Economics

cfhvai

Hi guys, im filling out my cao at the moment and i cant decide between a couple of courses. would anyone here with experience of an economics course at ucd be able to tell me about it? (can be the single ec course dn510 or the joint course dn500)

how did you find the course? is it interesting, are there long hours involved, that sort of thing.

how much of the course involves maths, and would, say, a b1-a2 in ordinary level leaving cert maths allow me to understand these parts of the course? asking because its my weakest subject and i worry that i might be unhappy doing economics cos of this.

lastly, would anyone happen to know what the job opportunities are like for ec grads?

thanks a mill in advance for the help lads ;p

DoctorUtility

If you're capable of a B1/A2 in ordinary, you'll fly through the maths in economics, so don't worry about that.

There are basically three different components to an economics degree.

The first is economic theory, which a lot of people don't find practical for a business job. It's not used so much in reality.

The second is maths, and the maths is basic. It's around ordinary level maths, with some small additions like linear algebra and optimization.

The third is econometrics and that's done in much greater detail in other degrees.

If you're looking for a job in a business related field, one of the things that people hiring look for is maths and econometrics. As a result, if you can get the points, go for Economics and Finance or a major minor in Maths/Economics through Arts. Commerce too. You can get some choice there like specializing in Accounting or even specialize in economics later on, which is probably better for a job.

Unless you really want to become an economist and have a real passion for the subject (and even then, you'll need a masters bare minimum to become an economist), there are maybe better options for you to take.

Hope all of this helps!