What to Expect

One of the toughest tasks for e-commerce students is keeping up with new technology.

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is buying and selling goods and services online. As the Internet and related technology has advanced, e-commerce has expanded. And so has the need for trained professionals with skills in both IT and business.

To decide which educational pathway is right for you, think about your career objectives. Talk to people in the business world and research which job will suit you.

"I have a business idea that I am looking at implementing and since it's a website based business, I wanted to learn everything I could about the e-commerce business, such as basics of e-commerce, website design best practices, content management, SEO, and tools and techniques (Google Analytics, AdWords) for a successful launch of my business in future," says Vishal Kulkarni, a student in an e-commerce management certificate program.

If you want the skills necessary to enter the workforce quickly in an entry-level job, a community college program might be a good fit. If you want to be a business leader, you will need to get your undergraduate degree, some business experience, and maybe even an MBA. Whatever path you take, make sure you have the combination of technical, managerial, and communication skills you'll need to succeed in an e-commerce job at any level. In high school, any business, marketing, IT or web design coursework will be very useful.

At the community college level, e-commerce may be paired with marketing, so there will be courses in e-commerce, marketing, sales, customer service, economics and management. Grads find entry-level careers in marketing, customer service and small business management.

Others are more focused on commerce. Courses include business law, economic issues, online business management, administration, corporate communications, accounting and business information systems. Grads will be able to conduct business using information technology and the Internet.

There are more programs that focus on IT. These programs offer courses in programming, web fundamentals, web server administration and specific software application skills. Grads from these types of programs would expect careers as developers, website designers or multimedia specialists.

Undergraduate programs all offer slightly different courses. Programs usually include marketing, statistics, financial accounting, management accounting, finance, economics, information systems, strategic management, organizational behavior and commercial law.

Graduates can expect job titles such as business development director, financial manager, marketing specialist or commercial officer. Some schools don't offer an e-commerce major at the undergraduate level, but there may be e-commerce courses that you can take.

Look for courses about management issues in electronic business or information systems in business. These courses will give you a foundation of the concepts if you plan to pursue your MBA.

If you do an MBA with a major in e-commerce, you can expect to learn how to design and implement e-commerce strategies. MBA grads are often headhunted by consulting firms. They are expected to help product or service companies start e-commerce projects, solve their e-commerce problems, or find new ways to make more money through e-commerce.

In any e-commerce program, you can expect to spend at least two to three hours studying every day. You will spend more time if you have projects, exams or assignments to complete. Textbooks, a laptop and software will be additional expenses.