No pressure…

“Writing a dissertation is a life-changing experience." It’s been said time and again and not without reason. The challenge is considerable, the amount of research involved is stupendous, and the sense of satisfaction you’ll feel when all is said and done is difficult to put into words. Then again, it can be just as difficult to put a dissertation into words – there’s so much work involved and getting it all structured soundly is a monumental task.

Of course, the first milestone here is choosing the right topic, and this can be the most frightening prospect of all. Go to this link for more ideas than you might have imagined possible, or read on some of our own. Whatever you choose, though you need to grow comfortable writing about it at considerable length, and you need to develop a full-bodied analysis as well as a thesis to argue inside and out. In the world of finance, there are a ton of viable options, and we’re here today to help inspire you toward picking one so that you can get started on this big epic life-changing experience you’ve heard so much about.

Being topical…

• Debt. What a loaded word, right? There’s so much to work with on this one. What are today’s best methods for getting out of debt once we’re in it? Why do they work? How might they be improved to offer more steady and reliable opportunities for down-on-their-luck citizens to get back on track? You could analyze things in your community, or your country, or even go as meta as possible and look at trends worldwide.

• Student loans. Well, this could certainly tie in with debt, couldn’t it? Still, there’s a lot to write about specifically on student loans and there’s a not-inconsiderable chance you’ve got lots of personal experience on this front. Consider the way in which these are conducted now versus ten or twenty years ago. It’s a constantly changing system and there may be something to be said for the older styles.

• Exhaustive analysis of a particular big-name company. Oh, but the world does run on corporate clocks, doesn’t it? There are so many recognizable name brands driving sales in so many fashions. Research the origins and development of your favorite company and chart the tumultuous course of its business history, with attention to the choices they’ve made and any mistakes you feel are worth noting. Build this into a statement on how you believe such a business ought to be run, and why.

• Innovation: fact or fiction? Creativity frequently determines whether a company lives or dies as the global economy marches on in newer and bolder ways, but sometimes too much innovation is a death sentence all on its own. Examine subjects such as housing authorities, various insurance policies, bank practices, and more, and select one (don’t overextend yourself and try to cover it all!) to argue whether or not new ideas have destabilized business structure or even compromised customer security in the digital age.

• Preventing deterioration. Some industries have collapsed and completely disappeared throughout the course of history because they’ve been uprooted and replaced by more technologically-savvy alternatives. The Industrial Revolution is a great example of this practice, but throughout the late 20^th century and now as the 21^st century roars on, we’re witnessing more and more of it every year. How many video rental stores do you know of now versus 15 years ago? Many younger folks are coming to regard libraries in much the same light. How can struggling industries stay focused and relevant as today becomes tomorrow?

Engage!

As you narrow down your list of potential topics, make sure you select one you can really engage your audience with for an extended period of time. Practice makes perfect, as they say, and you’ll be flipping through outlines, rough drafts, discarding concepts you initially thought were sound, coming up with concepts you never knew you had in you, all on the road to delivering a thesis you won’t soon forget. We hope this brief list has helped you come up with some outside-the-box financial thinking – and good luck on your upcoming adventure!