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Career Prospects and Job Opportunities for an Economics Graduate

Assistant Editor
September 10, 2018
2

Dear Jarus,

I came across your blog when I searched “job opportunities for economics graduates” on Google and was quite astonished as it offers a lot of insights into student life, career and succeeding in your chosen path overall.
Most importantly, I found out you’re a graduate of Economics, a course I just got offered admission to study in the University of Lagos.
I’m having problems on the job opportunities for Economics graduate in Nigeria because people are telling me if you don’t combine with professional exams the degree is useless.
If I want to write professional exams, which would you advise me to do:
(1)Should I take ATSWA alongside my degree and subsequently finish with ICAN?
(2)Should I finish with my degree first and take ICAN?
Many people tell me it’s based on ability and professional courses in school makes normal school work easier. But my aim is a first class and I don’t want my hands to be tied in a situation where I’ll be stressed on school work and professional exams while eventually not doing well in the two.
Thank you sir.
Joe
***
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Dear Joe,
It is true that many Economics graduates go ahead to write professional exams in Accounting, Finance etc to become Accountant, Finance professionals etc, but it does not mean you cannot get good jobs with just economics degree.
Some of the jobs you can get with just economics degree (without writing accounting professional exams) include:
  • Lecturing in a higher institution
  • Getting job in advisory units of professional services firms like PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young etc,
  • Investment banking
  • Regular banking
  • Commercial/Business analysts in different industries
  • Management consulting and advisory firms
  • Analysts in research institutes/firms

Economics is also  attractive to top international institutions, but with minimum of Masters in the subject.

But we can’t ignore the fact that a good number of economics graduates write professional exams in Accounting and Finance. I also wrote ICAN exams and became a chartered accountant and it helped my career as I have done accounting jobs for 10 years.

The major advantage of writing those professional exams is that they widen your options – you can apply to jobs require Economics degree and as well as Accounting and Finance jobs.

If you decide to write Accounting professional qualification, you could start from school via ATS route, but make sure it doesn’t affect your studies which is primary. Professional exams can always wait, but bad grade may not be able to wait. While some of us waited till after graduation before writing ICAN exams, a good number of my classmates were writing ICAN then and they still made good grade. So if you can combine the two, there is no harm in it at all. And it makes you hit the labour market running.

I wish you all the best.

Jarus

 

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