Unconventional Careers for Economics Students
Master’s, MBA and everything in between.
If you’re an undergrad economics major living in India, chances are that the only career options you’ve heard about are a master’s in economics, master’s in business administration and civil services. Sounds a bit unfair doesn’t it? What do people who don’t feel an inclination towards either of these do?
Here’s a list of all sorts of unconventional things you could do post your education in Economics:
1. Venture Capital : If the buzz around traditional finance roles in investment banking and corporate finance bores you, venture capital is something you might want to look at. Though it’s certainly not easy to break into, it does promise dynamism and less of monotony compared to other finance based roles
2. Impact Investing : Consider this as VC, specifically for social impact businesses/ start-ups. What differentiates impact investing from venture capital though is that the returns come over an even longer span of time compared to the venture capital industry. Organizations like UNDP & Asha impact work extensively in the impact investing space.
3. International Relations : Though it may not seem so, international relations is actually a popular choice among econ undergrads. For those interested in working at the intersection of economics, politics and policy, going to graduate school in International Affairs can be a great choice.
4. Public Policy/ Public Administration : With more or less similar orientation and outcomes as an international affairs course. What separates public policy is a deeper focus on analytical training in analyzing policy-related issues. Outside of India both public policy and public administration programs are usually undertaken by experienced professionals in policy space.
5. Development Studies : Development studies is an interdisciplinary major, another popular choice for those wanting to work in development or policy space. People usually work as development consultants with think tanks, private or non-profit organizations.
6. Sustainability and CSR : Sustainability and CSR provides interesting opportunities in the corporate social responsibility/ ESG or policy divisions in private sector. Development, social impact and ESG consulting firms hire people from sustainability and corporate social responsibility backgrounds.
I hope this post helped you if you’re someone looking to take a slightly different route. All the best!
