Raise your hand if this sounds like fun: you’re on a plane headed for Tokyo, representing a major retail chain that is interested in expanding to the Japanese market.  You’ll be there a month researching the market and identifying cultural differences that might affect the expansion.  When you’re done, you’ll give a presentation that will help them decide if the expansion is a good idea.  After this, you’re headed to Sweden to do the same thing.

Sounds pretty amazing right?  Of course it does!  Who wouldn’t want to get paid to travel the world?  Well, if this sounds like your cup of tea then pursuing an international business associate degree is the right path for you.

With an international business associate degree you’ll gain an understanding of the increasingly complicated world of global business.  You’ll study different cultures, and why marketing techniques have to change with each different culture a company expands to.   You’ll become an expert in managing a culturally diverse workforce, and be able to offer companies valuable advice when it comes to global business.

For example, when Wal-Mart was researching their expansion to the Japanese market they learned that people in this culture do not like their food wrapped in plastic.  Here in America it’s no big deal, but over there they wouldn’t buy it because they perceived it as “old”.  So, Wal-Mart decided to sell live animals in their Japanese stores.  As a result of this smart move, they’ve made millions and their chain is a hit.

With a degree in international business, it would be your job to find out information just like this that will ensure your company’s success and save them millions of dollars in costly mistakes.  Just think what would have happened if Wal-Mart didn’t do this research!  Their stores would have flopped and they would have lost lots and lots of money.

Now, if you want the really fun career of traveling the world then you’ll need to continue your education to get at least a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business.  The more you learn in this field, the more you’re going to earn.

There are many career paths you can choose in International Business, and most of them are going to earn you a great living.  For example, an International Human Resources Manager earns around $71,000.  International Training and Development Mangers earn around $67,000.

You can also use this degree to be an agent for athletes, performers, and artists.  With this specialty, you can expect to earn $60,000 to $70,000 or more.

It’s also important to point out that learning a foreign language is mandatory, and whatever language you choose is probably going to be your area of expertise.  Many people focus on the Asian and Latino markets, but you can specialize in any area that you have an interest in.  And, if you happen to have a talent for learning languages, the more you know the more places you’ll be able to travel to.

The job market in this field is only expected to grow so getting your international business associate degree is a great first step for an exciting, well-paid career.