, 2009 graduate
Marketing Agency Director
Melody Weiss says the best description she’s heard for her job is “juggling chainsaws,” but she’s not relegated to some sideshow.
Weiss is front and center of business development, operations management, analytics and strategy for full-service marketing firm, Firefly Digital.
“Data analysis is actually one of my favorite things to do, but it’s a small business so I wear many hats as we help other local businesses, growing alongside them or being a part of an exciting moment in their journey. It's energizing and so rewarding!” she says. “The idea of living in one lane doesn’t work for me.”
Weiss proved early she was adept at performing a balancing act, forging her own path to her degree after she had her daughter.
“Management is such a flexible degree that’s well respected, and such a well-rounded degree,” she says. “It provided the credentials I needed to walk in the door and for people to expect me to accomplish what they needed.”
But in business, she says, the education never stops.
“My mind will always be sharp in what I do by working in small business because everything is changing so frequently, you just don’t have a choice,” Weiss says. “I do so many different things and I learn so much day-to-day that it never gets boring. It is always a challenge, it’s always forcing me to think.”
Weiss says no matter where someone is in their professional development, they’re creating valuable relationships and skills that can be translated into a future career.
“If you’re in the service industry, you’re serving people, you’re learning customer service skills that will translate into just about everything you do,” she says. “You always need to remember the person your serving could be someone who opens a professional door for you. Always have your game face on. You never know who you’re going to meet.”
Similar careers:
- Employee training & development
- Business analyst
- Manager
- UX analyst
- Data analyst
- Business development manager
- Project manager
- Consultant
Cullen Crochet, 2018 graduate
Medical Device Sales Representative
Working hand-in-hand with physicians and observing surgeries may not sound like a sales function, but for Cullen Crochet, it’s one of the tiers of quality assurance and customer service.
Crochet is a medical device sales representative for Arthrex, specializing in orthopedic instruments frequently used in treating sports related injuries.
Crochet enrolled at UL Lafayette knowing he wanted a career in medical device sales. He got his job offer the day before he graduated. Now he works with doctors at five area hospitals, providing cutting edge tools and products.
“I’m in all of those cases with my doctors as they use our products to be able to perform the surgeries — the instruments, the screws, the plates, and any other products that are implanted into the patient during the operation,” he says.
“The cases can range from college athletes, which we do a lot of, all the way to older patients.
I’m in the case, stepping the doctor through the entire procedure from start to finish as well as the nurses and the scrub techs who have to assist the doctor during the operation.”
To earn his position and succeed, Crochet says, it’s taken networking, marketing, and sales skills.
“Networking in this field is huge, and I did a lot of that through my business courses,” he says. “You also have to market yourself and your products. My sales classes really helped, as well, with the way I speak, the way I present things.”
Crochet says there are opportunities in the medical device sales field for those who think they’d be a good fit for the fast-paced field.
“The market is there,” he says. “It’s not going anywhere.”
Similar careers:
- Sales representative
- Business development manager
- Product manager
- Account manager
Rachel Thibodaux, 2016 graduate
Database Management, Regional Economic Development
Sitting in her graduate-level BSAT course, Rachel Thibodaux was certain this was not what she was going to be doing in the future. But that’s exactly what she’s doing a year out from earning her bachelor’s degree in management and then her MBA.
Thibodaux is the Database Manager for One Acadiana, an economic development organization based in Lafayette and serving nine parishes in South Louisiana.
“We use our CRM with our accounting system, our events systems, with member investor relations, with business development — it plays a part in every single team throughout the organization so anything they might need within the system as far as tracking, invoices, or reports, that all falls under my scope.”
Frequently, Thibodaux says, her role is cleaning up data or finding how to organize it to fit a specific purpose.
“When it comes to certain aspects of data cleanup, sometimes it’s more like a puzzle — what piece am I missing to make this report, or invoice, or ticket do what I need it to do? It’s kind of fun trying to figure out what it is that I need to apply,” she says. “Once I do figure it out and have it all done, there’s a sense of accomplishment there.”
Thibodaux says her time in UL Lafayette’s management program prepared her to embrace and adapt to a range of leadership styles and team members.
“With any job, besides whatever your day-to-day obligations are, there’s also working as a team, understanding that if you’re needed elsewhere, you lean in,” she says. “A lot of management classes we studied prepared me for different leadership styles and work dynamics.”
For those preparing for their own job search, Thibodaux says not to skip UL Lafayette’s Office of Career Services.
“Interviews are scary,” she says. “UL Lafayette offers so much to help you have some sort of idea what you’re getting yourself into and to make sure your resume looks professional. And it’s all free, so definitely take advantage of that.”
Similar careers:
- UX analyst
- Data analyst
- Marketing research analyst
- Project manager
Nicholas Brewer, 2015
Banking and Personal Finance
Nick Brewer has a personal mission statement: constantly improve. And he says that’s what he’s done as he’s explored careers in insurance, personal finance, banking, and now marketing since graduating with his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Management.
Though he’s held distinct roles, he says the core critical skills have been the same: verbal and written communication, problem solving, and networking.
“Every day you could have a different problem, and you have to be able to think critically to resolve them,” he says. “As you move up, you’re always going to need those skills — you’re going to have to communicate and problem solve effectively.
“That translates anywhere you want to go.”
Brewer says his time as a student helped him those develop critical skills to progress in the business world, including his current position as a brand ambassador with Mass Marketing and Management Group.
“I’m a natural introvert, but my business courses forced me to be outside of my normal comfort zone. It forced me to take a look at myself and say, ‘I may have to do something different than I’m comfortable with,’” he says.
“Going through that was important to develop networking skills and be able to get the positions I did.”
Similar careers:
- Financial analyst
- Guest services manager
- Event marketing specialist
- Budget analyst
- Human resources manager
- Business development manager
Annie Perret, 2012 graduate
Local Government Executive Assistant
Annie Perret, of Lafayette, always knew she wanted to work in the public sector. In choosing her major, however, she wanted a program that would allow her to explore other interests during her college years and beyond.
“I chose Management as my major because I felt it was broad enough because I could choose any career path, whether it’s managing people or supply,” she says. “It’s general enough where people can go into anything.”
Today, Perret serves as the Executive Assistant to the Mayor of Broussard, Ray Bourque.
Perret and Bourque both began their roles Jan. 2, 2019, when Bourque was sworn into office.
She says although her job is still developing, her days are a blend of scheduling; participating in development meetings with architects, engineers, and local business leaders; and attending after-hours events to represent the mayor and serve as a liaison for other city officials.
“It always makes me happy to get a call from a citizen of Broussard saying, ‘thank you for assisting me with my request,’ whether it’s a drainage issue or if they need assistance contacting the right person on a parish or state level,” Perret says.
Perret says the skills to excel at those functions — organization, prioritization, time-management, networking — are skills she learned during her time as a management student.
The B.I. Moody College of Business Administration’s real-world, personalized approach were significant factors in preparing her to take on her role in local government.
“I learned not to settle, that anyone can be anything that they set their mind to,” she says. “I was encouraged to use skills to really make this world a better place.
“It wasn’t just entrepreneurship, it was how to be an adult, how to go into the workforce and be an effective leader within the community.”
For those interested in pursuing a similar path, Perret says to prepare to listen.
“You definitely have to be a people person,” she says. “My management degree prepared me to be a good listener; to listen to other people’s wants and needs.”
Similar careers:
- Public relations manager
- Business analyst
- Manager
- Human resources manager
- Project manager
Request more information today to begin your path to a new career in business through UL Lafayette’s online business management degree program.