Careers in Economics
David McBride III
Economics Career Pathways Coordinator
The Economics Career Pathways Coordinator, David McBride III, is your in-house resource for questions and support throughout your career search!
Balancing class and your professional development can be tough; I hope to assist by providing career-related resources, opportunities to connect with employers, and making your career goals a reality.
Please reach out to me at david.mcbrideiii@austin.utexas.edu with any questions, ideas, or resources that you have! I will be providing additional details about office hours and upcoming events in the near future.
I look forward to connecting with you all. Hook ‘Em!
Career Resources
Economics majors are successful in a wide variety of careers. Although various roles in business are most common, economics majors are successful in law, medicine, government, non-profits, and international relations, as well as in academic roles. Using theoretical models or empirical data, they evaluate programs, study human behavior, and explain social phenomena. Their contributions inform everything from public policy to household decisions.
More career exploration resources can be found below.
See where recent Liberal Arts majors have interned.
See more about Labor Market Outcomes on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's website and on the American Economic Association's website.
Seek UT: Discover the earnings potential of different majors by exploring data from recent graduates.
Current Students
Explore careers and prepare for your job and internship search with Liberal Arts Career Services.
ECO 101S: Professional Development/Career Planning
This course available only to Economics majors will discuss issues surrounding career planning implementation and evaluation in order to establish a job search, including resumes, networking, and interviewing techniques. ECO 101S also focuses on career management as a lifelong process.
Economics Focus: Liberal Arts Career Services created this course specifically for economics majors interested in learning how to build their skills and experiences in preparation for the eventual career search. Each class is tailored to the career-related themes shared by many economics majors – from skills to business-sector employment fields and alums networking to tailored resumes and cover letters. We hope that this course gives you the confidence and tools to successfully launch a job or internship search while playing to the strengths of your major.
100% of students surveyed said they would recommend this course to others!
Economics Major and Careers: Alumni Feedback
“Focus less on what job you can get after graduation and instead invest more on what skills you want to learn...The job you land immediately after school will likely matter less to your overall career development than the foundational skills you pick up during your years at UT.”
-Affonso Reis, Class of 2013
"The economics program at Texas was invaluable in teaching me an alternative perspective on finance that is applicable every day in my position. It has been a differentiator against my peers that mostly studied finance and accounting."
-Austin Curley, Class of 2015
"Find ways to get experience using what you learn as soon as you can, either through research, internships, starting a business, or any other means. Professors and the career office are great resources. As you experience more, you will develop well-informed preferences. If those preferences tell you that you need to adjust your career focus, then it is better to realize that sooner rather than later."
-Austin Porter, Class of 2016
