In the Air Force:
Commander; Commander, Bomber; Commander, General; Commander, Special Operations; Education And Training; Education And Training Superintendent; General Officer; Health Services Management Craftsman; Health Services Management Journeyman; Operations Commander
In the Army:
Acquisition; Aviation Maintenance Officer; Civil Affairs, Designated; Cyber Warfare Officer; Force Development; Health Services Materiel; Intelligence Officer; Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD); Research and Engineering; Special Forces; Transportation, General
In the Marine Corps:
Colonel, Ground; Colonel, Naval Aviator/Naval Flight Officer/Unmanned Aircraft System Officer; General Officer
To oversee the daily operations of an organization, top executives do a little bit of everything, they make critical financial decisions, appoint new managers, plan new strategies, all to ensure the organization meets its goals. Top executives closely observe company operations, legal matters, and financial health. Since they are largely responsible for an organization’s success, the work is often stressful; if the company performs poorly, their job is at risk. Top executives also spend a lot of their time developing and building the teams that conduct the work of the organization. They represent their organization at conferences and events, and on visits to the company’s national or international locations. Some oversee a specific part of the business, such as chief financial officers or chief human resources officers. Top executives work in nearly every industry, and any size of organization, from one-person companies, to small non-profits, to firms with hundreds of thousands of employees. In most cases, they report to a board of directors. Executives often work more than 40 hours a week, including evenings and weekends. Top executives usually have a bachelor’s or master’s degree, often in business administration, or an area related to their field, such as public administration. They typically have many years of experience, having earned promotions into managerial positions.
What they do:
Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body. Plan, direct, or coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate executives and staff managers.
On the job, you would:
Direct or coordinate an organization's financial or budget activities to fund operations, maximize investments, or increase efficiency.
Appoint department heads or managers and assign or delegate responsibilities to them.
Analyze operations to evaluate performance of a company or its staff in meeting objectives or to determine areas of potential cost reduction, program improvement, or policy change.
Business
management
human resources (HR)
Arts and Humanities
English language
Safety and Government
law and government
public safety and security
Math and Science
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Basic Skills
talking to others
thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
Verbal
listen and understand what people say
communicate by speaking
Ideas and Logic
use rules to solve problems
make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Math
choose the right type of math to solve a problem
add, subtract, multiply, or divide
Visual Understanding
see hidden patterns
People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.
They do well at jobs that need:
Leadership
Integrity
Initiative
Stress Tolerance
Dependability
Achievement/Effort
You might use software like this on the job:
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Microsoft Dynamics
SAP software
Presentation software
Mentimeter
Microsoft PowerPoint
Accounting software
Intuit QuickBooks
Sage 50 Accounting
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.