I am currently researching which subject I should get my PhD in. I’ve done a significant amount of research on my own about this question but now I am more confused than ever. I have always had a strong passion in political theory, economics, and how our political institutions interact and affect our economy. The research I have done has almost unanimously said that if you get a PhD in economics, it is easier to get a job as a professor (thought still difficult overall) than if you had a PhD in political science or in a specialized field such as political economy. However, I know that econ at the grad level is entirely or almost entirely math based, and I’m terrible at math and I don’t really like it. I know I am intelligent enough that if I worked hard I would be able to do the math.
I also realize that many political economy and political science programs are much more quantitative than they used to be, but I know that I could handle the amount of math thrown at you in those programs much more than in econ. I am concerned that getting my PhD in P.E. or poli sci would greatly limit my opportunities at landing a job as a professor, in a market I know is already severely limited in open positions. So the question is, what do i do? Do I get my PhD in a field that would give me the best opportunity to land a job as a professor, or do I get my PhD in a program I love and would probably be more successful in?
Tenure-track positions in Political Science are cutthroat competitive, the salaries are not particularly high either. Econ is the best field in terms of opportunity and salary, but there is quite a bit of math as you said, which might be a drawback if you are uncomfortable with it. Although a lot of future opportunities depend on the school you go to.
If you have not taken the GRE yet, you should do so. Your scores are a good barometer of what programs you can get into.
Here’s the thing. There are more open positions and fewer competitors for professor positions in economics. However, if you are not good at what you do, you won’t be competitive for them. It’s far more important to be passionate about your research and good at what you do than it is to get your PhD in a field that you perceive is “easier” to find a job in. There are people who find jobs in tight fields every year. If you know you are terrible at a CORE skill in a field you are considering, it’s probably best to steer clear.
You should get a PhD in the program that will best enable you to answer the questions and do the research that you want to do. Employment should of course be a consideration, but take a shrewd eye towards it. You want to balance practicality with satisfying your own interests; you don’t want one to completely overwhelm the other.
Also, think about what you would rather teach. An economics professor will be teaching much different basic courses than a political science professor, especially in their earlier years when they are still teaching freshman and sophomore level courses.
The question may be moot if you have not taken linear algebra, MV calculus, and advanced econometrics…
Also, your PhD studies should be funded.