Is economics degree worth it?

[Prox]

Is it good/bad/average degree? What job possibilities would I have with this degree? I am aware that a lot of job possibilities might be different in USA then in here.
   So far the only alternatives that I can think of are electric/electronic engineering but it would be harder to study them and I'm not sure if it would be worth it in the long term. I'm also very much interested in hearing your personal experiences about collage/university degrees from those who learned something about them from interacting with the real world and those who are in/have finished collage or universities themselves. This could be a thread where we all could share our knowledge and experiences about job/collage/university related things.

[blαh2355]

I don't know much about an Economics degree but this website gives a rundown about it. Seems like a good degree.
https://www.aeaweb.org/students/Careers.php

I'm planning to take electrical engineering myself and I have heard from many people that it is a hard subject. While it does make me worry a bit once I start taking the core classes, I still want to because I really like to work with electronic stuff. Earlier in high school I thought I would go for something in computer programming but I changed my mind around the last year.

What's surprising to me is that one of our valedictorians (we had two) in our class decided to major in writing, despite her accomplishments. It's really a matter of choosing what you like to work as versus job security and salary.

[Prox]

I'm planning to take electrical engineering myself and I have heard from many people that it is a hard subject. While it does make me worry a bit once I start taking the core classes, I still want to because I really like to work with electronic stuff.

I don't think I've really worked much with electronic stuff minus the time where I needed to do some shit with my PC. What exactly can you do or have done while working with electronic stuff? I'm asking this because my classmate's brother is studying electric engineering or something related to it, and I've seen his room and he had a shit ton of electric stuff that hes working with. I'm thinking that I might not be interested in this whole thing once I would start my studies although I don't think I could say that I would hate it just now.

[coolzeldad]

I know a lot of exchange students that take economics, always wondered why it was so popular abroad. (Maybe because it deals with money? haha)

Engineering is challenging, you have to complete essentially most of what a physics major would, while at the same time taking engineering project courses which are usually very long and heavily involved where you usually work with others to solve a problem.

I find the software end of things more interesting myself, but only slightly, both are really fun in my opinion. Only because you get to create new things to solve new problems, and that it's constantly changing so that there's always something new to play with or solve.

[blαh2355]

I don't think I've really worked much with electronic stuff minus the time where I needed to do some shit with my PC. What exactly can you do or have done while working with electronic stuff? I'm asking this because my classmate's brother is studying electric engineering or something related to it, and I've seen his room and he had a shit ton of electric stuff that hes working with. I'm thinking that I might not be interested in this whole thing once I would start my studies although I don't think I could say that I would hate it just now.

I've only done really basic things and tinkering but what interests me so much is the way how basic electronic parts can interact with each other to create things such as a computer or a smartphone. It just amazes me the potential power you can do with electricity. Recently, I got interested in amateur radio and I'm aiming to get a license when I stop procrastinating. Knowledge of electronics and basic physics of it is pretty much required to have an idea of what you're doing.

Electrical engineering is actually a pretty broad topic and you can work in a bunch of different areas depending what you like. Wikipedia has a summary of it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering

Since you're uncertain about the subject, maybe you could ask your classmate or his brother about electronics and see why he likes it.

[Xrain]

An economics degree... I think your main possibilities for that degree is either a professor, or perhaps a government position. I could see you doing some consulting work with it but you will be pretty limited. You also will be competing against everyone else, It will be difficult to actually get a job in your field. An actual job in that field will likely involve compiling numbers and providing some advice.

Electrical Engineer here, it is probably one of the most versatile engineering degrees. You can almost literally work in any field with the degree, or easily transition to a different area of expertise after you graduate. Something that most people don't realize is it really doesn't matter what engineering degree you have in the long run just as long as you have one. It's really what you end up doing for your work that will begin to dictate what field you will work in, not the piece of paper you get from school. That just tells people you have the basic expertise to be an engineer. So even if you graduate with a civil or mechanical engineering degree, if you put the effort forth there is no reason why you cant later work in a computer science job, or an aerospace engineering job. Heck you could even become a manager (a common career path for an engineer).

There are two reasons electrical engineering is difficult. The first is you cant directly see what you are working on. A fully working board looks like a piece of fiberglass with some wires on it. A completely not working board looks like a piece of fiberglass with some wires on it. There is a layer of abstraction between you and what you are working on, so you can only really see what is happening through specialized equipment like ocilloscopes and other test equipment.

The other reason why it is difficult, is you use the most math to do things in your degree. You use alot more of differential equations in your work. A civil engineer pretty much uses nothing above calculus in their work. A mechanical engineer will use some differential equations to solve some problems, while a electrical engineer uses differential equations pretty frequently because it can greatly simplify problems if you have those tools at your disposal.

In engineering there are two main career paths that people will go down, the technical path, and the management path. The technical path is where you actually design things, and do "engineering". Salaries on this path typically will top out at about $200,000 a year if you work long enough. You also have to be very proactive in learning new things, since there is a tendency to replace older engineers with younger ones who are more up to date on current technology. Especially in fast moving technology fields. It's not uncommon to see 50 year old engineers back at school to refresh what they know. The main advantage of this path is you actually get to build things.

The management path is a very common one as well, engineers are valued in management since they typically have pretty strong problem solving skills, and yet are technical minded enough to understand what is going on in their business on a pretty deep level. The sky is the limit on salaries which is the main advantage, however with increasing money comes increasing risk to you. If you are in management you are responsible for what is happening. Meaning you need to be able to manage people, keep the company running smoothly, and still be able to bring a return to the company. If something ever happens (like a contract changes hands) you will be the first on the chopping block. You also don't get to do any fun building of things. You daily routine will be interacting with your customers, filling out loads of paperwork, and trying to forecast what to do next.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both paths, and some people will enjoy one more than the other. My main advice would be to do what you enjoy, if you like it you will be likely much more successful (and happier) at your choosen path than attempting to force yourself through one you don't like just for the money. Keep in mind both routes involve copious amounts of paperwork (or any high end job for that matter).

Electical engineering is a difficult degree. I am on my 7th year attempting to get my BS degree in EE, and it is certainly not something you go into half hearted thinking it will be like a slightly more difficult version of highschool. I have taken just 3 classes (two with labs) and you can easily spend up to a 100+ hours a week outside of your normal class time working on your labs and assignments. But if you do make it through your EE degree the payoff is the most freedom to choose where and what you want to work on out of any degree.


If you guys want some idea on what kinds of things you do as an EE just come talk to me in teamspeak.

[Prox]

An economics degree... I think your main possibilities for that degree is either a professor, or perhaps a government position. I could see you doing some consulting work with it but you will be pretty limited. You also will be competing against everyone else, It will be difficult to actually get a job in your field. An actual job in that field will likely involve compiling numbers and providing some advice.

I do know that I'd have competition in this field, however there are more job possibilities then you have listed. I can also be an accountant, a manager, an administrator, plus all the other jobs that simply require a degree of any kind. Despite the fact that all of those jobs combined are pretty common, the competition is still pretty damn high which is why I'm trying to decide if it will be worth it in the long term. I'm also thinking about getting a position in government someday since I feel like I have potential and interest for this, but I'm also aware how little the possibilities are of me getting there and that I probably don't even have a chance of getting there until I'm like 40 years old so until then I'd have to do something else.

   Very good info you gave me on electric engineering. I'd also really appreciate if you'd tell me something about electronic engineering, since you have to pick either electric or electronic engineering. I imagine that those two will have some things in common. Also keep in mind that I'm mainly aiming for bachelor's degree in one of the fields that I'm considering to study.
   Since I don't really have time for this in weekdays I'll try to come to Ts3 at the weekend if I can, since I'd be interested to hear what you have to say.

[Xrain]

I do know that I'd have competition in this field, however there are more job possibilities then you have listed. I can also be an accountant, a manager, an administrator, plus all the other jobs that simply require a degree of any kind. Despite the fact that all of those jobs combined are pretty common, the competition is still pretty damn high which is why I'm trying to decide if it will be worth it in the long term. I'm also thinking about getting a position in government someday since I feel like I have potential and interest for this, but I'm also aware how little the possibilities are of me getting there and that I probably don't even have a chance of getting there until I'm like 40 years old so until then I'd have to do something else.

   Very good info you gave me on electric engineering. I'd also really appreciate if you'd tell me something about electronic engineering, since you have to pick either electric or electronic engineering. I imagine that those two will have some things in common. Also keep in mind that I'm mainly aiming for bachelor's degree in one of the fields that I'm considering to study.
   Since I don't really have time for this in weekdays I'll try to come to Ts3 at the weekend if I can, since I'd be interested to hear what you have to say.

I am not the best person to provide advice on a economics/ accounting career path. I know just enough of each to help me financially manage projects and other stuff I have worked on and that's about it. It isn't really my favorite thing to work on so I am a little bit biased against it. An advantage is that there is a lot of accounting possitions, and there always will be as long as we still have money, so you have a pretty secure employment outlook.

Also don't forget that picking a degree in college isn't some sort of irrefutable path. You always have mobility in what career you want to work on, though what degree you choose does dictate how much work is required to change to a different path. If you are going from a history degree to a engineering degree, well... I suppose you don't need to take history 101 anymore...

Don't ever let competition for a job dissuade you from it, if it is really what you want to do. It's more of a for your information kind of thing. Meaning you will just need to work a bit harder to differentiate yourself from other people; and make sure you go into it remembering that you need to be a bit more proactive in getting yourself out into your field. I probably have the competition part worse than almost any other person. There are a total of ~6 aerospace engineering positions in my state at the moment. Somehow I managed to have one of them for the last 4 years while I am still in school. So don't be afraid of competition, just know what it will mean for you.

Honestly if you are serious about the accounting/ economics path, go to an accounting office that does something closest to what you want to do. Introduce yourself to someone and tell them that you are considering pursuing a career in what they do, and see if you can talk to someone to ask some questions. If there is a government position you are very interested in working in, find out who works in that position now, and send him an email. Tell him who you are, what you are doing and ask if you can meet with him and talk to him about his work. People almost universally like to talk about what they do. Especially in accounting and government people very rarely show an interest in what they do, so you have a pretty good chance of talking to someone. At the very least just about anyone would be willing for at least a little bit about it. You have a pretty good advantage at this point in your life, since just about everyone is sympathetic to you and what you are going through and willing to help a bit.

There is also a good chance that if they like you they can really help you out when you actually try to get a job since you are someone who has been proactive in your field.

[Prox]

I am not the best person to provide advice on a economics/ accounting career path. I know just enough of each to help me financially manage projects and other stuff I have worked on and that's about it. It isn't really my favorite thing to work on so I am a little bit biased against it. An advantage is that there is a lot of accounting possitions, and there always will be as long as we still have money, so you have a pretty secure employment outlook.

Also don't forget that picking a degree in college isn't some sort of irrefutable path. You always have mobility in what career you want to work on, though what degree you choose does dictate how much work is required to change to a different path. If you are going from a history degree to a engineering degree, well... I suppose you don't need to take history 101 anymore...

Don't ever let competition for a job dissuade you from it, if it is really what you want to do. It's more of a for your information kind of thing. Meaning you will just need to work a bit harder to differentiate yourself from other people; and make sure you go into it remembering that you need to be a bit more proactive in getting yourself out into your field. I probably have the competition part worse than almost any other person. There are a total of ~6 aerospace engineering positions in my state at the moment. Somehow I managed to have one of them for the last 4 years while I am still in school. So don't be afraid of competition, just know what it will mean for you.

Honestly if you are serious about the accounting/ economics path, go to an accounting office that does something closest to what you want to do. Introduce yourself to someone and tell them that you are considering pursuing a career in what they do, and see if you can talk to someone to ask some questions. If there is a government position you are very interested in working in, find out who works in that position now, and send him an email. Tell him who you are, what you are doing and ask if you can meet with him and talk to him about his work. People almost universally like to talk about what they do. Especially in accounting and government people very rarely show an interest in what they do, so you have a pretty good chance of talking to someone. At the very least just about anyone would be willing for at least a little bit about it. You have a pretty good advantage at this point in your life, since just about everyone is sympathetic to you and what you are going through and willing to help a bit.

There is also a good chance that if they like you they can really help you out when you actually try to get a job since you are someone who has been proactive in your field.

Well, my mother is an accountant so I do have a general idea of what an accountant does and I can always ask her something about the job or economics in general.
I know that you can change your study subject, I know people who did that, but while I still have time to decide, I'll try to pick the right decision so that I wouldn't have to regret or change it afterwards. Hopefully.
   Another thing worth to consider is that I might not get a government funded slot in economics since it's one of the more popular degrees so if that happens I believe I should get it in electronic engineering since there aren't as many people going there because it's harder to study.

[Tezuni]

You could make good money as a consultant, or in sales for a large corporation.  It's a fairly competitive field due to the limited nature of the number of available jobs.

Personally, I'm in my 3rd year studying Geomatics Engineering and already have worked for an engineering department and done GIS drafting work.  Students in this field and other select engineering fields can always look forward to high demand.  But, do what you enjoy.  You can always find a job for it somewhere, if moving is not a problem for you.