How do I position myself to make the most money and be in a position to take jobs overseas?

September 15, 2008 9:38 AM

How do I position myself (through college) to make the most money and be in a position to take jobs overseas? Considering majoring in Business, Economics, International Studies, Public Policy, or a combination of the two.

I lucked out and managed to get a great job without having a college degree. I work for a labor union and have for a little over 10 years. I enjoy my work, but am really ready to do something different and find new challenges.

I'm currently going to school, and when I finish my undergrad am planning on quitting and either going to grad school or getting a job. My priorities are being in a job with international travel, making good money (goal of six figures) and/or working overseas. I'm hoping that my significant experience with my current job will give me an edge. I enjoy school and am planning on doing a double major. I am definitely going to major in Business and am considering either a double major in Economics, International Studies, or Public Policy. I have really enjoyed my Economics classes I've been taking, so I am interested in taking some more of those classes.

I'm looking for firsthand experiences in what you majored in, what types of jobs you've been able to find, and what I should do to position myself best.

posted by anonymous to work & money (7 comments total)

Focus your economics classes on finance and investments. International Studies/Public Policy will be more useful if you're interested in doing government or policy work, those jobs CAN pay well, but generally not if you're just starting out. And learn a foreign language--preferably Chinese or Hindi--to round out your skills.

But really, your major isn't all that important to your future career unless you're planning on getting a graduate degree in math or a science-related area that will require serious pre-grad school preparation. More important is how you do in classes, whether you've done research projects or internships, and the connections you make with professors and alumni in finding the job you want.
posted by schroedinger at 9:55 AM on September 15, 2008

More important is how you do in classes, whether you've done research projects or internships, and the connections you make with professors and alumni in finding the job you want.

Also, you'll want to make sure your degree is from an accredited institution and is recognised internationally (it presumably will, but best to make sure, especially if it is less than a four-year degree), as the degree is a major thing that work visa and immigrations universally look for, and unlike potential employers, no-matter which country you go to, immigrations is not going to be flexible about your qualifications if you seem like a hard worker or a nice guy, you have to meet their criteria or find a (lesser) category.
posted by -harlequin- at 10:22 AM on September 15, 2008

Public policy as a degree is pretty much worthless. I would dump the business degree, forget about double majoring, and just major in economics, and then take classes in the subjects you're interested in. Most employers in the fields you've mentioned will value an econ degree more highly than any of the other degrees you've mentioned, and they won't care that you've double majored. They'll care that your grades are as good as they possibly can be, and they'll care about the prestige of your institution. Take the econ degree and do as well in it as you can. That's my advice.
posted by decathecting at 10:55 AM on September 15, 2008

Often these things don't work well together: "international travel, making good money (goal of six figures) and/or working overseas".

I'd focus on consulting internationally, which would likely require you to have some expertise in something - irrigation, oil, agriculture... and having an econ background would be a good idea as well.

Getting into internships at one of the big international consulting firms would be a good first step.

Having some language skills wouldn't hurt, but isn't required for this sort of work.

As other have said, public policy and international studies aren't going to be very helpful.
posted by k8t at 12:38 PM on September 15, 2008

For an example, check out the specialties that this international development consulting firm is looking for.
posted by k8t at 12:40 PM on September 15, 2008

Take Arabic and/or Mandarin.
posted by troy at 1:31 PM on September 15, 2008

"international travel, making good money (goal of six figures) and/or working overseas".

Actually, these can work out pretty well together if
a) your company has plumb expat contracts that cover your housing, utilities, etc. so your major non-tax expenses are covered
b) you can move into an international policy thingie like World Bank, UN, etc., so your salary is tax-free
c) you are willing to work anywhere (Dubai? Afghanistan?)
d) you are willing to work up the food chain in the US and then leave
e) you have mad business skills, and can run your own business through the US-Netherlands friendship treaty or whatever the exact name is, that lets you move to NL and run your own business under relatively low initial investment ($25K?).

Lastly, I have to second troy's comment on learning other languages. Whether it has to be Chinese, or whatever, being monolingual isn't as appealing to your hiring company. This is more of an issue in some places (e.g. Japan) than others.

On the major: stick with Econ, beef it up with some business/management and foreign language. if you want to do policy, just pick and choose. Don't double, or you'll waste your time in requirements. On your resume, list "related coursework" for each field you're targeting in your applications (eventually) so that the work is fairly represented.
posted by whatzit at 3:57 AM on September 16, 2008