Business degree, which one? - DPChallenge Forums

01/31/2009 09:00:25 PM · #1

Hi all!

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!

_Nathanael

Jdroullard

Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

01/31/2009 09:15:04 PM · #2

Nathanael,

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.

Good luck!

k4ffy

01/31/2009 09:20:21 PM · #3

Entrepreneurship focused schools would also be helpful.

amathiasphoto

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO IF for Nikon

01/31/2009 09:39:21 PM · #4

I have a degree in photography, and wish that the thing I knew more about was marketing. Gonna side with jdroullard on this.

Prof_Fate

02/01/2009 01:00:55 AM · #5

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.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

02/01/2009 07:03:25 AM · #6

Originally posted by Prof_Fate:

I don't think the word entrepreneur existed then LOL

Sure it did! Ref: Donald Trump :-)

R.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

02/01/2009 06:01:08 PM · #7

Thank you JD and Prof_Fate! That certainly helps in the decision making process.

Also, I know I'm going to need as many scholarships as I can get, know of any photography related ones I should go for?

Thanks guys for all of your help and well wishes!

_Nathanael

peterish

Nikon D90

02/01/2009 06:38:11 PM · #8

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?

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

02/03/2009 08:17:28 PM · #9

Originally posted by peterish:

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.

Morgan

Nikon D800

02/03/2009 09:28:44 PM · #10

"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.

Cheers,
Michael

Rebecca

Nikon D80

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

02/03/2009 09:38:49 PM · #11

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.

Message edited by author 2009-02-03 21:41:28.