economics degree

economics degree?
I am about to have an MA in economics. I find most jobs are looking for finance and accounting, but I always hear people rave about how great an economics degree is. I have had 0 luck finding a job with one. Anybody else experience this?
Economics - 2 Answers

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1
seems like economics is more theory less practice. Or more policy and less application. A business these days can't afford to hire anyone unless they can begin working on a specific task immediately, with zero training and zero theory, and zero research. It's unfortunate actually. But companies can put an accountant to work immediately. All accountants do basically the same thing whether it's a mom n pop shop, or a fortune 500 company. Finance also affects the bottom line , if the person knows what he's doing. An economist knows all the underlying concepts as an accountant and finance major, but isn't quite trained in the intricacies of their craft. You'll probably have to work for a government body, an agency, or organization that sets policy of some kind or in academia.


2
Have you thought about working for a think tank? These are the types of institutions that hire economists, not actual businesses. I'm sure some of the large companies (and by large, I am thinking multinationals that have a desire to hedge against various risks, like Exxon Mobil, or Citibank) have their own economic groups that analyze the way changes impact their particular industry. Another option is Wall Street, if you can use your degree to predict the future, they should be willing to pay big bucks to have you work there. Another option would be financial engineering, or coming up with financial instruments that result in various pay offs depending on various conditions. Large companies use this to hedge their risk. The federal government, I'm sure, is also hiring economists. I know a lot of them work at the Federal Reserve and the Treasury department. The CIA and other intelligence agencies also use them in analyzing other countries' economic position, and possibly to track financial crimes. Economics is not usually as widely applicable to business as other degrees, usually you are pigeonholed into certain portions of the business. Small businesses usually do not hire them as well, since they can't afford to have someone who does not directly impact the bottom line. I looked at an advanced degree in Economics when I was leaving school, but decided against it due to the factors I mentioned above. I went and got an MBA, that should certainly be an option for you, since you should have most of the economics and finance classes, and the math should be a breeze for you. Good luck!