Post-college, what the hell am I going to do with my life?

[TeenageAngst]

Well, this is it. The start of my final semester at university. By the end of May I'll have my B.S. in economics and be ready to become a productive member of society. Except I honestly have no idea what I want to do with my degree. The whole goal was "get the degree." Well now I have an education and I need to apply it. The major issue is economics is so damn broad a subject I can do damn near anything business, law, or government related with some level of efficacy. To make matters worse I have the B.S. which qualifies me for more quantitative positions such as a research assistant in a think tank due to my ample exposure to statistics and research. I'm really a theory guy though and I don't think there's a lot of room for that. Obviously no one's going to hire me to sit around musing on the effects of public policy, and honestly I don't know where economics fits in with theory anymore. I have history under my belt, so there's critical thinking and historical perspective. I have a year of accounting and business courses so I'm well equipped to do things like read and understand balance sheets, quarterly reports, etc.

So really idk what to do. Right now I just need experience, some job I can put on a resume. It doesn't have to be *the one* but it should at least get me pointed in the right direction. I don't even know what bottom tier positions I should be looking for. And it has me really...angsty.

[Frank LeRenard]

Sounds like it's time for graduate school. ;-)

No, but seriously, I assume there's someone you can talk you at your university who can help you with something like this? Your academic adviser, maybe, to get you started, and most universities have a career/job center or hold fairs and such. Even if you just attend a resume-writing seminar and start networking that way would probably help. I couldn't tell you what kinds of jobs are available for a B.S. in economics; I'm guessing if you really wanted to do theory, though, you'd need the PhD. A B.S. only gets you so far on the 'I really know my shit' road (speaking from personal experience, here).

[TeenageAngst]

They would have to pay me to go to graduate school at this rate. I talked with my advisor, and we was basically like, look, if you just want a job that will pay the bills, open up a job board and take your pick. He said economics is so broadly applicable that I can pretty much do whatever I want. Like the concept of me not being able to find a job doing something that pays is apparently such an non-issue that it doesn't even come up, like, ever. Yes, I have to job-search, but apparently I have the luxury of being able to choose what I want to pursue as opposed to say, accounting and teaching.

[DrunkCat]

What about finding an industry that tickles your fancy? Even Valve at one point started hiring economists when the whole hats thing exploded.

[TeenageAngst]

[Onnes]

I'd think the big thing you'd want to be doing would be applying for a many jobs as possible as soon as possible. First, many companies that actually recruit college graduates for entry level positions have what are effectively hiring seasons, where students just finishing their degrees are interviewed for positions which will be available upon graduation. Second, choice is good. Researching individual companies and positions should give a deeper understanding of what's involved in each one, as will the application and interview process. And if you have multiple offers then you can exercise some final discretion as to where you end up.

Even if your position in the job market is theoretically strong, treating it as inevitable is an unnecessary risk.

[certifiedkowaidad]

Hello! I am a businessman. I can help you with this.

You're right in that a BS in Economics is too broad for any one given position. It isn't generally marketable without at least an MS, preferably a PhD. I suggest you strongly consider a targeted internship prior to graduation. You need something, anything, that will give you a marketable skill. If you aren't sure what opening to apply for, may I please kindly suggest all of them.

You are highly unlikely to be competitive in law without law degree. There are far, far more people with law degrees than there are jobs for them. There are also no (read:zero) jobs in politics for college graduates just looking for a starting point; jobs in politics require advanced degrees or strong networks in political spheres. The same goes for research. Research assistant positions are generally held by graduate students or persons with prior research experience.

I strongly suggest business. You will start out doing grunt work, but hopefully, if you learn your stuff, you can advance to an entry-level career-track position. Whatever you do, don't wait around for "the right thing" to come around, or for others to give you too much direction. This is one you need to do for yourself.

[TeenageAngst]

Well the good news is neither law nor research are avenues I seriously wanted to pursue. Business would be my preferable career choice, but if "grunt work" is all my degree could get me, I might say fuck it, join a union, and work my way up that way. At least I'd have benefits and be paid well.

[Njorunn]

I did grad school myself, but it sucked. Not because I didn't enjoy the work, but because the atmosphere and people are toxic when grants get thin. I'd go industry and make real people money anyhow!