Successful business careers in this industry require a wide range of skills. It is essential that students take the test to learn about this. The strategic management test is given twice a year by a number of different professional organizations. Before taking it, a student must apply to one or more of these organizations so they know where to go when it’s time to take it. Students can’t just show up and take the test and expect to get a high score.
After passing the test, students can expect to learn about various career paths in a number of industries, including finance, technology, government, consulting, manufacturing and many more. By working with these professionals in the long term, the student will develop valuable job skills that will enable them to move into higher positions.
Business graduates are often placed in some of these positions immediately after graduation. But this is not always the case. A strategic management student needs to learn how to work the job market and what they should be focusing their energy on, if they are to get a job and make money in that industry.
Some students want to pursue a career goal that includes public service. They might decide to help to build new schools, give scholarships, work in local charities or even run a government office. These students can focus their energies on these types of jobs, which pay well and require little initial cost. They can focus their time and effort on these jobs until they pass the strategic management exam and have a firm foundation for their career.
A student with financial management career goal can work with companies like Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, which have offices all over the world. They can start out as an entry-level employee, where they learn a variety of financial management skills and learn how to manage their own budgets. Once they have mastered the skills they can move to the top level and take the exam. This is a very rewarding career choice, one that involves a great deal of responsibility. It can be challenging to move into managerial roles at this point, but there are people who do.
Students who want to go into politics might decide to run for city council and get involved in local political campaigns. They will be responsible for organizing meetings, planning out meetings, getting press coverage and working with people in order to get the word out. They might run for mayor, city councilor and run into some hard challenges along the way.
Students may choose to be involved in non-profit organizations and work on projects for people and organizations. For example, they may volunteer their time to train the next generation of leaders of these organizations. By getting the strategic management exam, students learn about leadership skills and how to work with other people and organize.
Many people will choose to specialize in a certain type of strategic management, which could include project managers, consultants or fundraisers. A manager in the financial industry could decide to work as a financial planner, while a management professional could work in government, consulting or a non-profit. In the healthcare industry they could choose to work as a medical officer or a healthcare consultant. The list of job possibilities for each career is almost endless, which is why it is important to take the strategic management exam so that you have an adequate base for your chosen field of expertise.
It is possible to take the exam even before you enter into a financial management career, which allows you to have a foundation before taking on the financial markets of a specific company. If you want to work in the insurance sector, say, then you could study in actuarial science or business administration before taking the exam and getting your certification.
A strategic management certification is just one piece of the puzzle to becoming a manager. While you have studied the coursework and are passing the strategic management exam, you need to understand that you cannot simply go into a business and expect to be a manager the same day you graduate. There are many other factors that will be involved in determining what kind of career you will eventually find yourself in. If you are truly committed and are able to work hard, however, you can have a successful career in finance, business and even politics.