Career in BBA or B Com, Which is better ?

[Abdul Hye Zebon]

The choice between BBA or B Com solely depends upon your inclination, aptitude and passion. Each is a 3 year course after 12th and offers multiple career choices.
As the New Year rolls around, and the merriment around us subsides and we go back to our routine, we realize its that time of the year again!
It's that time of the year where millions of students around the world are excited and nervous. They have started organizing all of their documents and mark sheets, settling in rigid timetables to prepare for exams and writing numerous essays.

You guessed it right, it is the beginning of the admission season!
Millions of students are busy planning their careers and preparing for respective exams. This time is confusing, exciting, scary and all other emotions that make your stomach turn. It is a very important time in your life and as troubling.
Some students already have decided which career they want to pursue. Some students are still confused about what they want to do. Everyone needs assistance and guidance while making a call about their careers, and every little help is appreciated.
In this blog, we are going to talk about two career options many students across the nation get in a dilemma about: to pursue Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) or Bachelors of Commerce (B.Com).
Both the degrees expose you to different curriculum and open up multiple career avenues to you. Both of the degrees have their own different and independent course and curriculum. In this blog, we will also talk about post-graduation options which are popular amongst students who pursue either of the degrees.
Whether you opt for Bcom. or BBA, it entirely depends on your inclination, preference, and aptitude as well. Both the courses are 3 years Bachelor courses post HSC/12th and both provide a wide range of further career options.
Before going into more depth of the subjects, let's look at the basics like what are the courses exactly.

B.Com or Bachelor Of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in the field of commerce or management. The course is basically designed for students who are good with numbers.

BBA or Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. This course is for students who have good managerial skills. The course mainly includes basic business studies and advanced with specific focuses as well.

What Course Should You Pursue, BBA or B.Com?
Generally, people who want to pursue B.Com want to be hardcore financial number crunchers, they are people generally devoted to financing sector and even if they pursue MBA after B.Com they generally choose finance as their area of specialization. Besides doing an MBA, they can also choose to do M.Com, CA, ICWA.
They can also join jobs in the accounts department of companies, or they can also work with banks and finance and tax consultants.
BBA course is a more comprehensive course which aims to better equip the student with other aspects of business besides finance like Human Resource, Marketing, Operations and Systems.
BBA courses are industry-tailored courses aimed at equipping the student with requisite managerial skills.
Students who graduate in BBA can pursue their post-graduation only in MBA; alternatively, they can also seek employment in companies as management trainees.
Some people may also decide to pursue a part-time MBA while working. As a BBA graduate, you can seek to specialize in finance as well as streams other than finance such as HR, Operations, Productions, Materials Management, Marketing and Systems.

Now let's have a look at which career avenues open up for you after pursuing B.Com.
The top 5 options for students who have opted for B Com are

1.CA (Chartered Accountant),

2.CS (Company secretary),

3. ICWA (Institute of Costs and Work Accounts) or CMA (Cost Management Accounting),

4.FM (Financial Management),

5.CA (Cost Accountant).

1.CA (Chartered Accountant)
Chartered Accountants are basically those who audit financial statements, fill up corporate taxes, give financial advice, etc. CA's deal with areas like Taxation, Accounting & auditing, applied finance, management accounting, etc.

2. CS (Company Secretary)
Company secretaries are the ones who basically run the companies. Their primary role in a company is to look after the day to day running of the company. they have to look after the legal, administrative, and many more functions in a company.

3. ICWA (Institute of Cost and Management Accounts)
The CMAs are the specialists who deal with framing the business strategies and value generation. It is their job to draft and put in effect everything that deals with the financial conservation of the company.

4. Financial Management
Financial Manager's job is to manage the finances of the company. It is his work to make sure that the funds available should be spent effectively. His job affects the profits and losses of the company.

5. Cost Accountant
There is a difference is Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant. Initially, the subjects covered in both are the same. But the job of Cost Accountant is to plan the annual or yearly budget. Whereas chartered accountant has to audit the budget.

Now let's move on and have a look at career options after pursuing BBA.
According to research, the 5 most sought fields in BBA include

1. HR (Human Resource) Manager,

2. Operations Team Leader, 

3. Project Manager,

4. SAP (Solution Application Product) Consultant,

5. Business Development Executive.

1.HR(Human Resource) Manager
The vital job of a HR manager is to administer and maintain the HR department. A new recommendation in a company is raw and needs to be worked on. It is his work to recruit new employees in the company and then look after their overall well being.


2. Operations Team Leader(OTL)
The OTL's job is to deal with the administration of the services provided to the customer of the company. They also work towards maintaining the condition of the building & equipments of the company.


3. Project Manager
The Project Manager is the link between the higher authorities and the working staff. He leads and reports the functioning and progress of the projects taken over by the company. He is responsible to look after and set the project effectively.


4. SAP (Solutions Application Product) Consultant
The SAP consultant is responsible to help the companies to deal with the SAP software programs that the companies face. He helps them be up to date with the upgrades and new technologies that run the world. To inform them about the new suitable keywords of the technological world.


5.Business Development Executive
The job of a Business Development Executive is to basically analyze the current market and business trends. He has to create plans to boost up the business. He also provides with the outlining of costing and accurately investing the money in the project.

Here is the snapshot of Career options for BBA and B Com

MBA After BBA or B Com

Let's talk about post-graduation now. Further education is an important next step for many students, and the number of students enrolling for post-graduation and master's degrees is increasing steadily. 12% of Indian students are enrolled for masters degrees.
A masters degree gives you a deeper understanding of the field. You gain expertise in the field and it improves your chances of securing a better, well-paying job. As a masters degree indicates that you have in-depth knowledge of the field and you are an expert in the field, you become a desirable employee for many employers. It gives you an edge over other candidates.
An MBA or Masters of Business Administration is one of the most popular choices for masters education for students from across multiple fields. An MBA opens the door to highly paid managerial positions.
Now there are many specialisations in MBA like Human Resource, Information Technology to name a few. You can choose a specialization of your liking and pursue a successful career.
Let's have a walkthrough about MBA and the multiple types.
When one has to decide which one is better between BCom & BBA, well, that depends on the individual's choice and preference. One person can find the play with numbers interesting of Bcom. Other people can find the management and administration of BBA catchy.
Now considering the MBA point of view, people prefer to do MBA with their BBA degree. According to a few surveys, the number of people doing MBA with BBA is higher than with BCom.
Also, there is more scope to get better a salaried job, promotions & salary hikes with an MBA degree.
Moreover, the cheat benefit of doing MBA after BBA is that the subjects taught in MBA are the detailed version of that in BBA. MBA has initially hit the big blue button for BBA students.

MBA options after BBA
There are two types of MBAs,

1. General MBA
2. Specialised MBA

General MBA
General MBA has the basics of the management. It has the main subjects of management like:

1. Accounting,
2. Financial Management,
3. Funds Management,
4. Marketing strategies,
5. Operations Management,
6. Human resource management, etc.

Specialized MBA
The special MBA deals with the detailed study of some of the core or main subjects of the MBA course. The subjects for specialization are as follows:

1. Masters in Human Resources,
2. Masters in Finance,
3. Masters in Information Technology(IT),
4. Masters in Marketing Management,
5. Masters in International Business.


1.Masters in HR
MBA in HR is a 2-year course post-degree program for students who want to be into employee management. The students are given special training in programs like to get to plan new strategies, recruitment, hiring and training new employees etc.

2.Masters in Finance
Students who are good with numbers, and possess skills in economics and financial theories opt for Masters in finance. The course mainly deals with investments, investment strategies, local and global economics, mergers and acquisitions(M&A), etc.

3.Masters in IT
Today's business is completely based on technology. It is very crucial for business these days. This 2-year course had the study of IT project management, Information security, System analysis, & Emerging technical changes. All these are immensely vital for the growth of business in today's date.

So concluding, BBA is better for MBA than B Com.

BBA & Science Stream
Many students who are in the stream of science wonder if they can opt for BBA as well. The answer to their question would be a big YES! Actually, BBA is a platform where students learn about how to deal with business activities. Hence, it doesn't at all in any way affect their science background or BBA career.
The course teaches the students the basics of business activities, principles, ethics, etc. The skills of presenting oneself, ways and manners of speaking while dealing with clients are also taught.
So if you are a Science student and want to go for BBA, it is a definite go-go for you.

Here are some of the post-graduation options after BBA or B Com.

MBA is one of the most sought courses in accounting courses. MBA in finance is the one students opt for often. The following are taught in MBA finance:

1. Accounting
2. Financial Planning
3. Banking
4. Corporate Finance
5. During the course, the students are prepared for various careers like International finance, corporate finance, certified account management, etc.

CA Chartered Accountant is another option very popular amongst students who want to make a career with numbers. As we saw earlier, a CA is someone who audits their accounts for the people. His job is to prepare and analyze the financial reports of organisations.

The course for CA takes place in 3 steps-
A. ENTRANCE:
CPT (Common Proficiency Test) is the first step toward becoming a professional CA. The test is an MCQ Multiple Choice Question) of 200 marks with 0.25 negative marks per the wrong answer.

B.INTERMEDIATE
IPCC (Integrated Professional Competence Course)is the next level of the entire CA course. Its a total 9-month study course which includes the following:

A complete orientation course of a total of 35 hours.
1. IT (Information Technology) training of 100 hours.
2. Appearing for the inter exams
3. Enrol for the 3-year internship

C. CA  final

It is the last stage of becoming a CA. The end step is as follows:

1. Clearing the final CA exam during the last 6 months of the Internship or Articleship.
2. Complete the internship.
3. Complete the GMCS (General Management & Communication Skills) of 15 days.
4. Enroll yourself as a ICAI member.

Cost Accounting is where the students have to deal with how to manage and strategize the finances available with the company.
Just like CA, Cost Accounting too has three levels, namely: Foundation, Intermediate & Final course.

A. The Foundation course consists of total 4 papers:

1. Fundamentals of Economics & Management,
2. Fundamentals of Accounting,
3. Fundamentals of Laws & Ethics,
4. Fundamentals of Business Mathematics & Statistics.

BBA and B.Com Course Structure
B.Com syllabus comprises Business Organization & Management/Business and Industrial Laws/Business Mathematics and Statistics/Computer Applications in Business/Business Environment,
Accountancy (Financial and Cost Accountancy)/ Financial Management, Company Law, Taxation, Economics,
Marketing Management, International Trade, Human Resource Management.

BBA Syllabus comprises Principles of Management, Business Mathematics and Statistics, Business Economics,
Operations Research, Financial and Management Accounting, Production and Materials Management, Personnel
Management and Industrial Relations, Marketing Management, Business data processing, Business Laws.

Choice of College
There are very few good colleges offering BBA course whereas the number of well-known colleges offering B.Com course are plenty. If you are chalked out for hard course finance, then you might opt for B.Com even if you get selected for BBA, due to the college reputation.

On the other hand, if you are open to exploring management streams including as well as other than Finance and you also want to study a course for getting quickly absorbed in the corporate/business sector then you might opt for BBA.

Several times it is difficult to make up your mind so in that case, it is best to take an aptitude test to understand what you are best suited for.

To Sum Up......

Choice, of Course, depends on:

1. Aptitude of student
2. Score of student in entrance
3. College reputation
4. Career prospects
5. Opportunities
6. Constraints
It is advisable not to think of how much money you will be able to make but carefully analyze your interests and aptitudes before choosing an alternative and then steadily work towards honing your aptitude and skills in your specific area of interest. From the broader approach, the narrower and reach your pinnacle.

We hope that this blog has helped you understand both degrees, their course structures and opportunities that come up after your graduation.

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