Last semester, I spent a lot of time wandering and wondering. More specifically, I took many courses that did not have a specific focus and thought about what my options might someday be, but never actually took the initiative to explore potential choices. I think that I, like many other students, was overwhelmed by what was offered here and felt like I couldn’t handle the work or responsibility of discovering the choices I had in an informed enough way to make a decision.
However, this semester I have learned that the university offers many opportunities for wondering and wandering students. For example, this Tuesday night I attended the Smeal College of Business’s BIG event. This program, fittingly placed in the Business building, contained a wealth of information on the majors offered in the Business school and the 40 or so clubs that Penn State has associated with the Business school. Each major had a presentation that was 30-40 minutes long explaining what the major was, career paths it may lead to and what students ultimately had to do to graduate with that degree.
The first presentation I attended was on the Supply Chain & Information Systems major. To be completely honest, I chose to go to this presentation because I had no idea what Supply Chain Management was. About.com describes supply chain management as something that “involves overseeing aspects of the “supply chain” and defines a supply chain as “a network of interconnected businesses.” Initially, this sounded extremely confusing to me. But at the presentation, a professor explained supply chain management as the facilitation of the steps it takes to get a product on the shelf. This includes the coordination of raw materials producers, the manufacturing of the product, and relationships with wholesalers, retailers and customers. Here’s a visual for what I’m talking about:
So, for example, someone who majors in supply chain management might be responsible for ensuring that all raw materials are being brought into a company in the most cost efficient way. Humorously, Bloomberg Businesweek describes supply chain management majors as “the ultimate bargain hunters”. They also note that SCM is a hot and “up and coming” major, with a 25% increase in undergraduate Supply Chain Management programs since 2006.
This is largely due to the fact that supply chain jobs are available and in demand. An article in the Wall Street Journal from June 2013 noted that, “with global operations becoming more complex, companies in manufacturing, retail and technology – and the consulting firms that service them – are scrambling to hire people with supply chain expertise. But these experts are hard to come by.” Unlike many other professions at this time, employers are looking to hire students majoring in Supply Chain Management.
Penn State’s Smeal College of Business boasts that their Supply Chain and Information Systems Major is the best department in the country (on top of Smeal being the #1 business college in recruiter ranks). The representatives noted that most people graduating from the major had a starting salary of $50,000-$60,000.
Outside of job security, I like this major for a few reasons. First, it’s very practical and something that every single company needs; many students are able to get jobs working for large (and cool) companies like Amazon, Nike, and Kraft Foods. Second, it does not require any upper-level math classes (beyond Stat 200 and Math 110, which is required for all business majors). And finally, it is specialized and gives each student a vision of where he or she wants to go with the leeway of choosing the type of company he or she wants to work for.
For this week, I learned a lot not only about the Supply Chain major but also about the importance of attending informational events. I want to make my “major” decision completely informed of all of my options, and going to things that PSU offers makes me feel more comfortable and prepared for the day that I make my choice.
Sources:
http://www.scdigest.com/assets/on_target/13-06-12-1.php?cid=7128
Hey Alex!
While I’m not in Smeal, I’ve heard a lot of good things about Supply Chain Management. It is one of those majors that so necessary to global business system, however so few people know about it. It doesn’t require a lot of math, it has high pay and job placement, and it seems interesting? Sounds like you’ve found a contender for what you’ll do with your life!
Are there any draw-backs to going into Smeal?
I never heard of Supply Chain Management until I came here in the Fall, but I quickly learned what it was once I heard about it. I am impressed by the amount of knowledge needed for this career field and by how lucrative the major is. If I had gone the route of being a business major, I’m sure I would be exploring the Supply Chain Management major. Between marketing and supply chain, which major would you be more interested in studying?