Thursday, October 27, 2016

Dear Millennials: Stop Majoring in Stupid Bullshit



You may choose a wise major here.

6 comments:

Isaac said...

Aaron, I don't understand why you call yourself an economist. Do you actually have a graduate degree in economics or finance? Is your current job title "economist"? I read somewhere you were a security guard, but I have no idea if that is true.

Can you mathematically prove that a preference relation on an n-dimensional feasible consumption set can be represented by a utility function if and only if those preferences are monotone and transitive? Can you prove that a cauchy sequence converges? Can you code a DSGE model in Python/C++/R/Matlab? Can you derive a GMM estimator in any programming language? Can you code an algorithm to optimally allocate scarce kidneys under time constraints when lives are at stake? Can you use time series econometrics to forecast macroeconomic variables 6 months out? Can you even code Markowitz protfolio optimization with short sale constraints? Can you derive the solution to the Black-Scholes partial differential equation? Can you find the optimal price for a european style call option? Can you even fucking find the first order conditions?

I think you have have a well researched ideology and mistakenly construe this as "being an economist". Maybe you should change the title of your blog to "rantings of a frustrated LIBERTARIAN" I really thought you might have anything to say about economics or had some credentials, but I don't think you actually do and I feel very misled and slightly ticked off.

Captain Capitalism said...

Issac, why would I do that? That's what academians who couldn't land jobs do in college. I was paid by a bank to be an economist and predict markets and assess risk.

But if you want to make up for the fact nobody hired you as an economist by becoming a computer programmer and mathematician, by all means, mathematically masturbate yoruself away.

Aaron

PS-Yes, optimized Markowtiz efficient frontier analysis doing the calculations by hand AND included Tobin's inclusion of risk free assets. Pussy.

Lab Guy said...

I'm guessing Isaac has never heard of praxeology which is able to explain a lot of economic issues. Something used by that crazy Mises guy who also believed in limited government and free markets.

If anyone wants to prove that the mathematical BS is a reliable predictor of economics with humans involved, let them plug that praxeology aspect into their crappy models.

mike said...

LOL @ Isaac.

You got served, bitch.

Lab Guy said...

I took time to listen to this video. I think you were a bit harsh on the guy but he is kind of dumb to do something he did not enjoy to begin with or will not enjoy in the future. GIS is in demand and I've seen a number of jobs request it.

It may not be as dead end as you assume, but he will have to beef up his skill in other areas with some courses in SQL, Python, and some other tools. Maybe get some practical work as a surveyor and get a surveyor's license or take some science classes. His first jobs may not pay too well but after a few years it could improve if he ups his skill set.

http://www.gisjobs.com/index.php

Anonymous said...

Don't study chemistry. Wages are low and the work sucks. Not all STEM is equal.