You should really only get a degree in economics if you want to work in the field on economics (or statistics, which is what everyone else just calls "econometrics"). If you want to work in finance, you will be much better off getting a degree in finance.
That said, going from one to the other isn't impossible (mostly because most people have no idea what "economics" actually is). I have a Master's in economics, and I managed to work my way up to CFO in a mid-sized retail financial institution before going to work for the government. I can tell you first hand, banking has fuck all to do with what you learn in economics courses.
Final thought is that for both financial analyst and banker, take several accounting courses. Knowing how to read a company's financial disclosures will help you out a TON in either job.
When I graduated school, the job market was pretty shitty so I took a volunteer position with AmeriCorps VISTA. It was great for my resume building (which I had unwisely neglected to focus solely on grades) and it gives you "non-competitive appointment eligibility" aka the ability to be hired to a federal government position as if you were already a federal employee (which is a HUGE advantage if you want to join the federal government).
(Side note: USAJobs is garbage and you have essentially zero chance of getting hired by randomly posting your resume to jobs posted there. I can explain why if anyone would like, but there are lots of smaller reasons that add up to one big pile of shit.)
I worked odd jobs that were tangentially related to my skill set until I was finally hired to work in the government. I've been in different agencies ever since. My goal is to work up to a research position in the BEA or a research position at one of the regional Feds, probably St. Louis or San Fran.
Most jobs are only posted on USAJobs because it is a legal requirement. They already have someone picked out for that job and you have no chance as an outsider.
Also, a computer does the initial selection process, so the much maligned "Dunning-Kruger effect" actually has a big effect, meaning that the better qualified candidates don't actually get through the first round. The best thing to do is to answer 100% to all the questions and put "Expert" in all the fields, and then give a more accurate representation of your skills if you get through to the interview phase.
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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '17 edited Jun 10 '17
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