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I can’t think of any job that somebody can pursue with an economics degree besides economist. But that requires a PhD AND extensive math, which she doesn’t want to do
According to what I saw on google, she will have to take calculus anyway for economics. If she can't do it for her first field, what makes her think she can do it for this one?
Market Research Analyst - Market research analysts tap knowledge of industry trends to assess how products or services might fare under various economic conditions. Like economics majors, they are trained to design studies and to gather and analyze data. They must be able to quantify results and present this information to clients.
Economic Consultant - Economic consultants use analytical and research skills to carry out studies regarding economic scenarios. They analyze industry trends to help organizations improve their performance. They might work for organizations in a variety of industries, including business, finance, healthcare, education, the government, and more.
Compensation and Benefits Manager - Just like economics majors, compensation and benefits managers must be able to think in numbers, since they evaluate options for pay and benefits. They study trends in the labor market and assess supply and demand for various classes of job.
Actuary - apply advanced mathematical and statistical skills to determine the likelihood of events like fires, deaths, illnesses, and business failures. Like economics majors, they need to consider a great number of variables when analyzing risk profiles to establish a profitable structure for insurance policies.
Credit Analyst - Credit analysts conduct microeconomic analyses of prospective clients to assess the risks involved with loaning funds to those people or businesses. They take into account economic trends and factors impacting the region, industries, and competitors of prospective clients.
Financial Analyst - research companies, industries, stocks, bonds, and other investment vehicles for finance departments. Their analyses often require the advanced quantitative skills possessed by many economics majors.
Policy analysts - research and analyze issues that impact the public and recommend legislation and government intervention to address the problems. Economic knowledge is critical to understanding many of the issues and for creating affordable solutions.
Lawyers - use critical thinking and analytical skills to prepare and try their cases. Many areas of law such as corporate law, tax law, antitrust law, personal injury, and medical malpractice involve the application of micro- and macroeconomic analysis.
Management consultants - analyze business problems and research possible solutions to present to clients. New college graduates often start out in positions like research analyst, research assistant, or junior consultant, where they support the work of more senior staff. They can then progress to positions like management consultant.
Business/economics reporters - research, write and broadcast stories about business leaders, companies, industry trends, economic developments, and financial markets. In essence, they are ongoing students of economics as applied to the modern world.
We had an agreement with our daughter that in order for us to pay for her college, she needs to pick a major that is in high demand, such as engineering, comp sci, chemistry, finance, accounting, education. She originally chose accounting. She is currently almost finished with her 3rd semester and decided change her major to a Bachelor of Arts in Economics because she thought calculus was “too hard” and she didn’t want to have to take “calculus 2”. Basically, she chose a pretty useless degree while going to school on my dime. My husband and I are paying for her full tuition and I remind her constantly that she is very privileged to be able to afford to go to school debt free. Now, we are having second thoughts about paying her way. It’s pathetic to pay tens of thousands of dollars for somebody to pursue “economics”. I think the real reason is that she is too lazy to do calculus and wants to take the easy way out. Somebody who wants to take the easy way out shouldn’t be in college in the first place.
Are you joking?
Economics is a very in-demand degree, moreso than finance, accounting or education. Finance is a narrow subset of economics. An economics degree is an open door to a job in finance, too.
My father has made piles of money due to--as he tells it--what he learned from one economics professor in college.
Your last few sentences "It's pathetic...in the first place." come across as hateful, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Weather088
I can’t think of any job that somebody can pursue with an economics degree besides economist.
I sure can. There are lots of high-paying business/finance jobs that accept economics majors.
Kick her out of college, now that you're 3 sem's in?
If you think the cost of college is expensive, you can not imagine the cost of ignorance. Do what you can to help her achieve her goal. (Please notice, I said "HER" GOAL.)
Now, if you want her to "help" out with her costs (ie. books/tuition) then this usually proves to make the student try harder. If "mom & dad" are footing the bills, then she has no "skin in the game."
Changing major's mid-stream isn't the end of the world. The percentage of people's occupation being directly attributed to their major, is quite small. This is just not unusual.
Accounting is always in demand, AND it can be done anywhere, in all 50 States (plus the territories.) From home, even.
Economics isn't a "useless" sheepskin. It can open doors to things you may not have considered.
Cut your losses, she could switch to liberal arts...
Remember: the purpose of a sheep skin isn't that you know something. You may still be obsolete to current technologies, as schools just don't have the latest greatest equipment, nor the staff that can run it.
The purpose of college is to prove to a potential employer that you have the ability to learn. That's really all there is to it.
The largest scam currently are the costs associated with colleges. Almost as bad as hospitals...
I was going to suggest Area Studies. Area Studies majors (Latin American AS, Asian AS, Russia and Eastern Europe AS, Africa AS) lead to jobs with the State Department, embassy work, government foreign aid agencies (now quasi-governmental, after the Gingrich Congress slashed their budgets), and other jobs in international development. These days, an MA is needed to get those jobs, but that's true of the plum jobs in Engineering, too.
OP, there's nothing wrong with going for an MA. Maybe your DD could find an employer willing to foot the bill, or could score a TA position in her major, that would cover her tuition at the MA level.
My niece majored in International Economics, and a couple of years ago completed an MA in something to do with the economics of alternative energy systems. She now works for an outfit that farms her out to their partner organizations worldwide as a consultant and project director.
Economics is a very in-demand degree, moreso than finance, accounting or education. Finance is a narrow subset of economics. An economics degree is an open door to a job in finance, too.
My father has made piles of money due to--as he tells it--what he learned from one economics professor in college.
Your last few sentences "It's pathetic...in the first place." come across as hateful, too.
I sure can. There are lots of high-paying business/finance jobs that accept economics majors.
My sister had a friend in HS/college who switched her major to economics. She married another economist. To say that they have both been successful is a huge understatement. I think their son is also a successful economist.
Certainly learning an in-demand foreign language could be helpful as well.
Paul Tudor Jones got his degree in economics from the University of Virginia. Now is is one of the world's most successful money managers with a net worth of over 5 billion dollars.
Sure, but UVA is a highly selective school and their undergraduate students will be required to use critical thought. I didn’t dig through where the OP’s daughter is going to school but I’d imagine that a top university economics department requires a lot of quantitative analysis (err, math) and critical thought. I wouldn’t expect that from most economics departments at 3rd tier state schools. The professors have no choice but to teach to the level of their students. If you teach that UVA curriculum at the 3rd tier state school, you’d fail 90% of the class and find yourself unemployed.
The bottom line is OP is too controlling. He wants a robotic clone of himself, not a free thinking independent woman for a daughter. Focus on her good qualities - she is going to college, she knows what major she wants, she is not pregnant, she is not on drugs, etc. Respect is a two way street (sounds sappy, but it is true).
I feel sorry for your daughter OP. Offering her financial help while essentially holding a gun to her head about which major to choose isn't much help at all.
She would be better off studying what is most compatible to her interests/skills, etc. Yes, it would be reasonable to counsel her that Major x is more lucrative than Major y but outside of that she needs to be her own person, not a clone of what you think she should be.
I know this isn't the most popular view on C-D but not everyone is going to be an engineer.
I can’t think of any job that somebody can pursue with an economics degree besides economist. But that requires a PhD AND extensive math, which she doesn’t want to do
I know probably a dozen classmates that majored in Econ. They did fine. They have successful white collar careers.
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