What Do Economists Do?

RockinRolla

What career opportunities is available for the Phd Economist? Are they plentiful? If so, I have three opportunities;
*Economics and Business Studies,
*Economics and Maths Science,
*Economics, Philosophy and Politics.

I'm going for the third. I think it covers a wider range of topics. I want to be guaranteed a job when I leave though - in the past I chose a subject that turned out to be kind of freelance. I want something stable this time - ie, go to work at 9am and finish at 6pm. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any Finance/Economics...which I would have liked, but whats the next best?

Any help is very much appreciated.

Anonymous1987

In terms of skills and knowledge I would strongly recommend Economics and Maths Science over the other two. Maths is the language of economics and will no doubt help you as you advance in your studies.

If you want to study to Phd level the major employers are the Universities, Central Bank, ESRI, Teagasc, the Regulators and other government agencies, some opportunities at the banks and a few small economic consultancy firms in Dublin.

Of course there are greater opportunities abroad, the UK for example has the Government Economic Service and a much greater volume and variety of economic consultancy firms not to mention the City banks. No-one is guaranteed a job but having studied mathematics is certainly advantageous for jobseekers in any of the opportunities above as most employers will be looking for quantitative skills.

Are you looking at conversion courses or undergraduate studies? If you just want a stable 9-5 job then undertaking a Phd would be overkill, you really need to have a genuine interest to take studies that far.

mari2222

yes, I agree; economics and maths are an impressive combination. Good Luck!

RockinRolla

Anonymous1987 wrote: »

In terms of skills and knowledge I would strongly recommend Economics and Maths Science over the other two. Maths is the language of economics and will no doubt help you as you advance in your studies.

If you want to study to Phd level the major employers are the Universities, Central Bank, ESRI, Teagasc, the Regulators and other government agencies, some opportunities at the banks and a few small economic consultancy firms in Dublin.

Of course there are greater opportunities abroad, the UK for example has the Government Economic Service and a much greater volume and variety of economic consultancy firms not to mention the City banks. No-one is guaranteed a job but having studied mathematics is certainly advantageous for jobseekers in any of the opportunities above as most employers will be looking for quantitative skills.

Are you looking at conversion courses or undergraduate studies? If you just want a stable 9-5 job then undertaking a Phd would be overkill, you really need to have a genuine interest to take studies that far.

mari2222 wrote: »

yes, I agree; economics and maths are an impressive combination. Good Luck!

I was kind of hoping you wouldn't say that...I'm pretty atrocious at maths...
And I've to make a decision tomorrow...bloody hell. :eek:

RockinRolla

Should I pursue a BScience or BArts Degree in Economics? I've heard the BS is math crazy - which I'm not very good at - nevertheless, you live and learn right? I would like a job in the Government, a local council or even have room to maneuver into different area's if employment is not available. In other words, I wouldn't want to be backed into a corner with a BS degree if it's only useful for that area of employment.

I think the BS is looked upon more highly than a BA, correct? As in, if I wanted to do a Masters or PHD, they'd prefer me to have a BS right? Now, I've heard that Economics is very difficult and moral draining - it equals very little pay when you leave, is that true? I'm at a loss, please help.

Anonymous1987

I've merged this thread as another thread on the same topic is not necessary. /mod

RockinRolla, you need to compare the modules taught to get an idea of the value of the course. Generally it doesn't matter if you have completed a BA or BS, (am I the only one who finds the humour in a BS degree?), if an employer is concerned they will ask you how quantitative your course was or what quantitative classes you have taken, a BA or BS degree is just a name.

Generally a local or national government (civil service) position does not require a high degree of quantitative content, some people obtain these positions with degrees in history however a quantitative degree is probably an advantage. The financial sector will look for more quantitative skills although again the occasional person achieves a position with a non-quantitative degree. An undergraduate or masters degree would be more than enough to get a position like this.

To get a position on a Masters/Phd course the classes you took will be examined and most require a minimum level of Maths and Stats classes. The tile of your degree is irrelevant. At the Masters/Phd level economics becomes very quantitative though, much more so than undergraduate level.

It is possible to improve your Maths skills, but you need to be determined to put the effort in.

Regarding pay, it really depends where you end up. Many people at undergraduate level and even at masters level go into positions that are unrelated to what they studied. It really depends on what you make of it and good marks make a difference.