That guy really is something.
Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine - Elvis Presley
I appreciate Student.
Stay classy
If there is a student appreciation thread, there should be a libertystudent appreciation thread.
Freedom has always been the only route to progress.
Student is one of the best posters on this forum. Didn't so much open my eyes as turn me on to new things. :thumpsup: to you, Student. You are a kind, passionate scholar.
I'm relatively new to these parts so I can't say my appreciation has reached its full maturity just yet. I would, however, like to know who your avatar is. I've been wondering.
That student guy really is an appreciation thread!
"As in a kaleidoscope, the constellation of forces operating in the system as a whole is ever changing." - Ludwig Lachmann
"When A Man Dies A World Goes Out of Existence" - GLS Shackle
Stephen Adkins: I'm relatively new to these parts so I can't say my appreciation has reached its full maturity just yet. I would, however, like to know who your avatar is. I've been wondering.
Steve McQueen. Watch Great Escape. Don't watch Bullitt.
^ ding ding!
my avatar is specifically steve mcqueen from his role in the thomas crowne affair (which is way better than the remake w/Pierce Brosnan).
sadly, i also didn't like bullitt as much as i expected. :( i think its because dirty harry is a very similar movie, so it felt very familiar to me even without watching it before. but, dirty harry was much better executed. that being said, bullitt pre-dates dirty harry by almost 4 years. so maybe if there was no bullitt there would be no dirty harry?
I thought this was the libertystudent appreciation thread. I give my appreciation to libertystudent. Who's this Student guy anyway?
^ he once picked up 4 girls at a bar...because his weight bench was broken.
I thought that was Bill Brasky.
Why did he leave?
I guess we were not worthy of his presence in this community.
It is too bad Student doesn't post as much these days. I really miss his insightful posts. :(
*sigh*
Hahaha, someone hasn't been getting enough love lately.
Political Atheists Blog
Student is the SECOND coolest guy that I've ever known
In fact, Student is so cool that I wish that he'd PM me about college econ programs and general advice surrounding the subject.
lol thnks Neo. :) I just sent a friend request so can talk PM when you accept, but I can give some generic advice here.
Before applying to grad school:
Math Courses - Math Stats, Linear Algebra, and Multivarite Calc are all more important (in terms of what you need to know for Phd level work) than Real Analysis (which is more of a signal of being able to do rigouress math). But making a good grade in real analysis can make up for less stellar grades elsehere.
When applying:
Recommendations are everything - Recommendations mean a lot when it comes to getting accepted and getting funded. Make friends with profs and be sure to ask them where to apply (where their recommendation will carry more weight). Like most know things, a lot of where you go is who you know. But still don't be afraid to shoot big.
Once you're in:
Attend seminrs and presentations. It is the best way to find a research topic and a prof that might be interested in working with you. :) At least tht's all I have after 1 whole semester in Phd land. More advice might come later.
Student,
At the risk of derailing this thread, how have you enjoyed studying economics in an academic setting? I have to decide on colleges and majors in about a year and I've been juggling economics, engineering, or mathematics (a double major in math/econ or math/engineering?) as possible courses of intellectual pursuit. While I don't have any qualms about learning economics from professors of disparate schools of thought on the subject, I've heard that academia can be a little suffocating, especially for individuals of an Austrian bent. Thoughts?
"At the risk of derailing this thread"
It's hard to derail a thread made by a user in the glory of said user, by asking said user questions about what to do with your life :P
My uninformed opinion is that an economics major is useless. Who're you gonna work for? The government or some institute?
I try not to chart the course of my life by advice given from random people on the Internet, but this Student guy really seems like he's got something going, yah know?
"I try not to chart the course of my life by advice given from random people on the Internet, but this Student guy really seems like he's got something going, yah know?"
Student is special. He's a thinker, an innovator, a leader.... You can learn a lot from student. He's a great man, and an even greater dancer.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-37246116/20-best-paying-college-degrees-in-2011/
It's one of the better paying degrees out there. Besides all that if one really wants to talk the talk in economics, or whatever it looks a lot better if you actually do the degree.
Alright, but what job do you expect to find as an economist?
Bank
&
Influence.
With these two come the other things that you want.
Money
Car
Nice House
Capitalism.
All around results in
????
Profit!
Neodoxy: Bank & Influence.
Uh. What?
That reminds me, I'm starting to run out of influence.
The Anarch is to the Anarchist what the Monarch is to the Monarchist. -Ernst Jünger
The Fonz might be cool, but Ron Paul is my homeboy.
To paraphrase Marc Faber: We're all doomed, but that doesn't mean that we can't make money in the process. Rabbi Lapin: "Let's make bricks!" Stephan Kinsella: "Say you and I both want to make a German chocolate cake."
This.
Big fan!
I think it depends on where you want to wind up in 5 years. If you like the idea of working with data and doing research, an undergrad Econ degree could help you get a job as a entry level policy or financial analyst. So that would be one reason to follow that degree path even if you disagree with some of the things you learn in class (but note an a double majored in Econ and some kind of engineering could be useful here too).
I guess that brings
Up your question of whether academia can be suffocating for someone of an Austrian bent. Really, it probably depends on your school. I was lucky in that we had faculty members that were interested in economic intellectual history and even Austrian Econ in some cases (that was partly how I became interested in AE myself).
But even if your faculty isn't Austrian friendly, you nay the experience of grappling with unfamiliar methods engaging and not suffocating. Especially if your teachers are open to lots of questions and chats during office hours.
Hope this helps!
Err that was for Rcder and I can't edit the post to say so. :p
"That guy really is something."
Value is subjective. Econ 101.
Oh, you wish to suggest that the man is literally nothing?
"Uh. What?"
It's an incredibly vague reference which I forgot was quite as vague as it was and so probably wasn't worth posting :P
"The Fonz might be cool, but Ron Paul is my homeboy."
The Fonz would beat Ron Paul in a fight.
Surely the Fonz would never be so uncool as to start a fight with Ron...
Where there is no property there is no justice; a proposition as certain as any demonstration in Euclid
Fools! not to see that what they madly desire would be a calamity to them as no hands but their own could bring
Neodoxy:It's an incredibly vague reference which I forgot was quite as vague as it was and so probably wasn't worth posting
Perhaps...but it sounded like you were saying "bank & influence" were two reasons to become a professional economist...as in, becoming a professional economist generally brings you those things...which is probably one of the most dumbfounding things I've heard. It sounds like the punchline of an economist joke.
"Surely the Fonz would never be so uncool as to start a fight with Ron.."
True. That would be most uncool.
"Perhaps...but it sounded like you were saying "bank & influence" were two reasons to become a professional economist...as in, becoming a professional economist generally brings you those things...which is probably one of the most dumbfounding things I've heard. It sounds like the punchline of an economist joke."
"Oh, you wish to suggest that the man is literally nothing? "
Neodoxy:Well basically. It depends on what you do. I've never met an economist with a phd who's in any way struggling (and yes, I have actually met a fair number even though I was actually surprised by the average paycheck shown in Vive's link)
First of all, that was not the average paycheck. That was the median paycheck. There is big a difference, which you might want to look up. Second, that was mid-career salary, as in after 15 years of experience in the field. Third, as far as I could see the survey does not offer any information regarding the number of people who hold such degrees versus the number who are employed at any salary...let alone that one.
...one can't deny that economists wield a fair amount of influence when compared to a normal person.
What exactly is a "normal" person? Somone who has an equivalent degree in some other field? Someone who has no degree at all? Or someone who simply doesn't have an economics degree?
And I guess it would need to be made clear what kind of influence we're talking about. You might be talking about influence in a specific department at a specific educational institution or something of that sort. Generally when people talk about a posititon of influence they mean in the sense of indirect power...as in someone who can individually affect great change. Of course you can point to Ben Bernanke or Paul Krugman...but if you're going that far I could easily point to virtually any profession and say it has vast influence on geo-politics, the economy, and even war and peace. I could say soccer players have influence and point to Pele single-handedly stopping a civil war in Nigeria. I could say agronomists have influence and point to Norman Borlaug. I could say destitute people have influence and point to Gandhi.
Naming the extreme exceptions does not help support a claim about "average".
I'm not saying its the best paying or most influential position, but if you're just going for a PHD it's hard to go too much further in these areas than with a degree in economics
The question was "what job do you expect to find as an economist?" And what's more, it sounds like your post was answering "why would someone get a degree in economics?"
And for those two questions, I honestly don't see "bank & influence" being very accurate answers. Other than Krugman and his insane obsession with living in an Isaac Asimov novel, I honestly don't see many people looking for money and power saying "I know...I'll get a graduate degree in economics!".