Graduating soon with a Degree in Economics, need some serious advice

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>Hello CC Community.</p>

<p>Here are my current stats:</p>

<p>I will be graduating with a degree in Economics in December.
I have around a 3.3-3.4 GPA and I am part of the Economics Honor Society(If this means anything).
I have one internship in IT
I have a 2nd internship in strategic planning
I went on study abroad
Counting the internships, I have worked in 5 or 6 different jobs while in College.</p>

<p>So I have a strong work ethic(I wasn't goofing around in College) and I want to do something with my life but I just don't know what:</p>

<p>I don't want to continue to graduate study in Economics. I have lost all interest in the subject.</p>

<p>I don't want to go to Law School either. No interest.</p>

<p>But I am caught up in a bind.</p>

<p>I want to study Computer Science in graduate school(Interest- Artificial Intelligence or Human Computer Interaction) but in order to meet the pre-requisites for a graduate student in CS I still need to take one more year of extra schooling.</p>

<p>I have spent five years in Undergraduate study and the extra year of schooling would mean spending six years(Which isn't the greatest thing ever to me).</p>

<p>Also, I just got back from study abroad about a month ago and have been living with mom and dad. If I took the extra year year of schooling I would most likely be living with mom and dad for another year to save money(I'm 23, and I am far too old to be living at home).</p>

<p>I guess when I went on study abroad I really wasn't thinking about all of this because I wanted to enjoy it. I have been working almost the entire time I have been in College and I wanted a semester in which I would "enjoy."</p>

<p>Immediately when I got back home I applied to around 150 jobs the first week I came back and got zero replies.</p>

<p>I have no idea what I should do-</p>

<p>Do I take more classes, accrue more debt, and then go onto graduate school in CS?
Should I find a job and then try for graduate school?</p>

<p>My main motivation isn't money- I enjoy being a student and learning new material. I didn't at all like the social scene in undergraduate study, but it may change in graduate study(?)</p>

<p>I just have no idea what to do.</p>

<p>I would assume that Karma would benefit someone like me, but apparently it is doing absolutely nothing right now. I have no idea what I want to do with my life.</p>

2

<p>You did the right thing by applying to 150 jobs the first week you came back. You now just need to be patient. The recruiting season has just started and is still early. You might hear back from those applications in the next weeks. I suggest you continue to be proactive and apply for more jobs and not get discourage.</p>

3

<p>I have decided to postpone graduate school until I know exactly what I want to do in graduate school.</p>

<p>I have to pay back loans from undergraduate study so I need to find employment.</p>

<p>As far as I know, with a degree in Economics you can:</p>

<ol>
<li>Work for the government</li>
<li>Work in consulting</li>
<li>Work as an analyst. Or a research analyst.</li>
<li>Start a company</li>
<li>Do data entry.</li>
</ol>

<p>I’ve looked into entry level employment as a Consultant:</p>

<p>You need to go to a top ranked University with good grades. My University is rank Tier 2 so I don’t think I will get accepted into consulting positions.</p>

<p>Data entry or working for the government seem the most feasible. They may not be very glamorous, but they provide income to pay back student loans and make me one step closer to not being dependent on my parents.</p>

<p>I think what I have learned so far is:</p>

<p>A. I want to travel more. I want to see more of the world. Study abroad really opened up my eyes.</p>

<p>B. In a College environment I tend to be more of a bookworm and all I do is work(Not necessarily in school). It might be in my best interest to delay graduate school so that I can (try to) enjoy my twenties.</p>

<p>C. I’m not sure the traditional American lifestyle is all that great. I’d rather evaluate more of what I want from life rather than how much money can I make or how high of a degree can I obtain.</p>

<p>So, I don’t think I am depressed. Maybe a little anxious, but not depressed yet.</p>

4

<p>If you postpone graduating, won’t that pile on more debt? Unless you have a better reason than not knowing what you want to do, you are better off graduating now, and looking for an internship or full time position.</p>

<p>You should also take advantage of your career services in your school. Im sure they have placements and will be able to help you.</p>

5

<p>He said he is postponing graduate school, not graduating.</p>

6

<p>Sounds like you’d enjoy a job at the US State Department.</p>

<p>[url=&lt;a href=“We apologize for the inconvenience... - United States Department of State”&gt;Job Seekers - United States Department of State]Careers[/url</a>]</p>

7

<p>I apologize in advance:</p>

<p>I have searched around that site for around 20 minutes and I cannot find what careers are available to recent Economic graduates.</p>

<p>I see that they hire student interns and other programs, but I couldn’t find where you apply to a full time position working in the department.</p>

8

<p>What college did you go to?</p>

9

<p>Yeah, actual university you attended makes a big difference; once you let me know that, we can give you some feedback</p>

10

<p>Tier 2 in National Universities in the US News rankings.</p>