Economics degree any good?

[mohaji]

Good afternoon, folks.

I'm just curious if any members on this board has bachelor degree in Economics, and even if not, do you think it would provide any benefits in certain career path.

.. or even what career path is possible with it..

I already have a computer sci degree, and been working here and there for couple of years now, but there is an opportunity for me to receive Econ degree if I so choose in relatively short time( not an online mail-in degree, I minored in econ, so i just need few more courses to get the bachelor's degree)

I sort of like studying economics, in some ways more so than computers, but i'm not entirely sure if it's worth taking time off work(for about 8 months) to work on another bachelor's degree....

any advice?

thanks a bunch.

 

[sahtt]

Good afternoon, folks.

I'm just curious if any members on this board has bachelor degree in Economics, and even if not, do you think it would provide any benefits in certain career path.

.. or even what career path is possible with it..

I already have a computer sci degree, and been working here and there for couple of years now, but there is an opportunity for me to receive Econ degree if I so choose in relatively short time( not an online mail-in degree, I minored in econ, so i just need few more courses to get the bachelor's degree)

I sort of like studying economics, in some ways more so than computers, but i'm not entirely sure if it's worth taking time off work(for about 8 months) to work on another bachelor's degree....

any advice?

thanks a bunch.

Well, I have pretty much completed my degree in Economics and Mandarin Chinese. More importantly, I've already applied it to the 'real world' which seems to be the majority of people's worry concerning this [and justly so]. I have worked at National OilWell Varco and a few other reputable companies with my background.

An economics degree isn't like an engineering degree or finance degree, as the vast majority of people with a bachelor's in economics are not economists. To be frank, I simply didn't have the grades in high school to get in to a top 10 business school. I ended up settling for economics at the Univ. of TX and taking all the business courses I could as a non-business major.

Economics IMO provides a good foundation, but it alone probably won't get you where you want to be [100k+ salary any time soon]. It also helps in setting up your own business or when overtaking one, as even with a true undergrad business degree it's difficult to 'see the whole picture' as far as how $$$ works but economics can help. Taking courses specifically relating to what you want to do, such as international economics [hence the mandarin], can provide very useful insight.

So, it boils down to your future plans. If you plan on using the Economics degree to set you up for good $$ out of college working strictly for someone else, you may be disappointed. If you are using it to supplement what you already know, for entrepreneurial efforts, or to try to get a better understanding of how the economy works [say for investing purposes, stock market etc.] it can be worthwhile.

 

[Ski_Banker]

It is an excellent degree for the business world (maybe 1/4 of Wall St majored in econ as undergrads). But, given that you have been out of school, getting a second BA in anything is pretty useless. If you like economics, but don't want to be an economist (a pretty rare profession, actually), just get an MBA. You'll learn all the important economics without having to draw so many silly little x/y graphs. :tongue:

 

[MoogieBoogie]

As mentioned, if you're looking for a job in the field of finance, you're better off with a finance/accounting degree. In my experience, it's a little bit more difficult to find your first job out of college with an economics degree on Wall Street. However, if you're just using it to supplement your compsci degree, you should be ok.

I graduated with a degree in economics and chemistry. If I had to do it again, I would have done finance/accounting in place of economics. With the passing of Sarbanes-Oxley, there are more opportunities these days for people with accounting degrees. I'm only two years out of school, so maybe some other veterans in this career path can give you better guidance.

-Brian.

 

[Hrant]

I have 2 master's degrees, a post master's degree, and a Ph.D., all following a B.Sc (in Chemistry-Biology). The most "beneficial" degree in terms of shaping my perspective and intellect has been my Master's in Applied Economics (from University of Michigan).

As others said, even the applied economics as opposed to the more mathematical economics (which I hated), is more of a theoretical foundation. It helps your perspective and thinking and being able to become more analytical as you view the big picture - be it micro or macro mode. For a Bachelor's degree, econ with be a very good choice/foundation; for a master's I would go with a major where it will help your career ladder and mobility.

But irrespective of all the jokes about economists giving you 180 degree different answers to the same question, economics is truly a value free science. A truly principled economist can plot the pathway to where you want go given your priorities. Where you want to go depends on your values, not those of the economists or economics.

HTH. YMMV.

 

[mohaji]

thanks all for insights and advice.

I didn't want to bump it up or anything, but I had to thank those of you who gave me some perspectives.

I'm still quite not sure whether I want to go for second bachelor's, (given some excellent point above about getting MBA instead), because I can't evaluate what the further education would mean to me yet..

nevertheless, i appreciate all the well-meaning advice given.

ps. Hrant, .. i don't understand what you mean in your post..