econ vs finance

Count_MonteFisto
Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:38:54 +0000

remember - knowledge becomes outdated faster than skills. if u want a good job, go for a “skill” major.



I strongly disagree. Look at computer programming for a perfect example. Programmers are constantly having to learn new languages and techniques as the market and technologies evolve. If you concentrate solely on learning/memorizing the specific syntax and semantics of the languages, that knowledge quickly becomes outdated when the next new “hot” language or version comes along. However, by focusing more on the basic underlying knowledge and theory of programming, the computer scientist is readily able to adapt by applying those theoretical underpinnings that apply to any programming scenario.

That said, I don’t think it is accurate to portray econ as pure “knowledge” and finance as pure “skill”, since there is blend of both of both characteristics in each, and certainly a lot of theory taught at the undergrad level.