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If I major in economics in college, what jobs can I get?

Is it necessary to get a master degree?

business college-major economics
Thank you comment icon Hi Qianlin, I second what Sirlei Farley said above. I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is that you are not limited to the jobs that are directly relevant to the major you studied in college. For example, I majored in Biology with a minor in Economics. However, after I graduated I realized I did not really enjoy being in a lab setting and I did not really enjoy the day to day work of being a biologist/scientist so I pivoted and tried my hand in IT Consulting which I now enjoy a lot and plan to make it a career going forward. So, I really just want to reiterate the fact that you are never limited to a certain industry or job title. I would suggest studying something that you really enjoy and you are passionate about in college (In my opinion, it is just so much easier to study and do well on a topic that you are passionate about) or something that you think will improve your critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, etc. skills that are translatable to any job/industry. I wish you the best of luck!!! Best regards, Kevin Li Kevin Li
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Patrick’s Answer

I was an economics major, there was a wide range of job outcomes so the short answer is "lots of options." More specifically, I saw classmates become consultants, data analysts (I was somewhere between these two), financial analysts, researchers, and then a smattering of other corporate positions. The biggest skills you'll be able to advertise should be analytic reasoning, at least some mathematical skills, most likely writing and communications, and of course economic knowledge which is relevant for basically any business.
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Pia’s Answer

Lots of options! Almost anything involving business would be applicable. Also depending on the direction you take with your degree, accounting and data analytics.
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Jaclyn’s Answer

Hi Qianlin,

I majored in economics and got a masters right after my undergraduate degree as part of a special program. I do not think it is required to have a masters to get most jobs, but it would certainly help. Many of the job applications had a bachelor's required and master's preferred which seems pretty standard across multiple industries from my understanding. Economics is so versatile because it can relate to any business and it's operations. I think if you are interested in data analysis, business operations, business analytics and development that it is a great path for you. Your knowledge from the courses will help you think critically and apply the theories to different industries. Many people I have found confuse us with finance and accounting... that is not really economics and I would suggest a different business degree if you wanted to go that route. Investment work falls somewhat in the middle, I would recommend finance courses if you are particularly interested in investments.

Best,
Jaclyn
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Ali’s Answer

lots of options! I was an econ major and ended up starting my career in the Economic Consulting space (and am now in tech in the analytics/data science space). Classmates of mine went into management consulting, finance, research, various analysts, direct to grad school, etc. An econ major will give you skillsets in critical reasoning, analysis, communication, etc, so when you apply to different jobs, you can match your skillset to the job(s) you are considering.

Best of luck! :)
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Sirlei’s Answer

Hello Qianlin,

I actually ran into an article about this. While you can always get a job and a career outside the degree/subject you majored in (gasp!), ideally you want to stay in that field.

Here are some of fields you can look into:
- Market Research Analyst
- Economic Consultant
- Compensation and Benefits Manager
- Actuary
- Credit Analyst
- Financial Analyst
- Policy Analyst
- Lawyer
etc...

Here is the link to the article I mentioned where they go into these and others in more detail: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-jobs-for-economics-majors-2059650

Best of luck!

Regards,
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Rebecca’s Answer

There are plenty of jobs that you can pursue having economics degree , eg banking, consultancy, economic teacher, finance & economic department of government, do research in the universities, etc. It really depends on what you have interest on.
I suggest you explore on these careers to find out what you have interest on. You can also speak to the alumni on their careers. On the other hand, you can also seek guidance from the professors in the college.
You can consider to further study after working a few years. You do not need to continue your study immediately after the graduation. You may consider to do the master degree in the same subject, MBA or you have different interest at that time.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
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PRASANJIT’s Answer

Common career paths for economics graduates include:

• Economist.
• Financial risk analyst.
• Data analyst.
• Financial planner.
• Economic researcher.
• Financial consultant.
• Investment analyst.
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Marco’s Answer

The great thing about an econ degree is there are countless careers that you can go into. This ranges from finance roles, public policy roles, research roles, NGO roles...etc. etc.

Could not recommend enough. There are so many things you can do where you can make a real world difference.
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