If you're thinking about which direction to take your research career, one possibility is the professor route, teaching and researching in a university context. This is one of the most desirable jobs among young academics, and something that people often strive for. But what are the pros and cons of working as a college professor?

When you apply for a PhD, you will need to write not just a research proposal but also a letter of motivation. This letter describes why you wish to undertake a PhD and why you would be well-suited to researching your proposed topic. But what needs to go in this letter, and what tone is appropriate for it? To give you some ideas, today INOMICS is sharing a sample letter of motivation, as well as offering advice on how to write our own, so you can maximise your chances of getting accepted.

There are now more online learning options than ever, including courses which are - thank you Internet - absolutely free. Whether you want to prepare for your upcoming university course, need to pick up some extra skills to help with your job, or you are just interested in a subject and want to learn more, there will be an online course out there that can help you achieve your goals.

Getting published. It's the bane of many economists' lives, and it's never been so important. Jobs, tenure, not to mention reputation, all now heavily rely on getting published, often regularly. Unsurprisingly, given its importance, there's much to consider when approaching journals. Where your work is published can have a huge effect on how it's perceived, how many people it reaches, and what kind of profile engages with it.

If you're working on a degree in economics with a specialisation in finance, or if you're considering doing such a course, then you might be wondering about the career options that it will open to you. Here are some of the top career paths for financial economists. Browse our finance economics job listings

Innovation Economics is a relatively new branch of economics that focuses on (rather predictably) innovation, alongside the study of technology, knowledge, and entrepreneurship. It aims to understand where new ideas come from, and how we can put forward policies which will encourage the development of new ways of thinking. As many nations move away from an industrial model of production and towards a knowledge-based economy, the economics of innovation becomes more and more relevant.

When discussing jobs in the government, the type of work that comes to mind is most likely influenced by your particular background. In countries in which large segments of the economy are nationalized, it’s possible to become a civil servant in nearly any field. In other places, your options might be more limited. Regardless of where you’re from, or where you’d like to work, however, every government employs economists, and it’s easy to argue that they’re needed now more than ever - though in the weird times of the pandemic, finding a government job may be more complicated.

Studying macroeconomics, as many INOMICS users have done, opens doors to countless different jobs down the line.

In 2018 we at INOMICS released another of our Salary Reports. The report provides an overview of a survey conducted of 2175 people in 2017 and contains insights into the job market, specifically the economics job market. Respondents came from 117 countries, 17 more than the year previously, and the figure of those asked represented an increase of 11% on the previous year. The report takes into accounts of gender, level of academic degree, sector, number of years of experience and seniority.

Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming an engineer. From playing with LEGO to being an active member of my high-school robotics team, I loved building things and breaking them down to learn how they worked. This being said, I have kept an open mind about a position in management down the road and from this perspective it was important to me to prepare for a career in both business and engineering. My answer: a dual degree program whereby I completed a BA in economics alongside a BSc in Mechanical Engineering.

When it comes to choosing a career path, pragmatic people know that they shouldn't select a job purely based on how interesting they find it. In order to have a stable, long-term career, the job path chosen should be based on the needs of the market as well as the interests and skills of the individual. For this reason, we've rounded up some potential jobs for economists which are highly in demand today. 

If you're doing an economics degree and thinking about ways to maximise your career prospects once you graduate, there are lots of courses outside the realm of economics for you to choose from. From business to programming to statistics, there are plenty of areas which can help you improve your chances of getting a job and widen your skillset more generally, if you've got the money and time to enrol on one.

Upon completion of a Master's degree or PhD, the big question arises: what next? Although it seems like natural progression to continue with further research, there are many other careers open to academics in business, education, or communication and journalism, to name but a few examples. So how do you know if research is the right career choice for you? A good way of figuring it out is weighing up the pros and cons. Browse our job listings for economics opportunities

Our favorite caricature of a post-doctoral researcher: a frail man (or woman) with unkempt hair, hunched in front of a computer screen, with a half-filled cup of coffee by his side. As the coffee gets colder and time flies by, he appears oblivious to his surroundings – he is happy spending long hours at his desk conceptualizing arcane theory on obscure topics the real world does not care about. He is in a state of eternal tapasya – meditating on his eternal love-affair with knowledge… because, life is an eternal quest for knowledge!

When you apply to present at an economics conference, you'll often be asked to provide a letter of motivation along with your abstract and CV. This is used to decide which applicants will be invited to give a talk or poster presentation at the conference. But what information should this letter of motivation contain, and what's the best way to increase your chances of being accepted to present?

When applying for a academic position as a researcher, lecturer or for a fellowship, a cover letter is usually required to accompany your CV. Stating your particular interest in the role, and showing how your experience enables you to excel at the job, is the aim of a successful cover letter. They can be one of the most important parts of your application, giving the recipient an idea of who you are and what your relevant expertise is. Essentially, it's the first impression an institution will have of you, so it's important to get it right.

Despite the easing of Corona-induced restrictions in certain places around the world, many universities and centers of learning remain shut, and will likely stay so for some time. For the foreseeable future then online learning will fill the void and become the default means of study. Yes, these are strange times. If you aren't already incredibly familiar with Zoom/Whereby/Skype we advise you to download them all now!

Before you start considering what crazy lucrative job you are going to get with your economics degree, consider this fact: a lot of rich people don’t like their money. Many complain about not knowing what to do with it all, yet simultaneously having huge anxiety they’ll lose it. They moan about their friends treating them like walking bank accounts, being judged for not looking the part, and no longer being able to visit - how to put it delicately? - less refined establishments.

If you’ve ever researched how to write a cover letter, you probably know  that career experts from all over the internet agree you should never address your cover letter with a generic introduction like “To Whom It May Concern.”

Your first day at work and you’re nervous, naturally. You decide, for the sake of catharsis, to quickly recap the journey that led you to the computer screen into which you now resolutely stare, a journey that many INOMICS readers will know all too well.

You are educated, qualified and consider yourself reasonably intelligent. You have handed in countless papers, proposals, and at least one thesis. You probably have some experience under your belt, maybe already landed a pretty good job with good prospects. You are confident of your ability, ready to work evenings and weekends, and keen to impress.  You may also have a steady partner, or are thinking about settling down in the next few years, which opens the possibility of starting a family, if you haven’t already. The game is about to change.

With university doors firmly shut, and no indication when they may reopen, educators are becoming increasingly creative with their methods of teaching. Necessity, as we know, breeds innovation. Although, the shift toward online learning pre-dates the coronavirus, its spread is really speeding up the process. With each passing day, more and more courses can now be found on online, allowing students to continue with their studies, albeit from the comfort of their own home.

Here at INOMICS, we’ve always been dedicated to trying to help you, the economist (fledgling or otherwise) get the most out of your education and career. Whether that be offering you the best new courses and conferences, nudging you towards the perfect university degree, or helping you apply to jobs once you’re done studying, we’re there to give advice and present opportunities you may not have otherwise found.

Having helped so many economists take their next career step, we at INOMICS know full well how rewarding working in economics can be. When you find that solution you've been looking for, or contribute some research that actually seems to get read and make a difference, it can be the best feeling in the world. But this won't happen unless you work on yourself and the skills that are essential for becoming a successful economist and academic in general.

While you may be used to the daily routine of graduate school or teaching, presenting at a conference, or even just attending one, can be a whole different activity. The preparatory checklist is long enough as it is, without having the added conundrum of worrying about your appearance. If you’re in business school, perhaps you’re used to ironing your button-down shirt and slacks every day, but most academics cringe when they hear the term 'business casual'. But fear not.