Question: What do the following 3 jobs have in common?

• Human Resources Manager
• Entrepreneur
• Personal Finance Advisor

Answer  –  They are three of the highest paying jobs for women today, and a business degree from NNU can prepare you to be successful in any one of these three fields!**

Although women have made much headway in the world of business over the last several decades, the U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that in 2006 women were only making 77% of the salary earned by their male counterparts. ** This means that although more and more women are landing those top-paying jobs, there is still a wage gap between men and women.  Additionally, some work situations may be more challenging for women as they work to balance full-time employment situations with raising a family. 

With six female faculty members who have all worked in the world of business prior to making a move into education, the NNU School of Business recognizes the unique situations facing our female students as they graduate and begin their careers.  Because of that, we are committed to helping them prepare for success by providing opportunities to explore this issue of women in business. 

Recently, several of our female faculty and staff members joined six of our undergraduate female students at a dinner and forum designed to highlight and discuss the unique situations facing women in business.  Speakers included, among others, Carolyn Holly, a local news anchor, and Barbara Morgan, Idaho’s own Teacher in Space.  The women on the panel took time to answer questions and discuss situations that they had faced throughout their highly successful careers, as well as providing advice for the young women just starting out.

As a female attorney and professor, I was astounded at the commonality that was highlighted as each speaker shared her story with the audience.  All of the women on the panel had the same advice to share: Be Prepared to Work Hard! Each agreed that their paths to success had not been easy and had required much time, energy, and sacrifice.  But each also agreed that the hard work had been completely worthwhile.  “Pick a job you love,” was another theme of the evening.  If you are going to work hard to be successful, you should love what you are doing.

Perhaps the greatest lesson I took away from the evening was some advice Carolyn Holly shared.  “Don’t ask what your company can do for you.  Figure out how you can add value to your company.”  Being successful in business isn’t about using a company to get to the top.  It’s about learning how to be the best employee you can be, and continually adding to your skill set to make yourself more marketable and essential to employers.  What a great lesson for both the students and the faculty!!

Teri Whilden

**Information taken from: McIntyre, K. (2008) Top Salaried Jobs for Women: Five Reasons to Return to School. Retrieved September 26, 2008, from http://encarta.degreesandtraining.com/articles.jsp?article=featured_top_salaried_job_for_women&GT1=27001