Seeking Ideas on College Major

You can get a lot of jobs with an economics major, though you won't necessarily find a job description with economics in the desired requirements. I have several friends from business school who majored in economics with minors in finance and they are now successful lawyers, traders and research analysts. It's a very favorable degree to have for positions in the financial sector, research for any industry, particularly an industry that impacts the economy greatly by trends in that industry (i.e. real estate, banking). Does your son's school have an internship program? Is he interested in going abroad? Any place with a board of trade would be plentiful in jobs (here, NYC, London). DC is a great place for work with economic research for associations based there, though there are a lot of associations in chicago too that may offer those positions. Good luck to him!

Statistically recent college graduates rarely acquire jobs in the field of their major. My friends and I all graduated a couple of years ago, and the only one's who apply their major's in their career's are those who have a specific career in mind which requires a specific degree. 98% of my friends however had no clue and still really are trying to figure it out. Don't worry, this is normal. With so many more young adults today getting degrees, The job market is flooded with college grads, and most companies don't care what your major is, but only that you have the degree. His advisor can probably give him information on internships, as the schools have affiliations which can provide amazing opportunities and the job placement office can provide information as well. At 19yrs old, he still has 2 years left. Don't worry, he'll figure it out. my best friend graduated with a BA in literature and then decided to go to law school.

What job was he going to get with a math major? I think the job market would pretty much be the same for an economist though more doors may be open for an economist. Anyway, since it sounds like he excels at math he could consider a job as an actuary for an insurance company. You have to take a number of tests to become an actuary so it doesn't matter what your major is. They are in high demand and get paid VERY well. They also have a high job satisfaction rate. Good for you for being proactive in your son's life as far as a real life career path. I think too frequently parents send their kids off to college and expect them to walk out with a diploma and a job. Graduation can be quite daunting. I know for me it was probably the lowest, most depressing time in my life! Your support and guidance are critical to helping him find a satisfying path. Just make sure you don't try to push him too much in any one dirction - we know how that goes! Ha!

Some math depts. have a major in mathematical finance. Has your son considered this? I know of a woman with a master's degree in applied mathematics who was hired by a bank as a financial analyst.

I graduated from Northwestern with a degree in economics. Since it was a liberal arts school there was no business major. My mother asked me the same question when I told her I declared economics as my major. There are many jobs out there with this degree, I ended up using my skills for market research and worked for a major pharmaceutical company. Other friends did sales, consulting or went on to law school. Also, there are many companies, such as banks, that have rotational programs that hire well rounded graduates and economics does that.