Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
OpenStax Logo
Introduction to Business 2e

17.1 Learn the Basics of Business

Introduction to Business 2e17.1 Learn the Basics of Business

17.1 Learn the Basics of Business

You might want to pursue a career as a physician, small business owner, financial analyst, information technology professional, or any of a thousand other opportunities. One thing that many careers have in common is that you need to have a basic understanding of business. Regardless of the career field you choose, having solid business skills will be of benefit. The concepts covered in this text give you a good foundation of the business environment to take into your career—whatever that may be.

Exhibit 17.2 Finding one’s dream job requires combing through job descriptions, researching salary information, taking career-assessment tests, and shadowing others in the workplace. But sometimes people need some career advice or mentorship to “pivot” to a new career or to fine-tune their current job skills. That’s where Pivot comes in—the company provides mentorship, résumé assistance, social media advice, mock interview practice, and more with a paid subscription. How can this type of advice and mentorship help individuals longing to change their career paths? (Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region/ flickr/ Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Choose a Career

Because this introductory business course gives you a detailed overview of all the major areas of business, it will guide you in selecting a major should you elect to get a degree in business. Choosing a career path is an important decision. Your career and the education needed to be successful in that field can have an impact on your life choices moving forward. For example, a marketing professional might have a career in sales, marketing research, or advertising. But they also could start out in one area of marketing and pivot as they develop in their field. Someone in the accounting field may determine mid-career that they wish to pursue a different path and shift to cybersecurity or information technology. Over your lifetime, you will likely put in about 90,000 work hours in your career field. Your path might go in various directions based on your stage of life and changing interests. The key is doing something that you can find rewarding and satisfying.

PreviousNext
Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/introduction-business-2e/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/introduction-business-2e/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

© Apr 3, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.