Would it increase my career and job opportunities or is it just a waste of time and money? Should I just stick with majoring in just one thing? Would double majoring in them make me more marketable?
I am not sure…but another option is to major in economics and take psychology classes as electives.
Talk to a behavioral economics professor about this…they straddle the line between economics and psychology.
The reason to double major is because you are interested in those subjects and want to study each of those subjects deeply. Not because you think it will help you get a job.
I actually have a passion for psychology. But let’s face it, getting a psychology degree is risky. I don’t really care about Economics but it is one those majors that is specific enough where I can land a job. I just thought since these two are somewhat similar that it would make me more marketable and I’ll get hired more easily(especially with consulting firms)?
I could minor in Psychology but then that would be even more useless, might as well just take a few more classes and get a major out of it.
But I’m not going to waste my time and double major when it won’t benefit me at all.
What careers in Econ are you considering? You might be able to get there with a psych degree unless it’s something very specific.
I don’t know, I just want to major in Econ since I heard I’ll be able to get a job easier. I heard a Psych major will not be able get a job unless you go to grad school and clinical programs are so hard to get accepted.
Psychology actually has a lower unemployment rate for recent grads than economics. Just slightly, but the point is that it’s not necessarily easier to get a a job with a major in economics than in psychology.
It’s also not true that psychology majors are unable to get jobs unless they go to grad school. The vast majority of psychology majors are gainfully employed in jobs that require a bachelor’s degree.
If you want to major in psychology, then major in it; and if you are not interested in economics, don’t study it. You need to get experience and skills that make you appealing to employers to get a job (regardless of what you major in). Seek out internships, part-time jobs, and/or classes that will help you learn skills that are in-demand on the job market. Visit career services to get advice!
Sources: https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/HardTimes2015-Report.pdf, http://www.nber.org/chapters/c13697.pdf