What sort of jobs to people who major in Economics do?

Question

Undergraduate

Answer 1

Business and Financial entities including government agencies have critical demand for Economists.  Planning and policy decisions require the expertise of Political Economists.  

The ever evolving and increasing matrix of data, information, and phenomena must have definition and explanation which only an Economist can provide.  Current and historic trends have details to educate and enrich Mainstream America.  It is the Science of Economics which enables the growth of information fundamental to human survival.

Estimating and trending positions exist in both private and public sector.  US Department of Commerce and US Department of Agriculture are helpful resources on location positions.

Answer 2

if u r a good student future is bright----- from a variety of govt depts. economic services, affairs, police, envoirnment, international affairs,and apart teaching you hav a bright prospect in pvt. sector ------ management consultancy, finance, marketing or even h.r. though being an expert in strategy helps--- based on ur specialization u may also become an bank officer in pvt. banks, eco hons gals usually 4 their skilled reasoning and analytical powers usually command the highest pay packages!! but u know above all u must like the papers draem them n njoy life if so why not english or even fine arts,

caution---do eco with a dash of arts (lik eng) and compulsorily stats and maths, it'll tak u a long way thro bsidesz boast of ur analytic skills................

goin abroad pays, in ec o u hav chances, a lot to visit mostly sponsored trips keep a nss and dash of co-curricullars

that way it's highly paid among general or more trhan even engineers,

gud luck, n joy

Answer 3

My undergrad landed me at GMAC Financial Services as a Portfolio Analyst (really, a debt collector) and later as a Credit Analyst (a job I could've done better with more accounting).

After finishing my MA Economics, I work as a marketing research analyst.

But I was geography-constrained. I went to school in the Midwest and never left.

Of my friends who did from undergrad, one is at the FDIC, one at the FTC, two are with the Federal Reserve, one is at Caterpillar (and making twice what I am, but he also got his MBA).

Of my friends from graduate school, one is in Hong Kong working as a junior economist, another works for Peabody Coal as a pricing analyst, one works for Discover as an econometrician (nice work if you can get it), and one works at the local high school as a social sciences teacher (though the State is making her get ANOTHER Master's in education).

I turned down a job offer from an import-export company (the pay was lousy and there wasn't much room to advance), and another from an asset-pricing company in Texas (since my wife works, the move would've meant a lower income for us combined).

I was in competition for a position as a Securities Analyst (hard to get without a CFA - I just passed level 1) and for another position as a Portfolio Analyst with a pension management firm (meaning I'd figure risk and expected ranges of return).

THE KEY TO AN ECONOMICS JOB IS LOTS AND LOTS OF MATH. Take as much as you can stomach.

The difference is this: an econ degree without math is basically a business degree without accounting. You have an idea of how to think, but you can't quantify it.

I'll give the example of Jess, who I went to undergrad with. She took as little math as possible and nearly failed every math class for lack of trying (she sometimes came to econometrics drunk). She lined up a sweet internship with the Illinois Trade Commission, and her task was to develop a series of equations for forecasting growth (again, nice work if you can get it). She did nothing all summer because she had no idea what to do. The ITC chairman sent our college a letter and basically said "We'll never hire another grad from your school."

Jess still works at Hooters.

Okay, that's an extreme example. But I know guys who did well in the classroom and just didn't apply themselves - some are still waiting tables. That's true in about any discipline. School is fun, work is hard, and if you want big bucks you either invest smart or work long hours.

Good luck in your studies. Again, hit the math hard - take four semesters of calc/analysis and as much stats as you can handle, and your resume will get a lot of calls.

Also, learn at least one stats package - SAS is very useful, STATA and SPSS are common but not as powerful. If you can learn VBA and C++ or C-sharp and .NET you'll be more flexible, too.

Answer 4

A good friend of mine majored in Economics, and at the same time took enough accounting courses as major-related electives, that she took the CPA (certified public accountant) exam. She likes it and gets paid a lot of money!