Who graduated college a bit later than normal?

[cmrocks]

Originally Posted by eg1

The wider you can make your personal horizon, the better. If anything, I have been guilty of excessive parochialism and conservatism -- if you have a yen to see the world, do it! You can always "run home" later if you don't like what you see.

Having said that, the relative rarity of the geophysics degree will probably make you more in demand than something as ubiquitous as economics. And drilling/exploration is a truly global activity, no? And one in which Canadian expertise is probably well respected, so you may want to use it as your ticket abroad and then go the CFA/MBA route. My other brother is an engineer who eventually went back to school for the latter and now works in finance. Horses for courses ...

Exploration definately is a global activity and that was one of the reasons I considered geophysics in the first place. Lately I've just been thinking a lot. A degree in geophysics probably isn't going to help out much with my Dad's drilling company. I was mostly planning on using my Dad's contacts to get a job with one of the companies we contract for. That probably isn't the best decision though. I mean, why should I just get a salary job (I'm guessing I would start out around 60k a year) when I have access to his small company (really small, we have like 4 employees) that is currently grossing around 2 million a year? I don't like the physical aspect of drilling which is why I wanted the office job as a geophysicist instead.

I've been thinking that an economics degree will at least be a good start for helping to run a business if that is the route I want to take. Ideally I don't want to stop at just undergrad. I love being in school and really want to stay here for as long as I can. My Dad understands that and supports me being in school 100%. My brother decided not to bother with post secondard (he hated high school as well) and opted to go into business with my Dad right away. He is happy that at least one of us went that route.

I don't know. There are so many options and different paths to take when you're in school. I want an education but, at the same time, I don't want to waste time and money then end up with something I don't like doing.

 

[Toiletduck]

Originally Posted by eg1

Ah, but you can't have gEEk without EE ...
haha, to be exact, my course was separated from EE and was actually electrical and Electronical engineering. Triple E for short, which made me a gEEEk

The family business...w/ my family, relatives and family friends, its always been the similar mindset: Finish your education first. Perhaps it has to do with us being asian, however, I can understand. More exposure to the world is always a good thing if you're expected to one day go back and run the business. You'll be exposed to more, and learn from one more aspect of the world, heck, if you're a good learner, you'll also get to learn from your international student counterparts of even more ways of how other people think/punish/reward/lead/compliment/work together/backstab etc. The other point that my circle always always emphasises is to go out, get a job outside the family business first. Especially w/ small to medium sized businesses, its always good to go out and learn and see how things work in other companies, and to learn to work as an outsider. You could also be able to bring back "best practices" from other firms, or even values. My mindset of taking economics was pretty much the same, to help run a business. Truthfully, it lends some very useful insight (I would think especially in your case, a commodity business) I believe in your case, the extra time is peanuts!...and as to money, I had the leisure of not worrying about this, and I'm sure your dad also will be fully supportive, it will even serve as a great motivator to go pay back your dad in the future

...

 

[Dakota rube]

Not sure how to respond:
I graduated a year early. But the commencement — normally an afternoon affair — was delayed 'til night.

See my dilemma?

 

[javyn]

If you want to run a business, I'd probably choose a BBA over a BA or BS in Econ, not that economics isn't very useful, and I enjoyed getting my degree in it once I finally decided on it. In my experience, 70% of the undergrad classes were taught by people who barely spoke english, or wasted entire lectures on political soapboxes.

A business degree can give you a good starting point on statistics and accounting

 

[jpeirpont]

I am 25 and I'll be graduating in May, I've had to postpone school repeated for family issues, actually when I first joined the forum I think asked about clothing for a soon to be graduate. I have already lined up employment in my field of choice, so I'm pretty sure it won't close to many doors.

 

[cmrocks]

Originally Posted by javyn

If you want to run a business, I'd probably choose a BBA over a BA or BS in Econ, not that economics isn't very useful, and I enjoyed getting my degree in it once I finally decided on it. In my experience, 70% of the undergrad classes were taught by people who barely spoke english, or wasted entire lectures on political soapboxes.

A business degree can give you a good starting point on statistics and accounting

I thought about business courses but they really don't interest me that much. The family business is something that is just there for me to fall back on if I want. I still want to do my own thing. Economics interests me and I think it could lead me in a lot of different directions if I wanted it to.

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by DucatiCole

Thanks guys,

The school I'm in, UBC, has a pretty high ranked economics department. I think it's 22nd in the world or something. I think that's the reason that you can't just transfer in.

That sort of ranking is for graduate studies, not undergrad. We don't rank under departments in Econ. UBC is highly rated for its natural resource and environmental econ specifically. And it is just generally known for its quality overall. So when thinking about the quality of a program think about the University's overall image.

Now, that out of the way--I can't imagine anyone will care that you graduate at 25 rather than 21 or 22. If anything it will show that you have a greater level of majority and that you know better what you want to do with your life. (Assuming you have a good story about the years prior to college which no one will probably ask about anyway).

Go talk to one of the department's advisors to see exactly what the requirements are (minimum GPA, etc.). They can tell you your chances. It could be that it's simply a matter of taking the courses and getting minimum grades in them. Maybe it's more.

But having the degree from UBC will look good. Where are your other choices? Think to yourself how well they are known (in general not just in econ, unless you're getting a grad degree).

bob

 

[cmrocks]

Originally Posted by rdawson808

That sort of ranking is for graduate studies, not undergrad. We don't rank under departments in Econ. UBC is highly rated for its natural resource and environmental econ specifically. And it is just generally known for its quality overall. So when thinking about the quality of a program think about the University's overall image.

Now, that out of the way--I can't imagine anyone will care that you graduate at 25 rather than 21 or 22. If anything it will show that you have a greater level of majority and that you know better what you want to do with your life. (Assuming you have a good story about the years prior to college which no one will probably ask about anyway).

Go talk to one of the department's advisors to see exactly what the requirements are (minimum GPA, etc.). They can tell you your chances. It could be that it's simply a matter of taking the courses and getting minimum grades in them. Maybe it's more.

But having the degree from UBC will look good. Where are your other choices? Think to yourself how well they are known (in general not just in econ, unless you're getting a grad degree).

bob

Thanks,

I know you have a PhD in econ so I was hoping that you would chime in. As of now, my other option is McGill University. I was accetped into their arts program and their econ deptartment has no seperate admissions process.

I think I'm going to stay here for another year since I love UBC and just try getting into the majors program here. If I don't get in then I'll worry about that at the time and go somewhere else I guess.

 

[cmrocks]

Hey Bob,

One more question if you don't mind. Do you find that your education in economics would give you oppertunities to work overseas if you were inclined to do so?

Thanks

 

[itskub]

I just turned 20 and will start attending Parson's this year. I was completely undecided about any majors when I graduated HS, so I attended a Penn State campus for a year, but there really wasnt anything that intrested me. So I dropped out, have been working since. But yea, Im very much looking forward to going to Parson's in a few months.

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by DucatiCole

Hey Bob,

One more question if you don't mind. Do you find that your education in economics would give you oppertunities to work overseas if you were inclined to do so?

Thanks

I'm not sure I know the answer. I'll try my best:

An undergrad econ degree isn't going to change much from one program to the next (unless you study heterodox theory, which is rare). Any one class, like International Finance or Industrial Organization, that you compared between two different schools would only differ in the tiniest ways. Because of that, when looking at a job abroad, you will compete with everyone else who is already there, already speaks the language, knows the local customs, etc. So let's say you want to go to Spain to work, you'll need to find something else to set you apart.

Be fluent in Spanish, write a senior thesis dealing with something in Spain or the EU, spend time there somehow, etc.

So, I don't think it'll give you any advantage, but it won't be a disadvantage either. How's that for not being real helpful?

bob

ps: for a PhD it's all about your specific research expertise

 

[drizzt3117]

To be totally honest, in terms of pursuing a career, (unless you're doing a major that is more functional, like engineering, computer science, or the like) your undergrad major is fairly unimportant. Your relevant work experience is going to be much more important. If you're interested in economics, then study it. It's not going to be necessarily more or less helpful than any other major, though, unless you're going into academia or a position that specifically requires economics (like a think tank or something of the sort)

 

[globetrotter]

DC,

I don't know what you are looking for, but I knew a guy once whose first job, out of school, was business manager of an oil rig. his education was MBA, with a marketing major. I think that the idea was to manage the money, keep track of the shifts of the people, run the schedule of transportation, etc. he was, sort of , captain of the ship for 2 years. it got him a pretty good second job.

he was a putz, but that is besides the point.

 

[michaeljkrell]

I took 3 years off of school and I learned vastly more about life and business in those 3 years than I ever learned at college. The scary thing to me is that a person can go directly from high school to college graduation and almost no nothing about the way things work in real life. The whole system is flawed. Like a poster said before, why in the world are you deciding what to do with the rest of your life at 18? It's crazy...

I'm getting my econ degree this winter(I am 24) because it is relatively easy to get, and I know I didn't want to go through marketing or management. I did accounting for about a year, but couldn't handle it. I just want a degree to get my foot in the door for any future jobs, and have my past work experience get me the job...

 

[tbone226]

Originally Posted by vc2000

Most people allow a 19 year old to decide what career they will follow for the rest of their lives. I did and I was miserable until I went from law to venture capital with a detour of starting my own business. When I was 19 I didn't even know that venture capital existed. Good for you for taking a few years off to find what you wanted to do. You'll be fine. With medical improvements you might live until you are 120+ so a couple years isn't a big deal.

vc2000, how did you make the transition from law to venture capital??