B.A. in Economics, good degree?

[Leon]

Some very well educated comments in this thread. Some people have alluded to the fact that you should probably ensure you'd be happy with the typical career path associated with having an Economics degree.

Analyst positions require a significant amount of skill in number crunching, general analysis, and the ability to speak to the figures in a clear and concise manner. If i could do it again, I would likely tag along some writing and excel courses alongside my BSC in Economics.

The job market is tough and people with the skill sets to jump into an analyst position are a dime a dozen. You have to position yourself whereby you can offer an employer a competitive edge in hiring you over joe-blow with their Economics undergrad. I would suggest making yourself more employable by taking some technical courses, as well as some writing classes to ensure you have some strong writing skills.

I lucked out and was able to blend my aviation hobby, alongside my Economics degree to land an Aviation consulting gig. It's highly challenging and interesting work, but extremely rewarding if you're willing to put in the time and effort to bridge the gap between school and working life. I don't think it's fair to say any undergraduate program will prepare you for a seamless transition.

Please feel free to PM if you have any further questions, but the comments and suggestions in this thread thus far have provided some good information and direction. Well done CP!

[Leon]

Also, I can't speak to the Calgary job market, but it seems like it would be a savvy maneuver to build some sort of an academic background and credibility in the energy sector. A previous poster provided a good example of a course offered by UofC, could be something to consider, even if you don't end up in that sector.

[red sky]

I have a BA in Economics from U of C, graduated 2006. I started out in sciences but once I hit organic chemistry, I switched over as I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do for a career and didn’t feel like putting myself through any more anguish. Going from sciences where I had a minimum of 9 hours of labs each week, to Econ (0 hours of labs each week) was… well it was much much easier, to say the least.

If you live in Calgary, you are most likely going to end up in oil and gas anyways. I thought differently when I first started post-secondary but it wasn’t long after graduating that I started in the industry. At the time, there was absolutely no issues with having an Econ degree. I honestly don’t think there would be a difference between a BComm or Econ degree as it would probably come down to who interviewed the best. I would suggest taking some courses in Excel and VBA as that is always good to add to a resume.

So if you are in Calgary, look at the Applied Energy program (http://econ.ucalgary.ca/undergraduate/applied-energy-program) as this will definitely help you with getting a job after school. As well, look into co-op programs as this will allow yout to network in the industry and we all know how important that is.

Lastly, regardless of which degree you get, you can go on to get an MBA or a CFA designation like myself. Getting a BComm wouldn’t have changed that.

[albertGQ]

Wow. Lots of successful people with an Econ degree. I got my BA in Econ from the U of C in 2002 and I'm nowhere near being part of the $100k+ club.

[Coach]

I just graduated about a year ago from U of C with an econ degree. I got into a good spot at the investment branch of a major bank and am working for a succesful advisor. I highly reccomend trying to find work in the field while your at school. This is kind of a given but I worked a crappy low-pay job as the "summer student" for a couple years while going to school and it parlayed into something good right away. Some of it is luck but I am happy with my degree. And the best part I find about Econ is you can work pretty much anywhere doing anything, and even if you do something that has nothing to do with Econ, it's still very useful knowledge.

[valo403]

I don't know much about an econ degree beyond the few intro classes I took, but this popped up in my inbox today:

A Day In The Life Of An Economist: If you enjoy researching and analyzing economic issues and their related data using math and statistics, making forecasts, designing policies and advising others through reports and presentations, working as an economist might be for you. We’ve interviewed three economists with very different job descriptions to give you an idea of the many possibilities this career choice offers.

http://www.investopedia.com/articles...ITM-10/01/2013