For people that hold an Economics Degree and have/have not made the transition in the job market?

Question

I just recently graduated and hold a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. So it is time to put my College Education in use but I am having hard time to find a decent job with a good company that prefers Economics majors. Most of jobs i see need a lot of experience or are bad door to door sales jobs. I want some advise for people who that hold a similar degree and have made the transition successfully into the job market. Would like to ask those people what jobs do they currently hold the company they work for, and what was their starting point, how did they got that position. What’s the best career path to follow with an economics degree. Also i would like to know from people who have chosen totally different path and have not used their economics degree. So anybody that holds an Economics degree tell me what work do u do and let me explore your career path and follow your footsteps.

In response to Dual i do have a dual major my other major is Political Science. Thanks for your advise of what i should do get a master or phd but what i really want to know is what people have done without going back to school. It is not worthless after all because many people say that go back to school get your masters. I want resposes from those that made it with just a bachelor. Yes i know that is one way to go back to school but i want to see the other options.

Thats good sugestion Mary I like your answer. I will do that i will try. Although you have not told me what do you do. What company do you work for, what is your degree and the position you currently hold. I am also interested in knowing what people do and how they made it not just advise of what i should do. I want your story Mary not just advise. you told me what i should do but you did not tell me that i got such and such position there. It needs this experience or it is entry level.

That is good advise rmarjadi. tell me the name of the company.

Answer 1

I hold a degree in economics. I currently work at a bank as a commercial credit analyst. This has allowed me to use some of my economics background, since I have to analyze market conditions in order to determine whether or not to underwrite a particular deal. It's not pure economics, but it's the closest I could find without a masters degree.

Answer 2

The general rule of thumb that I found useful is:

1) For your bachelor's, get a degree that will enable you to find a job.
2) If you have a particular interest that you would like to do research in, go back to grad school in that field.

My undergrad was a dual in accounting/computer science.

After a few years in the workforce, I went back to get my M.S. in Economics and a M.S. in Finance.




I guess what I'm getting at is that the job market in economics is very tough without some sort of graduate degree. If you have a Masters you can work in a variety of fields (NGOs, banking, etc), and to do research a PhD is a must.

If you go to Monster.com you'll see that nearly every economics position requires at least a masters.
How many credits away are you from some sort of business degree? I.e. Biz Administration, accounting, finance, etc?
It may be worth an extra year in undergrad to get a dual major.

Answer 3

Most of anybody that I know including myself, started from the bottom. I took a job as a research associate that paid far below standard for someone holding 2 masters. After a few years demonstrating what you can do, hopefully you will earn a better position and compensation. There is no shortcut, unless you work for your own folks, maybe, or you graduated from a prestigious school.

Answer 4

why not try your luck applying in government agency like National Economic Authority or Any Agency of government that caters to Economics in your country.

Answer 5

No. My career is my own. Start at McDonalds, work your way up.