It all depends on what you want. I see my private Austrian study as adequate for me. College otherwise is for preparing me for the work place. (at least getting that piece of paper I need to work). I could go to school a few blocks over at Pace and learn from Joe Salerno, but the opportunity-cost for me isn’t worth it. But if cost isn’t a real issue for you then by all means go where ever. With PHD work I may think different but for undergrad/MBA work, I will say no. When I graduate it will make no difference employers that I studied austrian economics in school, or at home, or even at all, in regards to getting a job.
GilesStratton, I am very interested in economics. But what would be a better degree, if economics is bad? I am interested in math, computer science, history, and maybe philosophy.
Speaking strictly of future employment opportunities, computer science is your best bet.
Entrepreneurship.
Both lead to careers doing long hours of drudge work for the man, playing office politics to advance (while wondering why everyone calls it a meritocracy when it so obviously isn’t) and avoiding emotional landmines while trying to deal with irrational colleagues. If that makes you happy, good luck… otherwise, I suggest entrepreneurship.
I’ve got a masters degree in business and economics (in Europe, so it’s not the same as an MBA). I hated the macroeconomic classes! The subject seems to be based on spurious correlations between ill defined aggregate variables collected from error filled public statistical databases. Microeconomics made much more sense since it has a logical, and actually praxeological, base. Finance has obviously grown out of microeconomics. I’ve always been kind of pro free markets, but it was only thanks to Ron Paul that I’ve discovered AE. I think I would’ve enjoyed macroeconomics more if I had had AE as a reference.
What I really liked was courses relating to analytic business administration (like finance, cost/income calculation and some entrepreneurship topics like making or evaluating a startup business plan). Microeconomics is a necessary foundation for that, of course. Soft subjects like marketing and organization theory never really appealed to me. They can be entertaining, but too fuzzy for me. And I don’t even consider accounting to be a part of economic science, it’s strictly a legal phenomena created by politicians. It’s funny to see how lawyers and bureaucrats are trying to use numbers! They like to put them in small boxes, it seems. The subject never gets analytical beyond applying the arithmetic operator “division” to two sums. And the Solar cycle is strangely holy to them…
GilesStratton, I have a J.D. and have practised for about fifteen years. There are good and bad things to the practice. My economics degree served me well in law school. By the way, the degrees in law are backwards, in the US. First you earn a doctorate (JD) then you can pursue a masters (LLM). Good luck to you.
Ah, Ok. I didn’t know. Thanks for the information.
Where do you live and do you have any preferences in where your school is?
Colorado (although I want to go far from there), and I don’t have too many prefrences about where it is at the moment, just looking at options.
I have a BS in Economics from the school of business. It was great, although it was Keynes oriented. I am myself a follower of no particular school of thoughts but regarding monetary economics (which to me is the most important thing in a free market economy) I agree with Mr. Milton Friedman.
Are you saying that you have a BullShit of Economics???[Y]
I’ve got a place to do a Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree next year.
I don’t see how they can twist the philosophy into despicable useless shit, but I can see them doing that with the politics and economics - although it’s always good to know one’s enemy. And my earnings potential will be high if I go for a regular job - although the only thing I want to do at the moment is be an entrepreneur/professor-lecturer.
But then I’m only 18.
Where did you go to uni Giles?
I’m still in my first year at Exeter, it’s hardly great. But that’s what happens when the English university system screws you over and you don’t study for the last two years of high school
I’m considering doing a Masters in that at York, sans the politics part though (though formally it is a PPE degree too.)
B.S. in Economics from Arizona State.
check out Santa Clara University. I’m transferring there to get a degree in computer engineering. The economics classes supposedly are more austrian bent, and David Friedman is one of the law professors. They also have the Civil Societies Institute on campus, which is a libertarian think tank.
I think you speak for yourself.
So you are a non educated moderator. How so??
I didn’t apply for Exeter - but it’s supposed to be a rather good uni - but then what do I know?
EDIT: Seeing as you’d previously mentioned you were 18 you’d have to have been a ridiculous child prodigy to have already been out of university, or a dropout.