<p>^ Whistle is gone (sadly, in my opinion…I liked his brand of satire) so you don’t need to worry about that.</p>
<p>My brother graduated with UMich with ~2.5 in Chem Engineering and could only find a low paying technician job.</p>
<p>My point is it’s not necessarily your major when you graduate, but your passion and drive to look for a decent career. Also your work experience.</p>
<p>
Also your GPA…</p>
<p>I will be honest…before switching to econ, I pursued business for a year because it really was the easier degree. It isn’t more practical because a couple of internships in development programs, which are glad to take econ majors, will teach you all that you need to know. If an econ major finds some business study necessary for one reason or another, get a minor with some basic classes and you’ll be much more qualified than any business major! It’s all about internships these days anyway~
-Econ major, policy minor, business fundamentals minor</p>
<p>I love this post OP,</p>
<p>its great cuz you really go deep about the current situation,</p>
<p>P.S i have to thank you because im also a prospective Econ Major :)</p>
<p>Awesome post, Amazing. I am considering going into either engineering or economics/ business (ie one of the two, perhaps both, as in maybe an econ. degree and MBA) as I have always been interested in economics, both theoretical and practical. I’ve been reading the articles in Forbes, Fortune, and Inc, for fun, since I was about 15 years old, and it’s all still fascinating to me. But if you guys don’t mind, I have a few questions for ya’ll: </p>
<p>1) What are a few of the reasons someone, say hypotheically, <em>shouldn’t</em> get an econ degree? EG, if they aren’t good at math? Or abstract subjects, maybe? Or… etc.</p>
<p>2) If you get an economics degree, do you have to go into academia or go work at think tank, or can you go into business as well? Because one of the reasons I might consider an MBA/business management degree over econ would be that business degree seems more practical, but that may be a misconception. Is it?</p>
<p>3) I’m aware that there’s probably a lot of math involved for both degrees, (Econ and Business) which one requires the least amount of abstract math, because that is one of my weakest subjects, or, can you get by without being that great at math?? (any advice on that ? :/)</p>
<p>4) And finally, does anyone know (from experience or from asking someone in the field(s) under consideration) what actual, day-to-day work is as an economist/MBA/business degree holder? </p>
<p>Much thanks. 
And, again, thanks for the post Amazing.</p>
<p>Does location not matter? I would guess people going to SJSU would get more job opportunities because of the Silicon Valley setting. Does anyone know how Irvine is for prospective Business/Economics majors?</p>
<p>For the record, many people may consider going into economics for the money but that in no way means they’ll get the degree. Economics is a rough major and not to be taken on lightly. I start it in the fall and hope I can make it through.</p>
<p>Is the job placement into the business field worse for an A&S econ major when his/her school has a business school? The only reason I ask is I plan on transferring to UVA, but I’m not guaranteed admission into McIntire. I’d almost rather pursue an economics major, but I figure it’s harder to get a job in business when the school has a top undergrad business school/program.</p>
<p>@AH5050
I’d say so. Interviewers are going to question why you didn’t transfer into McIntire and it’s there that you have to prove your passion for the subject in order to avoid be labeled as “unable to hack it.” And at most business schools, a lot of the job interviews/offers get focused onto the b-school graduates. Honestly man, UVA is a target school for banking so I’d highly suggest you try to transfer into McIntire as it’ll give you more options in the financial sector.</p>
<p>Wow my topic from 2009! I’m finally back to answer more of your questions. Can’t guarantee I will be able to answer as actively, as I now work obviously.</p>
<p>Graduated with an economics degree a long time ago. Since then I’ve worked in gaming, and worked on a former PC Game of the Year. I then worked in marketing in the field of international finance. Currently I have an internet marketing business with clients in the tech field. I also answer questions as a marketing expert for a popular magazine.</p>
<p>You can msg me for help, and if you’re curious I will send you my biography and credentials. This seems to be a hot topic nowadays, since statistics show that 50% of college graduates are unemployed or underemployed, sadly.</p>
<p>“1) What are a few of the reasons someone, say hypotheically, <em>shouldn’t</em> get an econ degree? EG, if they aren’t good at math? Or abstract subjects, maybe? Or… etc.”</p>
<p>I’m not good at math, you’ll survive. Don’t major if you want to be a doctor or a computer engineer. If you’re talking about within the business majors/english/history/other social sciences, then-</p>
<p>Don’t major in Econ if you did not enjoy introductory Econ classes. You can do a lot with Econ, but at the same time you can do very little with it.</p>
<p>“2) If you get an economics degree, do you have to go into academia or go work at think tank, or can you go into business as well? Because one of the reasons I might consider an MBA/business management degree over econ would be that business degree seems more practical, but that may be a misconception. Is it?”</p>
<p>Nope I didn’t go into academia. Majority of my classmates didn’t.</p>
<p>“3) I’m aware that there’s probably a lot of math involved for both degrees, (Econ and Business) which one requires the least amount of abstract math, because that is one of my weakest subjects, or, can you get by without being that great at math?? (any advice on that ? :/)”</p>
<p>Business math is considered a joke by the hard science majors (and econ majors). Econ requires harder math than Business.</p>
<p>“4) And finally, does anyone know (from experience or from asking someone in the field(s) under consideration) what actual, day-to-day work is as an economist/MBA/business degree holder?”</p>
<p>Yes I do Will answer your questions</p>
<p>“Is the job placement into the business field worse for an A&S econ major when his/her school has a business school? The only reason I ask is I plan on transferring to UVA, but I’m not guaranteed admission into McIntire. I’d almost rather pursue an economics major, but **I figure it’s harder to get a job in business when the school has a top undergrad business school/program. **”</p>
<p>Yes of course you’re right. If your school is known for its business program, the econ program will not be as good. That’s a fact straight from the university.</p>
<p>Your 2nd tier econ program however, is still allowed to network with the business majors and apply to the same internships. Getting a job is more based on networking than it is based on your classes. Econ majors generally network with business majors, just be active.</p>
<p>"Does location not matter? I would guess people going to SJSU would get more job opportunities because of the Silicon Valley setting. Does anyone know how Irvine is for prospective Business/Economics majors? "</p>
<p>Location does matter but your example is incorrect. I have worked with Silicon Valley. SJSU would not have more opportunities. Silicon Valley is for Berkeley and Stanford. Irvine is okay. I know some business superstars that came out of UCI but not ideal in general for business.</p>
<p>“For the record, many people may consider going into economics for the money but that in no way means they’ll get the degree. Economics is a rough major and not to be taken on lightly. I start it in the fall and hope I can make it through.”</p>
<p>You are correct.</p>
<p>Funcrew "It would appear that the thread-starter is long gone, hasn’t posted since 2009.</p>
<p>Anyway, and I’m raining on your parade on purpose to prevent you from wasting 4 years of your life on false hopes - What’s missing from this rose-colored portrayal is that the CEO-bound econ graduates:</p>
<p>1. Graduated with their BA from top-25 universities.
2. Also got an MBA from a top-10 business school.
3. Were willing to work 70 hours a week for decades, with few vacations.
4. Were born into wealth and influence, and usually had extreme-fringe alpha-type personalities.</p>
<p>If you’re a normal person, what a bachelor’s degree in economics from a 2rd tier or lower State-U gets you is a shot at a decent local-government career if you’re both good and lucky, and got into a good internship during college. Or you can teach high school after spending another year on a teaching credential. It won’t get you into a top-10 MBA school, so forget about the CEO gig. It’s also an OK major for going into law school, or for a military career.</p>
<p>The beauty of the (much-maligned by fresh-faced liberal arts students) engineering majors is that a 2.5 GPA from a 3rd tier university can and will get you a job with high starting pay and great upward mobility. And nobody cares whether you ever get a master’s degree.</p>
<p>**Econ is a much, much easier major than engineering though, so by all means go for it.
**
And of course - None of this applies if you grew up in private prep schools, will be taking Econ at an Ivy-league school, and have family or personal career connections with one-percenters. That’s a whole different game."</p>
<p>Wow amazing post by funcrew. I don’t agree with it, but it has definite truth and shows funcrew knows what he’s talking about from experience.</p>
<p>The first thing I’d like to mention is that I don’t intend to compare Econ to Engineering. We are comparing to the other social science majors. Engineers will always major in engineering. I’ve never seen someone choosing between engineering and econ. It’s like deciding between being a doctor/bio or Econ, not even a discussion. (Btw- engineering is awesome imo. if I could go back, I would still do econ but engineering would be 2nd.)</p>
<p>Lemme think more about how to respond to your post, as I do fall into your [1]-[4] points and personally connected stereotype. This is a complicated answer, as I believe networking is an actual skill with techniques that the CEO-bound practice.</p>
<p>“Undergrad economics is not the best major out there as far as jobs available and money, but biology and chemistry majors, a.k.a., future 11 bucks-an-hour research and lab assistants to be talking smack about economics is extremely laughable.”</p>
<p>Absolutely correct. Econ is not the best major for jobs available and money, but it is the best major if you want to be able to take the greatest variety of jobs you can take and make a decent amount of money.</p>
<p>Btw- I have friends with biology and chemistry majors working in pharmaceuticals who are doing very well. Better than most business and econ majors. But you are right, there are a ton that are lab assistants.</p>
<p>"Majoring in econ at a TOP school might get you a really high paying job after graduation, like financial analyst, but…why not major in math and physics, get a phd in either one, then work in the back office of large banks??</p>
<p>Or, just double major in math and econ (or finance i think is better), take the bloomberg assessment test, which is mostly math and econ/finance/whatever, and if you score well you could get an interview and an internship at a bank with a national reputation."</p>
<p>I am sorry, but your statements make no sense. You are talking about graduate school, and phDs by the way. We’re not talking about what is the best major + graduate degree… Also, your statement about math and physics phDs is completely incorrect. You are mixing academia and business.</p>
<p>If you are trying to get a job a “bank”, then the most common major at the big investment banks is Economics… followed by Finance. You are also now talking about double majors…</p>
<p>MeMyself "A lot of people don’t understand that what lands you the job, is the job interview itself. A lot of people on here are overthinking what an actual degree will do for you.</p>
<p>An Economics major has a ticket to the interview seat, he will be competing against a Philosophy major, a finance major, a business major and an anthroplogy major. Who will land the job, assuming neither of these individuals has obtained a graduate degree, or an IVY degree?</p>
<p>The individual who cleans up the nicest, appears to be the most confident, and seems the most competent out of all the other interviewers will land the job.</p>
<p>I’ve been in the work force for 11 years now, have worked for two major corporations in two completely different business fields and encounter supervisors, program managers, directors and everything and anything in between. Guess what, they all have Econ, Math, Business, Finance, History, Sociology etc types of degrees.</p>
<p>With the exception of specific Engineering postions, no one worked in their fields of study, with exceptions here and there of course.</p>
<p>Global business is way too diverse for that. The point, afterall, is to make money, and finding your fit in the grand scheme of it all.</p>
<p>My advice, major in whatever gives you a drive to learn and learn some more. Learn what you love, and learn ways to apply those ideas and critical thinking tools to your newest job tasks. As long as you’re competent and have a drive to succeed, you will always be ok.</p>
<p>I’m an Econ major because I love the subject by the way."</p>
<p>Completely agree. Your logical analysis, however, does actually strengthens the argument for Econ as you are an Econ major who has worked for major corporations and been able to do so in two different fields. You also mention the advantage for getting the interview.</p>
<p>But of course, what major you choose isn’t a golden ticket to anything. Your major is only a small part of your career. Many econ majors fail, just like major econ majors succeed. You can say this about any major. I am assuming the average college confidential reader understands this. I am making the subjective point, as objectively as possible, that when deciding majors, Econ rises as one of the top choices.</p>
<p>"i kno this is kind of a dead post, but i dont care.
Thanks Amazing. i took ap econ in highschool and found it just absolutely facinating. i got into ucsd, (known more for their bio/chem programs) i considered swithching to science major even though i hate physical science, because of all the “econ major is worthless” talk from my peers…</p>
<p>well… to all the econ bashing haters… SCREW U ALLL, im gonna study what i love; this thread gave me the confidence to do so without having to worry about the exagerated financial difficulties that econ majors “supposedly” face."</p>
<p>Undergrad is the only time when every major is sitting next to each other, so there’s always major on major haters.</p>
<p>I’m about 3 years out of school now and don’t hear anything about majors anymore. There was, however, a lot of complaining from my peers who had a tough time in the job market with their majors from years 1-2 out of school. The main econ major complaint wasn’t from the job search, it was they didn’t know what they wanted to do.</p>
<p>Btw fun fact, the richest person right now out of my graduating class was an Econ major. He became a professional poker player after college. How’s that for the craziness of reality?</p>
<p>I want to do marketing/advertising or the business operations of certain companies (tech or car company), but I’m not sure I should go with a degree in it. I hear some say it pigeonholes your choices. Should I go with econ?</p>