What can you do with a Economics degree from University of California, Santa Cruz?

First, some facts. Of the Economics graduates from University of California, Santa Cruz we've analyzed , here's how many have used (or NOT used) their degree in their career:


These are estimates based on AI analysis of 11 LinkedIn profiles (see below).

The verdict? Below average. Overall, with an average relevance score of 60%, Economics graduates from University of California, Santa Cruz have a lower likelihood (-7%) of finding work in this field compared to the average graduate across all fields:

Average score: 60%
Average relevance score across all fields: 67%

And for comparison, here's the chart for all profiles we've looked at across all degrees.

× Chart

Also, after graduating, 36% of these graduates have pursued further education other than another Bachelor's degree (such as a Masters degree or other), compared to the average across all profiles of 35%. This suggests you may need more than just a Bachelors degree to be competitive as a Economics graduate.

See the details:

View a random Economics graduate from University of California, Santa Cruz and our analysis:


Relevance score: 14%

We think this person has NOT gone into a career related to their degree.

DEGREE INFO

Graduated in 2011 from University of California, Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Economics. Also pursued further education since (see below).

JOB HISTORY SINCE GRADUATION
Director
San Diego State University
Jan 2012 - Dec 2012
The director position at San Diego State University may involve administrative and strategic skills that can be linked to economics, but it does not directly utilize specific economic knowledge on a daily basis.

Content Management, Business Development, and Strategy
Jupiter.fm
Mar 2013 - Jun 2013
Content management, business development, and strategy at Jupiter.fm might touch upon economic concepts, but the core qualifications are not strictly focused on economics expertise.

Production Assistant
KUSI Television
Aug 2013 - Jun 2015
The role of production assistant at KUSI Television does not require any economic skills or knowledge, focusing instead on media production.

Special Consultant Production Services
KPBS
Jul 2012 - Present
The special consultant position at KPBS does not directly utilize economics, as it is centered around production services rather than economic analysis or application.

Guitarist
The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble
Jan 2013 - Present
The guitarist role at The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble does not involve any economic skills or knowledge, as it is purely a musical position.

Music Instructor
San Diego Community College District
Jun 2015 - Present
Teaching music at San Diego Community College District may involve some educational theories related to economics in a broader context, but it does not primarily utilize skills or knowledge specific to the field of economics.

FURTHER DEGREES DONE SINCE GRADUATING
Master's degree
San Diego State University-California State University
2011 - 2013
ABOUT

Accomplished musician, producer, composer, and educator. Highly devoted and results-oriented with proven ability to develop and execute creative innovative programs. www.nicholasanthonycosta.com

What jobs can you get with a Economics degree from University of California, Santa Cruz?

The top 10 most common jobs done by the graduates we've analyzed (ranked most common to least) are:


From analyzing those LinkedIn profiles, it seems like graduates of the Economics program at University of California, Santa Cruz have found themselves in a pretty mixed bag of jobs. A number of them have gone into roles that are closely related to finance and economics, like Mortgage Loan Processors and Economic Consultants, where they definitely utilize the analytical and theoretical skills they learned in school. For example, jobs like Quantitative Modeling Analyst and Tax Associate show a solid connection to the principles of economics, focusing on analysis and financial decision-making. These types of positions really highlight how an economics degree can translate into a career focused on data and financial insight.

On the flip side, many graduates have also taken on roles that don't directly tie back to their economics background, like music instructors or administrative coordinators. Even in jobs that require some business or financial understanding, like a Supervisor at a restaurant or a Sales Coordinator, the connection to economics is often minimal. It seems that while some graduates are leveraging their degree effectively, a significant number have ventured into areas that don't fully utilize their economics training. This suggests a broad range of possibilities after graduation, but not every path is as relevant to economics as one might expect!

Here is a visual representation of the most common words in job titles for Economics graduates (this is across all Economics graduates we've analyzed, not just those who went to University of California, Santa Cruz):

What kind of career trajectories do Economics graduates from University of California, Santa Cruz have? What do they do 1, 5 or 10 years out?

The graduates from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in Economics seem to have a mix of career paths, especially when you look at their first jobs after graduation. Many of them, like the 2010 graduates, ended up in roles that aren’t necessarily focused directly on economics, such as being a Mortgage Loan Processor or working in health care as an Authorization Coordinator. This shows that while they had a solid foundation in economics, their first forays into the job market might not align perfectly with their degrees. However, they do seek out jobs that leverage their analytical and organizational skills in various fields, which is encouraging in terms of their employability.

Looking further down the line, about five to ten years after graduating, we can see some graduates making significant strides in their careers. For instance, the 2019 graduate became a Senior Economic Consultant and then moved to a role relating to disputes and investigations, which is a clear jump into a more focused economics-related career. On the other hand, some others from earlier years have settled into roles that are a bit more varied and disconnected from core economics principles, such as management in the food industry or retail. Others are taking on positions in areas like technology and finance, showing that there is potential for meaningful careers related to their degree. Overall, while not all paths are directly tied to economics, many are finding ways to utilize their skills effectively as they progress in their careers.

How hard is a Economics degree from University of California, Santa Cruz?

Getting a Bachelor’s degree in Economics at UC Santa Cruz—or really, at most universities—is generally considered to be somewhere around average in terms of difficulty. You’ll dive into some complex theories, statistics, and math, which can be a bit challenging, especially if numbers aren’t your thing. But the good news is that if you're interested in how economies work and enjoy analyzing data, you might find it pretty engaging! Plus, UCSC has a supportive environment with resources like tutoring and study groups, which can really help you out along the way. It’s definitely a workload, but manageable if you stay on top of things and genuinely enjoy the subject matter.

How long does it take?

Most commonly, in the LinkedIn profiles we've looked at, it takes people 4 years to finish a Bachelor degree in Economics.

Do Economics graduates from University of California, Santa Cruz tend to make good money?

Looking at the career paths of these UC Santa Cruz Economics grads, it seems like some of them are doing pretty well while others might not be raking it in as much. For instance, the one who climbed the ranks from an Accounting Assistant to an Accounting Manager and then to a General Manager is likely making decent money, especially in the finance and accounting sectors where salaries can be good. On the flip side, positions like Delivery Driver or Supervisor at places like Mountain Mike's or PetSmart don’t generally offer the highest pay, so they might not be cashing in big time. Overall, it seems like there's a mix of okay salaries in some roles, but definitely not all of them are hitting the jackpot. It really depends on the industry and the specific roles these grads have taken on.

What buzzwords do Economics graduates use to describe themselves?

Here is a visual representation of the most common words seen in the "about" section of LinkedIn profiles who have a Bachelor degree in Economics (this is across all Economics graduates we've analyzed, not just those who went to University of California, Santa Cruz). This may or may not be useful:

What are the best colleges for Economics?

Here are all colleges offering a Bachelor degree in Economics (ordered by the average relevance score of their Economics graduates, best to worst) where we have analyzed at least 10 of their graduates:

College Score Count
University of Chicago 83 22
Northwestern University 80 26
Middlebury College 79 13
Davidson College 79 11
Miami University 78 10
Columbia University in the City of New York 78 10
University of Notre Dame 75 11
University of Maryland College Park 74 32
Villanova University 74 14
Dartmouth College 74 16
Indiana University Bloomington 73 15
University of Michigan 73 51
University of California, Berkeley 73 56
The University of Texas at Dallas 73 12
Boston College 73 33
Harvard University 73 20
The Ohio State University 72 26
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 72 26
Binghamton University 72 18
Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick 71 11
Hillsdale College 71 13
Penn State University 70 51
Clemson University 70 17
University of Utah 70 19
University of Minnesota 70 13
Duke University 70 13
The University of Texas at Austin 69 44
Michigan State University 69 33
The University of Georgia 69 12
University of Pennsylvania 69 18
Yale University 69 15
Florida International University 68 18
Hamilton College 68 14
University of North Texas 67 14
Brigham Young University 67 26
University of California, Los Angeles 67 44
Colorado State University 67 15
Boston University 67 13
University of Massachusetts, Amherst 67 10
Vanderbilt University 67 19
Arizona State University 66 30
UC Santa Barbara 66 19
William & Mary 66 11
University of Massachusetts Boston 66 10
College of the Holy Cross 66 17
University of South Florida 65 15
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 65 24
James Madison University 65 11
University of Colorado Boulder 65 26
University of Southern California 65 24
University of Maryland 65 23
Syracuse University 65 11
University of California, San Diego 65 15
Fordham University 65 15
Stanford University 65 12
University of Wisconsin-Madison 64 48
University of Houston 64 19
San Diego State University-California State University 64 13
University of Florida 63 35
New York University 63 37
University of Virginia 63 30
University of Connecticut 63 23
University of California San Diego 63 11
Texas A&M University 62 46
University of Pittsburgh 62 20
Northeastern University 61 16
Cornell University 61 18
University of Miami 61 14
University at Albany, SUNY 61 18
University of California, Davis 60 33
University of California, Santa Cruz 60 11
University at Buffalo 60 16
Virginia Commonwealth University 59 11
Texas Christian University 59 16
Tufts University 59 10
Spelman College 59 12
Occidental College 59 11
Florida State University 58 37
University of Oregon 58 24
UC Irvine 58 13
Stony Brook University 58 10
The George Washington University 58 14
Emory University 58 11
University of Iowa 57 13
Santa Clara University 57 11
University of Washington 56 29
Rutgers University 56 15
Loyola Marymount University 56 11
University of Central Florida 55 12
University of Arizona 55 16
University of Hawaii at Manoa 55 12
Southern Methodist University 55 13
Georgia State University 54 17
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 54 16
Denison University 54 13
California State University-Sacramento 53 19
George Mason University 53 22
University of Delaware 53 11
San Diego State University 51 17
Northern Illinois University 51 12
University of California, Irvine 51 10
University of Georgia - Terry College of Business 51 10
Queens College 50 16
The University of Texas at Arlington 48 12
University of California, Riverside 48 14
North Carolina State University 46 10
San Jose State University 45 16
University of Nevada-Las Vegas 44 10
Baruch College 44 11
Wake Forest University 44 11
University of South Carolina 38 10
Temple University 35 11
United States Military Academy at West Point 23 15