I'm currently in an Econ PhD program and the work is really tough. I would only dropout if I lost funding (which only happens if my GPA falls below a 3.0). My question is, how hard is it to find work if you dropout of a PhD program? Does it look really bad to employers, or is it not a huge deal? I'm not talking about getting the ultra-competitive jobs, like i-banking at top notch firms in NYC. Rather, I'm talking about finding work in a regional market (city size approximately 500,000), in either asset management, corporate finance, private equity, or i-banking (all these sound intriguing, so I'd take what I can get). In case it helps answer the question, I have an undergrad degree from a top 50 US University, where I majored in Econ and minored in Math with a 3.7 GPA.
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How many years have you finished? If you're close to your quals then at least get the ABD. If it's just been 1-2 years and your heart isn't in it anymore (which it sounds like) then do recruitment or apply to another program like an MFE. I think you can explain that the econ program wasn't a good fit.
I'm in my first quarter. If you do well enough on the quals, you get a masters (which I hope to do, since that way I won't be leaving empty handed, and it's easier to explain/justify). I'm just wondering how bad it would look to employers if I can't make it that far?
You could always not mention it
Wouldn't the gap on my (already sparse) resume be pretty obvious?
Easy if you're good looking, not so good if you're a fatty. Joke - Seriously, there are so many factors that go into getting a job. Do you think Steve Jobs would have a problem getting a job even though he didn't finish college?
This sounds like a "I have a 3.7 GPA from Ivy league school, 800GMAT, am native american - what are my chances of getting into HBS".
Relatively speaking, does anyone know how much easier (or harder) it is to get a job in market research in comparison to finance?
With a econ undergrad, a grad degree shouldn't be that difficult. Since you already anticipate getting bad grades chances are you'll eventually get them and drop out. I'd recommend you cut your losses now and get a job at a research or economic consulting firm (think Charles River Associates).
double post
do WHATEVER it takes to get the masters
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