In Economics you learn about supply and demand, perfect and imperfect competition, taxation, international trade, price controls, monetary policy, exchange rates, interest rates, unemployment and inflation amongst many other topics to understand individual markets, the aggregate economy and government policies. This is a valuable knowledge on its own. However, arguably the most important skill developed in an economics major is not necessarily the specifics of the various theoretical models. The most important skill is cultivating a way of thinking that requires a critical eye and a rigorous method of logical reasoning. Building models and thinking within the constraints of the assumptions of the models makes the Economist think carefully about the necessary conditions for a specific conclusion to be valid.  By studying economic models, you are also developing the skill of learning new and complex things even when too abstract (e.g, utility, deadweight loss, economic surplus). If you can do this through an economics major you can do it regarding new products, fields, business models, strategies, industries and regions; which is a valuable skill for many job positions particularly those related to business.

Economics also looks at many relations between variables: prices and quantities, revenues and elasticity, output and inflation, productivity and aggregate growth, education and salaries, trade and exchange rates, etc. The relationships between two variables studied in economics in many instances arise out of a chain of relationships of more than two variables and connecting the dots is an important process in understanding economics. In this process, the economics major develops a trained eye to understand complex relationships and find new relationships to explore.

To learn more about how an Economics major helps you develop valuable skills for the job market read the full document here.