<p>If you are looking for a job with a title "economist," I doubt that anyone would look at you if you do not have at least an undergraduate degree in economics (in North America, anyway).</p>

<p>However, you could end up working for a firm that does economics, or financial research. I had a background in control systems engineering, with summer job experience as a programmer, and then ended up working as a quantitative analyst for fixed income. The programming experience ended up being probably the training that I ended up using the most. However, there is a lot of competition to get a job in finance.</p>

<p>Outside of finance, I believe that there is a lot of work in "big data," which involves a lot of programming.</p>

<p>You could end up working with economists, but you would probably not be considered an "economist."</p>

<p>You ask:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Lastly, do economics ever serve in the private sector. I'm asking this
  because it seems that a lot of econ jobs would be as advisory roles in
  government institutions.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>There's a lot of market economists in finance. A few large corporations still have people with the title "economist," but my guess is that most people with economics training have a different title when working elsewhere in the private sector. (As noted by denesp, Google famously has someone wih a Chief Economist title.) Public sector jobs are different in that respect.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-23T20:03:38.393Z
So did you eventually get a graduate degree in economics or finance? A lot of universities offer master's in financial economics which seems like a good option. What sort of a job do you think I could apply for right off the bat without taking any additional courses or certifications?
Saad Aleem
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-23T20:07:12.673Z
For example, someone at Google has the title [Chief Economist](https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=google%20chief%20economist).
Giskard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-23T21:07:46.400Z
Saadullah - I already had a Ph.D. in control systems engineering, so I was not going back for anything else. I really could not tell you what to look for, the reality is that you would have an easier time with a small firm that is doing intereting work. Large corporations are bureaucratic, and generally align hires to their degrees, so it might be hard to change paths. Of course, trying to small businesses are hard, as they have a lower profile.
Brian Romanchuk
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-23T19:55:54.130Z
2017-04-23T21:09:20.023Z
2017-04-23T21:09:20.023Z
Brian Romanchuk
<p>I have a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering with math courses such as Linear Algebra, Statistics, and Numerical methods.  </p>

<p>I have about 2 years of experience as an Engineer. Although I'm fond of programming, I find my current work pointless and mechanical.</p>

<p>I'm wondering if it would be possible for me to switch to a career in economics, preferably doing something that has a direct impact on making people's lives better.</p>

<p>More importantly, would my current skills as an engineer help in such a career switch? I'm passionate about doing work that could one day have considerable impact.</p>

<p>I have found that a lot of universities do accept people from other backgrounds but require them to satisfy econ prerequisites before they can enter. Are these courses offered at community colleges in North America? Or can I take these at a university as a student who is not aiming for a degree?</p>

<p>Lastly, do economics ever serve in the private sector. I'm asking this because it seems that a lot of econ jobs would be as advisory roles in government institutions.</p>

<p>Apologies for not having the right tags. I couldn't find one for career.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-24T18:00:48.900Z
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this question seems more suitable for Academia.SE
Herr K.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-24T18:01:24.410Z
Can it be transferred there?
Saad Aleem
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-24T18:02:24.580Z
I've flagged it for moderator attention.
Herr K.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-26T21:52:00.050Z
Your quantitative background is likely very helpful; I would recommend pursuing at least a Master's degree, and would strongly encourage you to consider a Ph.D. Economics as a field tends to be very skeptical/dismissive of individuals without Econ degree qualifications from relatively good schools, making this important. Some people have found success with public policy degrees, though, and entry into these programs tends to be easier, so this might also be worth considering given that you already have a strong base of quantitative skills.
dismalscience
<financial-economics>
Career change to economics from software engineering
Saad Aleem
# Career change to economics from software engineering

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-04-23)

I have a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering with math courses such as Linear Algebra, Statistics, and Numerical methods.

I have about 2 years of experience as an Engineer. Although I'm fond of programming, I find my current work pointless and mechanical.

I'm wondering if it would be possible for me to switch to a career in economics, preferably doing something that has a direct impact on making people's lives better.

More importantly, would my current skills as an engineer help in such a career switch? I'm passionate about doing work that could one day have considerable impact.

I have found that a lot of universities do accept people from other backgrounds but require them to satisfy econ prerequisites before they can enter. Are these courses offered at community colleges in North America? Or can I take these at a university as a student who is not aiming for a degree?

Lastly, do economics ever serve in the private sector. I'm asking this because it seems that a lot of econ jobs would be as advisory roles in government institutions.

Apologies for not having the right tags. I couldn't find one for career.

**Tags:** financial-economics

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this question seems more suitable for Academia.SE  
> **username_0**: Can it be transferred there?  
> **username_1**: I've flagged it for moderator attention.  
> **username_2**: Your quantitative background is likely very helpful; I would recommend pursuing at least a Master's degree, and would strongly encourage you to consider a Ph.D. Economics as a field tends to be very skeptical/dismissive of individuals without Econ degree qualifications from relatively good schools, making this important. Some people have found success with public policy degrees, though, and entry into these programs tends to be easier, so this might also be worth considering given that you already have a strong base of quantitative skills.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-04-23. Score: 2

If you are looking for a job with a title "economist," I doubt that anyone would look at you if you do not have at least an undergraduate degree in economics (in North America, anyway).

However, you could end up working for a firm that does economics, or financial research. I had a background in control systems engineering, with summer job experience as a programmer, and then ended up working as a quantitative analyst for fixed income. The programming experience ended up being probably the training that I ended up using the most. However, there is a lot of competition to get a job in finance.

Outside of finance, I believe that there is a lot of work in "big data," which involves a lot of programming.

You could end up working with economists, but you would probably not be considered an "economist."

You ask:

> Lastly, do economics ever serve in the private sector. I'm asking this
> because it seems that a lot of econ jobs would be as advisory roles in
> government institutions.

There's a lot of market economists in finance. A few large corporations still have people with the title "economist," but my guess is that most people with economics training have a different title when working elsewhere in the private sector. (As noted by denesp, Google famously has someone wih a Chief Economist title.) Public sector jobs are different in that respect.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So did you eventually get a graduate degree in economics or finance? A lot of universities offer master's in financial economics which seems like a good option. What sort of a job do you think I could apply for right off the bat without taking any additional courses or certifications?  
> **username_4**: For example, someone at Google has the title [Chief Economist](https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=google%20chief%20economist).  
> **username_3**: Saadullah - I already had a Ph.D. in control systems engineering, so I was not going back for anything else. I really could not tell you what to look for, the reality is that you would have an easier time with a small firm that is doing intereting work. Large corporations are bureaucratic, and generally align hires to their degrees, so it might be hard to change paths. Of course, trying to small businesses are hard, as they have a lower profile.  

---

