Question for Economists

[Japher]

I agree with Boshko... Yet, in a different way.

A degree don't mean shiznit if you don't know how to apply it. You could have a BA or a BS and they would both be B.S. if all your going to do with it is stay at home and post on msg boards. If you want to be an economist then you should probably learn to like math, if you can't then pick something else...

If that isn't the answer you wanted; take the BS, they are much more highly received.

[Velociryx]

Trust me, a "BS" degree is the most important thing you can ever acquire....

-=Vel=-

[DuncanK]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
But a BA in economics would be a ticket to a McDonald's job on its own?

Not neccessarily. The average pay for people with at least a BA or BS in economics is like 70,000. It's a bit scewed though. People with the degree usually fins some decent paying jobs, and usually find high paying jobs if they want to further their education. If you are planning on looking for work after you get your bachelors you might be unemployed for a while, but eventually you will find good work.

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
And by learning "the math" what exactly are you talking about? Statistics? Calculus I? Calculus II? Calculus III?

You have to use a lot of advanced statistics. It's extremely boring. Worse, if you want to make it a career you will be using it for the rest of your life

[Sten Sture]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Sten: Its the result of watching too much soccer and not keeping up with the math .

When the score is 1-0, I can do the math. It's that slugging % and era stuff that I need to work on to stay sharp.



I did have a co-worker who told his son to study econ since it was the only job in the world where you are right 20% of the time and people think that is pretty good.

[DuncanK]

Oh yes, and if you are not good at understanding abstract ideas you will not do good in advance econ classes, and I'm taking about the upper division not just grad school. Basic econ is easy for some, but upper division can be much harder.

[Imran Siddiqui]

When the score is 1-0, I can do the math. It's that slugging % and era stuff that I need to work on to stay sharp.

Yeah, you can do the math in soccer, but because it ain't hard to count .

[DuncanK]

The thing in econ is that 1 + 1 usually doesn't equal 2 :P

[KrazyHorse]

How can people even contemplate doing econ without a basic math course such as Cal II?

To get a BSc in it, you should have to get the same basic set of math courses that physical scientists (engineers, physicists, etc.) get:

Cal I,II&III, vector cal, ODEs, PDEs

From what I've seen any serious understanding of the subject requires them.

[DuncanK]

frogger,

not really, you only need math to work in economics. you don't need it to understand the concepts. You do need to be able to understand graphs though.

[KrazyHorse]

Just understanding the concepts shouldn't be enough to get you a degree.

If they handed out pieces of paper just for understanding the concepts behind physics, then I'd be pissed off too. But most universities expect you to actually be able to creatively problem-solve quantitatively.

[KrazyHorse]

If you don't want the math, go take a management degree...

(snicker)

[DuncanK]

Originally posted by Frogger
Just understanding the concepts shouldn't be enough to get you a degree.

If they handed out pieces of paper just for understanding the concepts behind physics, then I'd be pissed off too. But most universities expect you to actually be able to creatively problem-solve quantitatively.

That's why you can't work in econ with just a BA degree.

[KrazyHorse]

Then they shouldn't even give out a degree.

People should be made to endure as much pain and suffering as some of us do...

[DuncanK]

Some people are lazy

[DuncanK]

I wanted to be an engineer, but physics was too hard for me.