Need to know the best way forward!

Parents Forum
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<p>There are lots of internships out there for people with oral and writing skills. In our state, there is a site called HireCulture.org that is useful, as is craigslist, or the university’s career office. Doing internships often doesn’t make money, but they don’t cost anything and can be a good way to test out different types of work. And they can lead to a job.</p>

<p>I think being out of school and trying some types of work can get your daughter out of the simplistic categorizing that people do while in school, about the job market. The workplace is actually full of jobs that are hard to categorize, even seem random, and meandering a bit can be a good thing.</p>

<p>I would think that the skills she has, and the things she enjoys, should point the way, regardless of what her degree was in. Many jobs don’t look at a transcript at all, but only see where the person went to school and what degree they got.</p>

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<p>This is good advice. First, as someone said, getting a PhD is a long, hard slog. You have to a) really want it; and b) should have a really good reason to do it. </p>

<p>Second, if you are not good at math, stay away from economics. I’ve advised my son to take lots of math if he wants to go into economics. Although not an economist (PhD in an applied math field), I work with, know, or am friends with a number of leading economists. The second link that NewEnglandMother provided was directly on target. Maybe your daughter would be interested in a field other than economics that would suit her better.</p>

<p>Third, help her realize that she needs to a) build up her knowledge, skills, contacts in b) and area that plays to her strengths and interests her. oldfort’s suggestion to see if you can help her get started with an internship through contacts is a good one in today’s world.</p>

<p>Fourth, I’ve never been clear on the value of an M.A. in an academic field unless it also tied to a PhD (e.g., an M.A. in economics followed by a PhD in psychology or the reverse could make sense for someone interested in behavioral economics). An M.A. on its own doesn’t signify mastery or that you’ve joined the club. Some on this thread could probably shed some insight. As moonchild suggested, an MBA or MPP (public policy) or equivalent would be more likely to help with employment prospects down the road and also lead to jobs in which people skills are important. Most economists that I know wouldn’t have risen to high places on their social skills.</p>

<p>Fifth, as compmom says, for many jobs, I as an employer do not look at transcripts or GPAs. For those that I do, references from advisors or past employers would be much more meaningful.</p>

<p>Outside of academia, most people are successful because of ambition, drive, social skills and intelligence, but I’d be surprised if GPA’s correlate that highly with later in life success in fields outside of one’s that really tap on what one studies in grad school. So, neither you nor your daughter should fret about the spilt milk of a GPA and figure out how to get into a field that she will a) enjoy; and b) in which she will be able to perform at high level given her basic skills and talents.</p>

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<p>Thanks. Yes, the options as you mentioned are indeed good for her to test her interests, gain experience and look fo better opportunities down the road. I think, this would require a certain degree of admission, on her part, that she has to start on a different footing than most her schoolmates/close friends. </p>

<p>She is also looking for an internship in Sales/Marketing in the East Coast.</p>

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<p>Shawbridge, I couldn’t agree more with you about the fact that PhD track in Economics, without reasonable competence in Mathematics/Quantitative analysis, is not a realistic aspiration. She had taken 300/400 level courses in Mathematics/Quantitative Economics and didn’t do well in terms of GPA. Her interest was Finance. Now that is ruled out. She is not keen in IT/IS fields. </p>

<p>Going by her demonstrated skills in oral and written communication/ presentation skills and her ability to do logical thinking on situations and events, I would rate her as a good material for the Law School. Now, the GPA will not support her admission for any good law school. She hasn’t taken the LSAT yet.</p>

<p>She is exploring the possibility of getting an internship in Sales/Marketing. The companies she is aiming at her at the top end of the Retail and the chances may not be that bright! Yes, I could help her in getting an internship. But she is very sensitive and feels, it would tantamount as a failure. I would like to respect her sentiment/emotion. </p>

<p>The idea of MA in Economics followed by a PhD in Psychology seems to be a good idea. Let me sound that out! Public Policy is indeed an option. However, like MBA programs, you need to have work experience. Also, in places like JHU, Columbia the GPA cut off is very high. Public Policy/MBA from no name schools, in my opinion, will not help her much. </p>

<p>You are right. She is passing through a phase where she finds that Economics as the major was not the right choice, she, like her other schoolmates, could have taken less rigorous subjects and do well.</p>

<p>I find the UK universities offer post-graduate taught courses like M.Sc in International Business. Do you think such a qualification will cut ice in the US job market?</p>

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<p>What kind of work experience does she have? Relevant experience trumps GPA for many (perhaps most) employers. </p>

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<p>That’s not where she should be looking for work. On-campus recruiting from big firms is where all of the competition is. She should be looking for jobs at smaller companies that don’t have the resources to recruit on campus, but may have openings. The kind of jobs where some of her competition will only have associates degrees or BA’s from lesser universities, so here bachelor’s from a well known university will stand out. </p>

<p>If she plans to live near her campus after graduating, she might want to look for part time opportunities that hold the possiblity of expanding to full time once she graduates. The type of small firms I mentioned don’t usually do hiring months in advance – but she could at least be making some headway and familiarizing herself with off-campus resources for the job hunt.</p>

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<p>Rintu,</p>

<p>Did your daughter do any internships in the past 4 summers, and what type of internships were they? Did anything pique her interest? Or are they places that she can send job applications to?</p>

<p>The internships she may have done are far more valuable than her GPA, and would attest to her skills and experience.</p>

<p>Economics is not typically a major that supports a high gpa; in fact in many schools the Econ gpa ranks down there with some of the engineering gpas.</p>

<p>How about some small no-name consulting companies, or banking…</p>

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<p>She has the right background to pursue an MBA in international business, a degree which actually is quite marketable. However, I believe she’d need the GMAT, not GRE for this.</p>

<p>Given the econ degree, she is “quantitative” enough for an MBA and the foreign affairs piece is perfect for someone in international business. Within international business, she could focus on marketing/communications for international business applications. This would be a great place for someone with her skills to shine. Just a thought.</p>

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<p>Rintu - I work in the nonprofit field and see a real need for people who have a finance background but also have good people skills! I have worked in the field for 25+ years, in both small, local organizations and large, national organizations and there are lots of opportunities in the field. Best of luck to her!</p>

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<p>To follow up Austinmtmom’s post – a good place to find job listings for nonprofits is idealist.org</p>

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<p>calmom, she has been the RA for 3 consecurive years and worked as ‘Project Assistant’ in the Economics Department, apart from working in the Law School library and Admission Office.
She spent the last 2 summers with an event management group. However, converting this to a meaningful full time assignment, in the current scenario, seems to be a tough call! </p>

<p>Yes, getting a part time assignment, near the campus, is indeed possible. I am pretty sure that she will be able to get it. But I don’t think it would help her in getting into a reasonable Graduate program or MBA a few years later.</p>

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<p>Curiouser, </p>

<p>This is precisely the current thought process. Yes, she is preparing for the GMAT too. Would you like to recommend some schools in the USA? As of now, she has identified some schools in UK/Europe, where admission is a possibility! Now, will it help her getting a job here?</p>

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<p>austinmtmom, calmom,</p>

<p>Thanks. She has started looking into the option of joining a nonprofit organization. Her mother held a very good position in Catholic Relief Services. She has tons of her classmates in Unicef/WHO/WFP. Now, it is different career track and to move up she will require a graduate degree from a good public health program.</p>