I'm currently an Econ PhD student, and therefore have some technical skills. For example, I minored in math, and we do a good amount of algebra, probability, calculus, matrix algebra, and real analysis in my program. On top of that, I know how to run regressions. I'm not claiming I'm the most technical person, but I imagine I'm more comfortable with quantitative stuff than a large chunk of the working population. More importantly, this background allows me to teach myself more technical stuff relatively quickly. For example, I might not know how to run some regression technique, but I can pick up a grad-level textbook on the subject and teach it to myself. I don't know how to do any programming yet, but I'm sure I could learn some if I need to.
I intend to leave my PhD program once I earn the masters degree (I no longer want the PhD). Now, this brings me to my question. What kinds of business jobs will my technical background/skills help me get into? Also, how useful is the experience at these jobs (i.e. what are the exit opps)? I probably won't try to stay in a technical role for my entire career, but given my background it seems like a potentially good place for me to start. Below are some of the jobs I've come up with, along with some of my thoughts on them. I'm hoping you guys will add to the list.
Fixed Income Analyst - I think I would be very happy with this job, and if I could get in at the entry-level, I'd probably try to make a long-term career out of it (such as eventually becoming a FI money manager, portfolio manager, etc).
Market Research - Seems like a job that pays somewhat well at the entry-level. If I did market research, I definitely wouldn't be trying to do it for the rest of my life. I'd be looking to put in 2-5 years, then switch to something else (even getting an MBA, if need be, to make the switch). I'm not exactly sure what the exit opps are, but I'm guessing I could maybe switch to general marketing. If I worked mainly within one industry, maybe I could land a job in that industry, or maybe as an equity analyst within that industry (someone tell me if these are just pipe dreams).
Business Analyst - I don't know much about this job. I hope that working as a business analyst would allow me to learn about the firm/industry, and maybe move up into other stuff (like marketing or strategy).
Actuary - I'm not really considering this too seriously. The job doesn't sound that great to me. Again, I'd definitely be trying to leave within a few years, and I fear the skillset is much more specific than some of these other jobs.
Read up on Operations Research and the many fields that use it: http://www.scienceofbetter.org/
Don't do the Business Analyst job - it requires no technical skills
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