Top 4 Professions Black Graduates Should Pursue

The Black community is straight fire right now when it comes to college degree attainment and professional success. Not that it ever wasn’t, but history has put barriers in our way that have prevented or limited our access to opportunities and exposure to a variety of fields. Now, however, Black business is resurging with the “Buy Black” initiatives and other movements to increase Black earning power and promote wealth for Black Americans.

With this exponential socioeconomic growth, many graduates (or soon to be) may be wondering what are some professions that Black students can pursue to further cultivate our “Bad & Bougie” status. An article I read some time ago in Crain’s Chicago Business lists four professions in which Blacks are underrepresented. The author described that underrepresentation in these specific fields (below) slows the growth of Black business when compared to other cultural groups.

Law

Lawyers help to write contracts and file paperwork needed to start a business. There is a plethora of legal jargon needed to ensure procedures and policies meet the appropriate standards. A lawyer also protects a businessperson from being taken advantage of in shady business deals. One also requires a good lawyer in case there is a legal dispute that goes to court.

Marketing

Communications professionals help get the word out about the product of a business. If people don’t know about the product, then they won’t buy it. Even in the age of social media, developing a marketing plan for a product or service over the long term can be a very daunting task. Furthermore, the ability to communicate to a variety of audiences is not always a skill everyone possesses. As a result, marketing professionals are essential to the growth of one’s business.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)

There has been a big push for the past twenty or thirty years to get more ethnic minorities, particularly Black students, engaged in STEM. Unfortunately, these initiatives cannot meet the pace our need. Particularly in the technology development and engineering areas, these professionals produce the products that can help businesspersons simplify and expand their processes, such as apps, social media, databases, software, and an array of other tools. Having a deeper network of tech developers and engineers that can develop products that meet the needs of the Black community is high in demand, since many of us may have ideas for an invention, but don’t know how to logistically produce or manufacture it.

Financial Management

The first financial professional needed by business people need is an accountant. This professional reviews and files the taxes for one’s business, which must be done quarterly (four times per year). Additionally, financial advisors and investors ensure the money that a businessperson makes continues to grow. If professionals want to build wealth, then they will need to know how to invest it, so that their expenditures are more often creating assets, rather than liabilities. It is also important to want to make sure there is enough money to retire, to keep emergency savings, and to pay off debts. Financial management professionals understand how money works, and therefore will advise businesspersons to make better decisions so the fruits of their labors are not here today, and gone tomorrow, like some of the celebrities, athletes, and other Black icons who have not spent and invested their money wisely or paid their taxes properly.

There are a number of social issues that are hindering the Black community today, but progression is taking place in the areas of education and career. This increase in education attainment positively impacts the community’s socioeconomic status over the long term. The exposure of more youth to the careers mentioned and the completion of degrees can ensure Black business will continue to grow and thrive as well.