Anonymous
07/10/2025 18:59
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No. And econ is a tough discipline to thrive in.
Easier to do a pre-business degree.
I would disagree, but you need to actually be interested and even passionate about it. Too many people choose the major because it seems safe or a way to land a paycheck. That works for some but it’s easier if you actually want to be in the field, spend your free time thinking about it, etc.
What if you just like a wide range of liberal arts and college classes in all their varied glory but you want to signal at least some focus on getting a job after college? Econ is more neutral to employers than history, sociology, poli sci. People have a vague idea that it's a practical choice. And that is helpful when your resume is in a big stack.
That’s fine, but PP said specifically that it’s a tough discipline to thrive in. The kids you describe can do fine but I wouldn’t really say they often thrive in it. But if they find a good (often non-econ) job it doesn’t matter to most of them.
One of the upsides to econ is that it’s versatile. You have the kids who don’t know what they want to do but think it’s practical, the kids who want to signal that they have a business/finance background, and the kids who are really into it and land actual economics jobs or go to grad school. It kind of works for everyone.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 18:17
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No. And econ is a tough discipline to thrive in.
Easier to do a pre-business degree.
I would disagree, but you need to actually be interested and even passionate about it. Too many people choose the major because it seems safe or a way to land a paycheck. That works for some but it’s easier if you actually want to be in the field, spend your free time thinking about it, etc.
What if you just like a wide range of liberal arts and college classes in all their varied glory but you want to signal at least some focus on getting a job after college? Econ is more neutral to employers than history, sociology, poli sci. People have a vague idea that it's a practical choice. And that is helpful when your resume is in a big stack.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 18:08
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
Anonymous wrote:DC wants to major in econ. How easy is it to find the first job with this major? What kind of jobs?
My neighbors son is at UChicago and is working for Goldman Sachs this summer.
Seems to be on a path to supporting himself.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 18:06
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
Anonymous wrote:No. And econ is a tough discipline to thrive in.
Easier to do a pre-business degree.
I would disagree, but you need to actually be interested and even passionate about it. Too many people choose the major because it seems safe or a way to land a paycheck. That works for some but it’s easier if you actually want to be in the field, spend your free time thinking about it, etc.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 17:35
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
No. And econ is a tough discipline to thrive in.
Easier to do a pre-business degree.
Easier to do a pre-business degree.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 17:10
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
It's not about what you can do, both are fairly easy majors, it's about the signaling value of being able to get in to the business school vs not being able to get into the business school and thus needing to major in econ. Funny enough, signaling is a pretty fundamental econ concept.Anonymous wrote:I thought many ppl chose econ as a back door to business. why do you need a backdoor? Econ is a tougher major than business. If you can’t do econ you do business
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In my experience if you don't have the intellectual aptitude and work ethic for the sciences or engineering, you switch to economics which is easier, and if you can't handle economics, you major in business. I might exclude some accounting and finance degrees in making that statement. There are a lot of weak undergraduate business degrees. Does not have to do with whether it is hard to be admitted into the business school -- that is just supply and demand. Has to do with how hard it is to get through the major.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 17:05
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
those cases are outside the context of econ as a back door, because in those cases econ is the front and primary door. But those are generally the exceptions.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's not about what you can do, both are fairly easy majors, it's about the signaling value of being able to get in to the business school vs not being able to get into the business school and thus needing to major in econ. Funny enough, signaling is a pretty fundamental econ concept.Anonymous wrote:why do you need a backdoor? Econ is a tougher major than business. If you can’t do econ you do businessAnonymous wrote:I thought many ppl chose econ as a back door to business.
It’s not that it is a back door, but I know many Econ majors from top privates who only majored in Econ because you can’t get a finance degree from Harvard.
They didn’t have any real interest in the major but saw it as a good major for consulting, Wall Street, etc.
I would wager if Harvard offered a finance major that easily 50%…maybe 75% of the current Econ majors would switch to that major.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 15:54
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
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In my experience if you don't have the intellectual aptitude and work ethic for the sciences or engineering, you switch to economics which is easier, and if you can't handle economics, you major in business. I might exclude some accounting and finance degrees in making that statement. There are a lot of weak undergraduate business degrees. Does not have to do with whether it is hard to be admitted into the business school -- that is just supply and demand. Has to do with how hard it is to get through the major.
Or there are plenty of people with just no interest in STEM, hard as that may be for you to believe.
+1
There are a lot of people interested in business because they have no idea what the hell to do with their career and vaguely know that “business” is what you go into.
There’s also a lot of washed out and underprepared engineering students who end up in business, or jaded engineers who know the careers ends with management who just switch to business cause it’s easier.
STEM programs have something near a 30-50% attrition rated so no kidding they choose the easiest backup major.
At any well-regarded business school, business is usually the kids’ first choice. Often hard to get in if not. Direct admission is common.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 15:47
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
If you want a job in an international organisation like IMF, IFC, etc probably will need a PhD.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 15:31
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
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In my experience if you don't have the intellectual aptitude and work ethic for the sciences or engineering, you switch to economics which is easier, and if you can't handle economics, you major in business. I might exclude some accounting and finance degrees in making that statement. There are a lot of weak undergraduate business degrees. Does not have to do with whether it is hard to be admitted into the business school -- that is just supply and demand. Has to do with how hard it is to get through the major.
Or there are plenty of people with just no interest in STEM, hard as that may be for you to believe.
+1
There are a lot of people interested in business because they have no idea what the hell to do with their career and vaguely know that “business” is what you go into.
There’s also a lot of washed out and underprepared engineering students who end up in business, or jaded engineers who know the careers ends with management who just switch to business cause it’s easier.
STEM programs have something near a 30-50% attrition rated so no kidding they choose the easiest backup major.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 15:29
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
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In my experience if you don't have the intellectual aptitude and work ethic for the sciences or engineering, you switch to economics which is easier, and if you can't handle economics, you major in business. I might exclude some accounting and finance degrees in making that statement. There are a lot of weak undergraduate business degrees. Does not have to do with whether it is hard to be admitted into the business school -- that is just supply and demand. Has to do with how hard it is to get through the major.
Or there are plenty of people with just no interest in STEM, hard as that may be for you to believe.
+1
Anonymous
07/10/2025 15:27
Subject: Re:Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
Econ is a much more difficult discipline. Most business programs are very easy, but also competitive.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 14:50
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
I think the relative position of econ depends a lot on the school. At schools with good business schools, econ outside of the business school is viewed with more skepticism unless a kid really wants to go to grad school for it. At schools without business schools, it is often the choice for kids that want to signal a business/finance background. Then some schools have a variation of econ in the business school and a more “pure” version in the college of arts and sciences, which further muddies things.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 14:19
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
Anonymous wrote:It's not about what you can do, both are fairly easy majors, it's about the signaling value of being able to get in to the business school vs not being able to get into the business school and thus needing to major in econ. Funny enough, signaling is a pretty fundamental econ concept.Anonymous wrote:why do you need a backdoor? Econ is a tougher major than business. If you can’t do econ you do businessAnonymous wrote:I thought many ppl chose econ as a back door to business.
It’s not that it is a back door, but I know many Econ majors from top privates who only majored in Econ because you can’t get a finance degree from Harvard.
They didn’t have any real interest in the major but saw it as a good major for consulting, Wall Street, etc.
I would wager if Harvard offered a finance major that easily 50%…maybe 75% of the current Econ majors would switch to that major.
Anonymous
07/10/2025 14:09
Subject: Econ majors- is it easy to find a job?
Anonymous wrote:I thought many ppl chose econ as a back door to business.
Econ is the front door.