November 26, 2002
A: FROM PARTNER MICHELLE CHAMBERS IN TN
I graduated from undergraduate school (University of the South, Sewanee) in May 2002 with an Economics degree. There are many opportunities in various fields with a degree in economics. If you think you enjoy business, a finance minor would give you a solid foundation for future careers in banking, commerce, etc. If you are really passionate about the field of economics and may potentially go to graduate school in this field (no matter what the focus) mathematics is ESSENTIAL for the professional economist. Every economist, whether they analyze interest rates or percentages of Bangladeshi women without access to healthcare, must have strong analytical, i.e., mathematical skills. Econometrics, using mathematical equations to measure the cause and effect of basically anything, is fast becoming the cornerstone of modern economics and an essential tool for professional researchers.

I am using my economic education in the public policy arena. Currently, I am the Research Analyst for the Tennessee Economic Council on Women and am able to use my economics preparation to promote/study/participate in raising the economic status of women. I not only make a very competitive salary, but I feel that I am making a difference for citizens in my state. I do sit behind a desk and I must admit that I like making graphs, but that is only part of my job. I also spend a significant amount of time traveling around Tennessee meeting with women and addressing the needs of local women and girls. Economics can be applied to almost any problem. A good website you can visit to learn more about opportunities in econ. is www.economist.com.

Until college, I suggest that you really explore the different roads that you can travel with an economics degree and determine which one coincides with your personal passions and interests. Maybe you could have an internship during high school with a relevant firm or organization; interview local, professional women in fields of your interest. Then in college, you can pick the courses that will best prepare you for your specific career path. Upon graduation, you could have a high degree of specialization just as an undergraduate! But, don't worry. If you have not found the road your meant to travel when you begin college, it is okay. Most people do not know at that point in their lives; I didn't, but it worked out beautifully. The key is to explore the possibilities and your passions.
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November 25, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR DENISE HARBERT IN IL
Hi Ashley! If you really enjoy math, I might suggest completing a minor or
a second major in Math. This would make your resume much more diverse and
keep your skills more multidimensional. Higher level math classes will
teach you theoretical concepts that you can't learn in Finance
classes. Those concepts apply to ALL fields that have any kind of numbers,
including Finance. (Certainly all of the SET fields we highlight in
GEM-SET.) You could apply that knowledge elsewhere if you decide to change
careers. Taking Finance instead of Math may limit your career path because
Finance is a narrow range of Math as it pertains to business and money. If
you have an advanced Math background with Economics, then Finance will be
fairly easy for you. You can always learn more Finance later if you need
it. There is an interest factor to consider as well - I love Math and I
found Finance and Accounting to be rather boring. They didn't challenge me
and had more to do with plugging numbers into formulas than they did with
creative problem solving. When I tell people I'm a Mathematician, they
often ask if I'm an accountant. I always answer, "No. Accounting is not
Math. Accounting is arithmetic."

I'd also suggest taking some higher level Statistics courses as well. A
lot of business is about creating ways to model and predict the effects of
various business decisions. Those models can be created with a theory
derived from Math or they can be created by analyzing data using
Statistics. (Statistics is an applied type of Math that deals with sorting
through numbers and finding patterns in those numbers.)

Depending on what college or university you attend, you may need to do some
negotiating with your Dean. At some schools, Economics and Finance are
located within the "Business college" while Math and Statistics are located
within the "Letters and Sciences college" or the "Liberal Arts
college". Even though these majors all exist at the same university and
may be located in buildings that are right next to each other, the way your
tuition dollars get divided depend on what college you're in. You might
find yourself in a situation where you are admitted to one college and want
to take a lot of classes that are located in another. That's not something
most students do, but it is perfectly OK. In my experience, most Deans and
professors are excited about helping a student who really wants to do
something unusual. For my Bachelor of Arts degree, I triple majored in
Math, Statistics, and French. Math/Statistics were usually Bachelor of
Science degree majors, but I worked with my Dean so I could get more of an
Art background. For my Master of Science degree, I majored in Statistics
(Science) but double minored in Psychology and French (Arts). In that
case, my graduate major was in the "Institute of Technology" and my minors
were in the "College of Liberal Arts." I had to get special permission to
do it, but it was worth it. Now I have a combination of skills that very
few people have, which makes it very easy for me to change careers or get
jobs other people can't.

Classes I'd recommend you take in addition to an Economics major are:
Math: 1.5 years of calculus (usually 3 semesters or 4-5 quarters, depending
on the school), 1 semester/quarter of linear algebra, and 1
semester/quarter of combinatorics (this will help with statistics).

Statistics: 1 semester/quarter of introductory statistics, 1
semester/quarter of regression, 1 semester/quarter of experimental design,
1 semester/quarter of categorical data, 1 semester/quarter of time series,
and (optional) 2 semesters or 3 quarters of probability theory (also called
mathematical statistics and requires completion of calculus). Intro,
regression, and time series are probably the three most important for business.

If you have this combination in addition to Economics and perhaps some
foreign language, there is no limit to how high you can go in business!

Good luck!

November 21, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR SHIELA ENGLAND IN PA
This response is related to several questions. It seems that there are a
lot of questions about what kind of math to take and how much math is
required for a particular field. My undergraduate degree covers both
Applied Mathematics and Secondary Education. My master's degree was 1/3
statistics. My advice is to take as much math as you can while you are in
high school and then continue taking math in college. Get help to get
through it if you need help. Don't shut any future doors by reducing the
amount of math you take. Students often experience difficulty with math
because it is a subject that requires mental maturity that may not be
experienced until one's first year of college. Often people make decisions
about their mathematical ability much to soon. I taught math for a few
years before changing careers to software engineering and I found that girls
thought they were not good doing well in math when they were actually high
achievers and that boys thought they were doing well when they were actually
low achievers. I wonder if this has to do with the need we females seem to
have to know everything perfectly :)

Finally, please take math even if you squeak through it. Take it until you
can't take any more and then get help to keep taking it. Life is full of
patterns and learning math makes it easier to discover them. The success I
have experienced in my career has been closely linked to a mathematical
foundation as well as to an ability to communicate.