What can I do with my Degree?

General Resources

An economics major does not necessarily provide the training for any specific occupation; rather it supplies the skills—critical thinking, problem solving, technical and policy analysis, quantitative analysis (econometrics), fluency with spreadsheets—that are demanded by organizations in all sectors of the economy.  This provides a breadth of opportunity for those willing to invest the resources in a well-designed job search.

The following websites are a good place to begin your search.  The last two are specific to public sector and non-profit jobs.

http://www.idealist.org

http://www.econ-jobs.com/

http://www.opm.gov/ (Office of Personnel Management)

http://www.usajobs.com/

http://www.aeaweb.org/students/Careers.php

Keywords & Search Terms

• Analyst / analytics
• Research
• Consultant
• Data analysis / data management
• Technical analysis
• Policy analysis
• Forecasting / estimation.
• Econometrics

Private Sector

• Financial firms / Investment banks / Banks
• Data analyst
• Market research
• Economic and management consulting 
• McKinsey, Accenture, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Bain & Co., Boston Consulting Group
• Marketing / Advertising
• Management
• Human resources
• Insurance
• Health care / Hospitals
• Journalism

Non-Profit Sector (many are DC-based)

Think tanks / Research assistant

• Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, Center for Economic and Policy Research,
• Economic Policy Institute, New America Foundation, Brookings Institute, Urban Institute,
• Fiscal Policy Institute, Rockefeller Institute

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

• International Monetary Fund, World Bank, United Nations, World Trade Organization,
• Microfinance firms

Environmental agencies

Public Sector

State Government

• Ways and means, budget, economic development, trade promotion, Department of Labor,
• Department of Health

Federal Government

• Federal Reserve (12 regional banks and DC), Treasury Department, Bureau of Economic
• Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Congressional Budget Office,
• Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor, Department of Health & Human
• Services, State Department, CIA

Congressional aide

Grad School

Disciplinary (GRE)

• Economics: Ph.D (funding), Masters (no funding)
• Graduate school in economics requires a strong math and stats background.
• Positions for econ graduate students are generally advanced positions of those listed on this sheet, in addition to academia (teaching)
• International Relations
• Public health

General

• Law school (LSAT) – mergers and acquisitions, labor,
• Masters of Business Administration (MBA) (GMAT)
• Masters of Public Policy (MPP) (GRE)

How to prepare?

• Start thinking about in your junior year!
• Applications due in late December
• Prepare for and take GRE, LSAT, GMAT summer before senior year
• Calculus/math courses, focus on econometrics paper for writing sample