What an economist can work with. Economist profession

Economist is traditionally one of the most popular areas of study in Russian universities. IQ Review will tell you what the profession "economist" is, how it differs from being an accountant, and how much is paid for it. Natalya, an economist with five years of experience, shared her story.

Why I chose the profession of an economist

I live in the Kastorensky district of the Kursk region. worked for 5 years, started working after graduating from the 3rd year of the institute.

Why does a business need an economist?

Many people think that the profession is akin to that of an accountant. After all, both of them work with figures related to the work of the organization, its profitability and results.

The difference between an economist and an accountant is that the accountant actually collects and systematizes the documentation and its content, and the economist must analyze and evaluate the results of work for a specific period, identify shortcomings and, based on what happened, make a forecast.

Yes, the economist is a kind of predictor based on facts.

What you need to know to work as an economist

First of all, working as an economist implies close communication with numbers, formulas and various ratios. Therefore, knowledge of mathematics and its foundations is required. Anyone who is not able to find a percentage of a given number simply has nothing to do in this area. It is desirable, or rather, even obligatory, that a person has an analytical mindset. Indeed, based on the data obtained, it is necessary to assess the situation at the enterprise and submit a report to the head.

An example of work is to prove which of the selected areas of activity is profitable, and which project should be suspended or completely closed.

Now the overwhelming majority of specialized higher educational institutions, technical schools and colleges have faculties that train economists. This is due to the fact that the profession is very popular among young people. The university that I graduated from has an agricultural focus. From the first to the third year, we studied subjects that all literate and educated agricultural workers should know. I will not list everything, but among them were plant growing, animal husbandry, philosophy, mechanization and others.

At first we did not understand why we, for example, need mechanization. But in senior years, when, according to statistics or economics, enterprises began to ask us tasks for calculating fuel consumption, seed yield or livestock productivity, in which it was necessary to derive profitability and projected profit, everything fell into place.

The essence of the profession of economist is to know all the ins and outs of the enterprise, every "screw" that can be "screwed" into the system in order to increase the return.

And, of course, in modern conditions every specialist should know a computer. And far from at the user level. An advanced user of Microsoft Office programs is the minimum that is needed for work, usually they also require knowledge of 1C products.

How to find a job as a beginner economist

Getting a job as an economist, especially from scratch, without work experience, is very difficult, almost unrealistic. This takes a chance. Newcomers can get this job in an alternative way - to start working at the enterprise in another position, while studying at a university with a degree in economics. The management will definitely notice the employee's desire for improvement and, at the first opportunity, will provide the desired position.

Typically, when hiring new recruits for this position, managers do not make serious demands. They ask to present a diploma of education and ask several questions about the availability of knowledge in the field in which the company operates. Whether the candidate will cope with his duties or not is to be found out during the probationary period. For all employees, this is three months, for the management staff, the period can be extended to six months. At this time, the management of the enterprise may decide to dismiss the employee due to the fact that he does not cope with duties. Therefore, apart from the wasted time, the director of the enterprise does not risk anything in this situation.

The main thing that managers pay special attention to when hiring for any position is benevolence, correct speech formulation and communication skills of the applicant. In particular, in the provinces, where everyone knows everything about each other, the authorities usually make inquiries about the person.

How I found a job - personal experience

Of personal experience I can say that I read an ad in the local newspaper that a business needs an economist. Having plucked up arrogance, since I had finished only the third year at the institute by profession, I came to the director and said that I did not know anything about my work, but I was eager to work in this particular area and in this position. I must say that I worked as a salesman for a long time, so I imagined the "kitchen" of a trading enterprise. This has also been said. I don't know what was the decisive factor, but two days later the director called me back and invited me to come with the documents for registration at the company's office.

Functional responsibilities of an economist at an enterprise

A few words about what an economist should do in his workplace every day. First you need to describe the company itself a little. This is a link of a network company known in Russia that specializes in retail goods of the first demand (food, household group, furniture, toys and stationery). The structure of the organization, which was managed by 6 people, included 30 rural shops.

The first thing my activity started with was compiling the daily turnover in the context of each store. For this there was a special notebook, which was lined by hand, where the list of stores was located horizontally, and the sums of the daily proceeds handed over to each outlet were entered vertically. The amounts were selected from the 1C program on a cumulative basis. As a result, at the end of the month, the result of the enterprise's work was visible in the form of a total amount and the result of each store's work and its turnover. This concept hides the number of days required to sell the average stock of goods. point of sale... Average inventory for the period is divided by the point's average daily turnover.

At the end of each month, in a special table made in the Excel editor, a comparative analysis of the work of each outlet was carried out in comparison with the previous month and the same period last year. This made it possible to analyze the work of the enterprise as a whole and for each department. In the same way, costs and expenses were analyzed. I made similar forms for analyzing the costs of electricity, renovation of premises, gas supply, wages and deductions, the amount of the balance of goods in stores.

The number of reports that I was responsible for is difficult to calculate. The main three were sent monthly to the head office located in the city of Kursk, and included all the indicators that the company achieved over the past month. Each month a report was drawn up to the Statistics Office that included the same data. In addition, quarterly and yearly reports on production indicators for the quarter and year were submitted.

By the end of the quarter, I was developing a plan for each outlet for the next three months. The planning was based on a comparative analysis of the same periods of the past three years and the last quarter.

By all rules, the plan for a retail outlet should be directly linked to the number of people living in the village where the store operates, but this is a real problem. Information about the inhabitants is collected by calling the village administrations, and they have one thing in their papers, but in fact, quite another. They give information only about registered citizens who, perhaps, have not lived there for many years, and those who came to work and live without a registration are simply not taken into account.

Therefore, my method was the most optimal. In January of each year, an indicative plan was drawn up for the coming year. It was based on the numbers presented to us by the parent company and the capabilities of each store.

How much do economists earn

It's hard for me to talk about how much people of my profession earn in big cities, but for our area my salary was considered good. My salary was 16,000 rubles. Minus from this figure income tax 13% and trade union dues, about 14,500 rubles a month came out to hand. Labor remuneration was carried out officially, with all the necessary deductions. The social package was presented only by payment for sick leave and gifts for children for the New Year holidays - not the scale of an enterprise where there are free trips to the sea or their own children's camps.

According to the statistics I was interested in, the minimum wage of an economist in a large city starts at 22,000 rubles, and its upper limit is 80,000 rubles. But in order to earn so much, you need to have extensive experience in working in this specialty, and besides, live in the city.

Pros and cons of being an economist

The advantages of the profession include the fact that an economist is an employee independent of anyone except the director. In addition, people who decided to devote themselves to this profession are individuals who put a creative approach to activity at the forefront. The ability to see things that are not visible to others, to improve the structure and staffing in order to direct efforts towards achieving the set goals is really interesting.

I do not see any drawbacks in this work. The only disadvantage inherent in the overwhelming majority of enterprises in our time is to burden the one who copes with their duties with the maximum number of additional functions that distract from the main process.

What it takes to be appreciated and noticed

In my case, only the chief accountant and the director of the organization were above me in rank. Accounting is not mine! And there was no desire to become a leader. No, I do not want to say that I am not ambitious! Very much! But this is not the case. Our director had so many responsibilities and problems that it sometimes seemed to me as if he had spent the night in his office. The business he inherited from his predecessor was in a state of extreme decline. And he didn't even have time to breathe.

I held a good position, I really liked my job, and did not want to change anything. In addition, not having much seniority and experience, I tried to travel to neighboring branches of the parent organization to see experienced economists, where I learned a lot. Several times I was sent to refresher courses, after which I was entrusted to work with personnel.

Parting words for beginners

The most important thing in our profession, as in any other, is to remain human. Attention to details and numbers, perseverance and literacy are the qualities that must be present. It is advisable, if the opportunity presents itself, to first get a job as an assistant economist. This will avoid many of the mistakes and miscalculations common to beginners in any profession.

Economist is a specialist in financial planning, management and research of financial and economic activities, who takes part in budget planning, controls the organization's expenses, deals with accounting and conducts an audit. In other words, an expert on economic issues.

This is one of the most important specialists, since he is in charge of the financial well-being of the company, and in some cases its existence at all.

The sphere of issues that the economist deals with include:

- the correct setting of priorities and goals to maximize profits with the least losses;
- economic analysis of the economic activity of the enterprise;
- development of measures to promote the economy;
- increasing efficiency and identifying reserves;
- prevention of losses and expenses, rational spending of funds;
- making calculations for labor, material and financial costs necessary to bring work, services, developments and research into the development of new equipment or technology.

Features of the profession

An economist conducts an economic analysis of the organization's performance to improve its efficiency. This is a modern profession, although the word "economics" appeared in ancient Greece, then it meant "home economics", i.e. the object of economic analysis was household management.
In fact, economists are needed by very different enterprises: small firms and large banks. Depending on the specialization, they are needed by organizations: financial and credit, commercial, accounting and audit, etc.

Essential qualities of an economist

- high intelligence and efficiency;
- ability to work with large amounts of information;
- the ability to correctly express your point of view and the ability to prove it;
- organization and responsibility;
- self-confidence and active life position;
- a penchant for research and professional knowledge of macroeconomics and microeconomics, statistics and financial planning, budgeting and special computer programs, tax and labor legislation;
- critical thinking;
- assessment of the effectiveness and feasibility of their own and others' actions;
- the ability to quickly analyze the situation and make a high-quality forecast.

Where can an economist work?

An economist can work in government institutions (Ministry of Finance, Central Bank), in banks and financial organizations, in enterprises of various industries, in educational institutions, in various business structures, in research institutes.

Let's start with the relevance of the profession of economist. This specialty quickly moved from a hopeless one to the forefront with the advent of the free market and which, since the 1990s, has been at the top of the list of priority specialties among those entering higher educational institutions.

When choosing the profession of an economist, as a promising and successful one, it is only necessary to take into account all the pros and cons of this specialty, as well as how much you like working with calculations and solving certain problems yourself.

The profession of an economist has advantages:

• The profession of an economist is universal; therefore, to receive an economic education - this means even for a specialist with a different education, contributes to the increase of competence;

• A specialist who masters the profession of an economist has a good perspective in the implementation of his professional knowledge, even if there is a large number of graduates with an economic education.

Currently, more and more people are striving to receive, along with another profession, additional economic education, which contributes to a better understanding of the laws in force in economics and expanding their horizons in the field of business.

Economists are in demand for every company in which you can apply your knowledge in economics, since the prospects for employment have a positive trend.

For a graduate of an educational institution, it is required to immediately determine the area in which he prefers to carry out his activities in the field of economics.

Areas of economics include a variety of areas, in the form of:

• financial management;
• accounting;
• analysis;
• marketing and others.

Various areas of economic activity contribute to the achievement of a successful career.

And one of the advantages is that this activity belongs to the category of fairly independent, since it is necessary not only to analyze the processes in the economy, but also to influence their implementation, as a strategist - commander, by:

• improving the structure of the enterprise;
• optimization of the staff;
• concentration of efforts to achieve the assigned tasks.

An important advantage of the profession of an economist is a high salary, for example, the salary of economists with experience can reach more than 50 thousand rubles.

The profession of an economist also has disadvantages:

• One of them in the profession of an economist is that a specialist without experience has to work for a relatively low salary up to several years;

• In addition, at the initial stage of the career ladder, ordinary economists have a lot of competition, so they usually have to gain experience in small companies.

Therefore, when choosing the profession of an economist, it is necessary to consider the pros and cons and how they relate to each other.

Remember the qualities that a future economist should have:

• stress tolerance;
• sociability;
• attentiveness and good memory;
• the ability to perform a lot of monotonous work;
• ability to smooth out conflicts that have arisen;
• a neat appearance that will make people trust you;
• knowledge of a foreign language, and preferably several.

You can get acquainted with the profession of an economist by watching this video.

Where to get an education in economics? To do this, you will find universities in your or neighboring cities. the advantage of modern education is the opportunity to receive it by correspondence. This means that you can work in this position in parallel, but for less money. But you will get a more complete picture of this profession and experience in this area.

The ideas of the greatest economist Karl Marx formed the basis of the idea of \u200b\u200bthe Russian revolution. Vladimir Lenin found in them the truth of a new world, a new structure. The scientist's works changed not only Russian, but also world history. It was on their basis that communism in the Soviet interpretation was built. Joseph Stiglitz criticized World Bank policies even as the organization's chief economist. He literally made the world public pay attention to the obstacles that the free market creates in developing countries.Paul Krugman seemed like a soothsayer at all, because throughout the entire presidency of George W. Bush he predicted the economic consequences of every decision of the first person of the state and turned out to be right.

It is difficult to overestimate the role of leading experts in the global economy. But is it realistic to achieve such heights by graduating from one of the provincial Russian universities? Who is an economist, what should a specialist know and what can a specialist expect? Let's talk about this further.

Who is an economist

An economist is a specialist in the field of economic sciences. At the heart of his professional activity is research, planning and management of activities (primarily economic). Contrary to popular belief, economics is a liberal arts science, not a technical one. Do not confuse the profession with the profession of an accountant or financier. This is an independent industry, and the work of specialists is aimed specifically at analysis, planning, research of consequences and risks. An economist can be a scientist (theoretician) or a leader (practitioner). The list of responsibilities and tasks depends on the position.

What a practicing economist does:

• Plans the activities of the company.
• Analyzes processes, develops strategies for increasing economic efficiency.
• Determines the system of remuneration of personnel, their financial motivation.
• Calculates the costs and profits of an enterprise in the short and long term.
• Supervises financial processes at the enterprise.

A practicing economist can also hold positions in government agencies - for example, be the minister of economic development. However, more often such positions go to theorists - scientists who are able to look at things more broadly and work with the larger economies of cities, regions and countries. Practices are more often in demand at enterprises, banks and other financial institutions, in the hotel and restaurant business... Depending on the qualifications, a specialist can hold different positions in the structure of the company.

Key features of the profession

The main task of a specialist in an enterprise is to organize activities in such a way that it is profitable, and the profit grows constantly. Knowledge of the economy alone is not enough for high company profits.

Therefore, it is important to ensure interaction with engineers, marketers, HR managers, senior management and other parts of the organization.

Example : The economist considers it necessary to purchase inexpensive Chinese equipment during the crisis and reduce this item of expenditure by 30%. But production engineers know that this particular technique will not allow to ensure production at the rate and quality of products. If a decision is made on the basis of only one economic component, it will lead to collapse. Therefore, it is so important to contact the personnel of the company, with its management.

Accordingly, the basic features of the profession can be distinguished:

1. The need to build contact with company personnel, collect information from experts in each specific issue.
2. Participation in the construction of large-scale strategies, the ability to ensure their implementation in the short and long term.
3. The relevance of constant analysis of the market situation and raising one's own qualifications - the market is changing too quickly.

In addition, each enterprise may require a specialist to perform a different range of tasks. So a small company cannot afford to maintain a wide staff of personnel in the field of economics and finance. Accordingly, an economist can take on the functions of an accountant, financier, auditor and other specialties, which are his main job responsibilities are related indirectly. Practice shows that economists in the initial understanding of the meaning of this profession are mainly scientists and officials who are abstracted from the realities of modern production.

What an Economist Should Know

First of all, the theory. In practice, managers, finance and credit specialists can work in this position. But in comparison with narrow specialists in the industry, they have a key drawback - the lack of specialized higher education. In the course of it, the most powerful theoretical base is laid, which is important to be able to apply in practice.

What an economist should know first:

• The theory of economic sciences.
• Accounting.
• Precedents from international experience.
• Algorithms for overcoming the crisis.
• Investment and management.

Many specialists receive a second degree after employment. For example, when working for a company specializing in the production of food products, they acquire the additional profession of a production technologist. This helps to improve operational efficiency and understanding of the key features of the enterprise. In this case, the economy is inextricably linked with production. And to ensure the maximum profit of the company, the least painful way out of the crisis and efficiency of labor is possible only with expert knowledge of the specifics of the enterprise.

What personal qualities should a specialist have?

Analytical mind... An economist is, first of all, a strategist and an excellent manager. In this situation, he needs to analyze a lot, see what even the top management of the company does not see.

Market research, monitoring the dynamics of the company's economic development, building a strategy to increase profits and reduce operating costs are the basic tasks of a specialist.

An analytical mind and the ability to see the picture of the market in nuances are the key qualities that a specialist should have.

Perfectionism... Psychologists call the constant pursuit of ideals a deviation from the norm, but for the economist it is necessary to some extent. One overlooked nuance can make the whole economic picture of an enterprise wrong. In this situation, dedication is especially important, the willingness to repeatedly re-check strategies and ideas. An important role is played by constant development, the desire for self-education and the study of world experience. The market does not stand still, and the economist needs constant analysis of the situation.

Sociability... A practitioner needs to contact employees of enterprises, organizations, institutions and institutions. He cannot be an expert on all issues, therefore the ability to get professional opinion from a person who is better versed in any issue is especially important. It is equally important to find a common language with the management and convince them of the correctness of the proposed strategy for economic development or overcoming the crisis - in practice, bosses rarely trust their subordinates, regardless of the qualifications and achievements of the employee.

Where is the best place to study to be an economist

The school presentation should not confuse you. Private universities, online universities are all good, but not for the first education. It is best to get it at a classical state university or institute. And the more prestigious the educational institution you choose, the better.

• Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
• High School of Economics.
• MGIMO.
• University of Economics. Plekhanov
• Moscow State University Lomonosov.

The leadership of these universities is ambiguous. In various ratings, the TOP-5 includes St. Petersburg State University, the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation and other higher educational institutions.

Pay attention not so much to statistical as to real indicators. Find out in the admissions committee what percentage of graduates work in their specialty. Refine the average salary data. Pay attention to the reviews of students and alumni - this information is constantly changing and will be relevant only at the time of the search. Don't be lazy to find and analyze it.

Is there a chance for graduates of regional, less prestigious universities for a successful career? Certainly. Graduates of prestigious universities have advantages at the start, but as they work, all preferences disappear. Whether you can make a dizzying career or be content with an average salary - it depends only on you. 90% of the best economists in the world graduated from prestigious universities. But getting into the remaining 10% is quite possible if you really want to.

Pros and cons of the profession

When talking about advantages and disadvantages, it is important to keep their convention in mind. In different companies and organizations, economists may be endowed with different powers, they may have different requirements. Therefore, we note only those advantages and disadvantages that are most common and claim to be objective.

Advantages of the profession of an economist:

• A chance to make a dizzying career.
• High wages on average.
• A prestigious profession.
• The opportunity to take leadership positions.
• An interesting job for people with an analytical mindset.
• Significant influence.

The influence of a specialist is expressed in his professional role: it is on the correctness of the chosen strategy of economic development that the fate of an enterprise, and sometimes of a region, country, and world economy, will depend. When schoolchildren write an essay on the topic “My future profession - economist ”they do not always realize the importance of this specialty. But just as often, they forget about significant flaws.

Cons of the profession of an economist:

• Complexity of learning.
• A minimum of budget places.
• Preferences for graduates of prestigious universities.
• Complex work without instructions and algorithms.
• The need to constantly improve.

Lack of instructions is one of the key disadvantages. If at school you are used to learning formulas, theorems and solving template problems on the basis of the knowledge gained, then everything will be completely different here. You know how the head of a large company coped with the crisis. But not sure what to do when your company is suffering losses due to ad campaign failure. Therefore, there can be no question of any instructions and guarantees of the fidelity of your decision.

How much does an economist get

Salaries differ not only in regions - there is a significant difference between the maximum and minimum wages.

The average salary of an economist in Russia is 42 thousand rubles. But it is obvious that this is the "average temperature in the hospital." About 70% of specialists work in the regions and receive no more than 25-27 thousand rubles. Here the gap is significant even in comparison with the national average.

In the capital, the average salary of an economist is 90 thousand rubles. But even here there are specialists who work for the notorious 30 thousand. The gap between the maximum and minimum wages is significant. According to statistics, the best specialists in Russia in the field of economics receive over 450 thousand rubles a month. Naturally, their share of the total is extremely small. The size of your salary will depend only on you - no one can guarantee the maximum.

Summary

If you decide to choose economics as the area of \u200b\u200byour professional development, then try to choose a state and most prestigious university for training. Remember that this is not the easiest profession, it is suitable only for very responsible, developed people with an analytical mindset. You will have to work hard and take risks to make a great career. Hoping for huge salaries right after graduation is not worth it.

Economist

Instructions

If the economic specialization is global and regional, then a person with such an education can work in the field of planning the economic activities of enterprises. Such activities are carried out by all large organizations without exception. A specialist in the field of the world economy can be useful when working in various executive bodies (the Ministry of Economic Development, for example), where the most important problems of the country's economic development are being addressed.

Economics education can deal with very narrow issues, for example, an in-depth study of the economics of an enterprise, economics of wages, the work of the banking sector, etc. Such a specialist can get a job in specialized enterprises and departments corresponding to his education. As a rule, wages for such employment are quite high, but the demand for such specialists is very limited. Often, such specialists are forced to work outside their specialty.

Multidisciplinary specialists with economic education are in great demand in the labor market. A person who understands the economic issues of the work of many departments of the enterprise is a potentially valuable employee for any large firm. The fact is that a lot depends on the employee's ability for self-development, his outlook and work experience. In this case, all for such a specialist is his track record and the presence of various certificates confirming his high qualifications.

If it comes to employment after graduation, then any job in the economic specialty will be useful for the young. Various banks and credit institutions... Most often they have to work directly with clients. Sometimes young economists have to go to work with contractual information, which is also a good experience, since the workflow is the circulatory system of any organization.

The crisis of overproduction of personnel in this specialty is obvious, and many universities even began to close economic departments or sharply limit the enrollment of students. But it is still possible to get a job as an economist if you constantly improve your professional level and do not spare your time searching.

Instructions

If you recently got your degree and don't have a job yet, try applying for a budget institution. Your salary will be low, but you will acquire the necessary skills for economic planning of the organization's activities, which, over time, will help you get a more prestigious job.

If you have not worked in your specialty for a long time after graduation, but circumstances forced you to look for work, then, perhaps, you will also be admitted to a budgetary organization, but already with a trial period, since you will no longer be a young specialist for whom this period, according to the TC, they have no right to establish.

If you worked in a related specialty (accountant or bookkeeper), then first you will need to get a higher education (in the event that you only have or even courses behind you). If you have a higher education, then you will need to take refresher courses. However, not every employer will take the former “” - for the position of “theorist” -economist, so be prepared for possible rejections and be patient.

To find a suitable vacancy, you must constantly review the information published in the media and posted on the Internet. If you know someone in an organization that needs an economist, cast aside false shame and try to get a job under their patronage.

Many organizations and firms do not publish vacancies in this specialty, relying on employees who have proven themselves well in other places, whose activities are monitored by different methods. So, if you are already working, try to do your best to get a job at another company.

Despite the constant talk about oversaturation of the market with financiers, representatives of this profession are still among the most demanded and highly paid specialists. And there are still not enough professionals in this area. How do you become a good economist?

Instructions

1.determination of the efficiency of production and labor activities;

2. calculation of financial, material and labor costs required for the sale and production of products;

3. maintaining periodic reporting, developing, maintaining and updating the database of information of an economic nature, making changes to the database that occurred during data processing;

4. keeping records of indicators for all the results of the economic and financial activities of the company.

What should an economist know?

In addition to his direct responsibilities, an economist must know the regulatory framework for audit and accounting, economic activity, and statistical planning of the company.

It is impossible to be a professional specialist without knowledge of planning and accounting documentation, the organization of statistical and operational accounting of indicators, methods of economic analysis. A good economist knows market methods of management and production technology.