{"id":1697,"date":"2021-02-18T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T17:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1697"},"modified":"2024-07-23T11:54:18","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T18:54:18","slug":"real-world-economists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/real-world-economists\/","title":{"rendered":"Earn an economics degree online and learn from real-world economists"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

Oregon State instructor Rhodes is an example of how to use \u2018in-demand skills in the modern workforce\u2019<\/h2>\n

Taylor Rhodes\u2019 professional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 paints the picture of an economist in high demand.<\/p>\n

In addition to teaching economics courses online for Oregon State University, he serves as a data management analyst on the U.S. Treasury Department\u2019s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act operations team.<\/p>\n

Rhodes also works as an economist for the Department of Labor. Prior to that, he was a research agricultural economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for several years.<\/p>\n

And what was his first step in building such a successful professional and academic career? He earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in economics.<\/p>\n

Oregon State offers an economics bachelor\u2019s degree online through OSU Ecampus<\/a>, and having Ph.D. instructors like Rhodes on the faculty is one of the program\u2019s many benefits. It means students learn from faculty who have immense firsthand knowledge of how economics course concepts are applied in the real world.<\/p>\n

Rhodes\u2019 work history also helps dispel a myth about what career fields economics graduates are qualified for.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most common misconception is that economists just work for the Federal Reserve or do stock-price forecasting,\u201d said the instructor, who later earned two master\u2019s degrees and a doctorate in economics. \u201cCertainly, many economists work in these fields, but the career options are broader than working in financial areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

We caught up with Rhodes to discuss more of the benefits of pursuing an economics degree online with Oregon State.<\/p>\n

How will a degree in economics benefit someone who wants to build a rewarding career in the modern workforce?<\/h3>\n

\u201cI think economics offers a great set of in-demand skills in the modern workforce, ranging from reporting, data analytics, research and public policy. Economics, at its core, is about examining current data to better understand how to best allocate and utilize scarce resources.<\/p>\n

\"A

Taylor Rhodes is an economics instructor in Oregon State’s School of Public Policy.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWhen applied to policy, economics offers a toolkit which helps to understand and evaluate competing strategies to identify optimal decision paths into the future. As technology improves over time and as more data becomes available, the demand for these skills will increase and so will entry-, mid-career and peak-career salaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you were a student in Oregon State\u2019s economics bachelor\u2019s program, what would you value the most about your online learning experience?<\/h3>\n

\u201cI would value Oregon State’s commitment to supporting education pathways for first-time and nontraditional learners, with proven success given OSU’s track record of being nationally ranked in the top 10 for online education for nearly a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you build a genuine connection with your Ecampus students whom, in many cases, you\u2019ll never meet in person?<\/h3>\n

\u201cI’ve had the honor of being a part of Oregon State for almost five years now, and many of my courses have writing components. So I\u2019m able to witness a student\u2019s progression, interest and understanding develop over a term. Also, when a student takes more than one of my courses, I’m able to recommend materials or additional courses to help them advance their training in economics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why is graduate school a good option for students who earn an economics degree online?<\/h3>\n

\u201cI think graduate training that offers data analytics, statistical and data programming, data visualization and private sector-oriented reporting is the best option for today’s labor market and the near future. These are the skills with growing demand and opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge is that graduate school is often more theoretical, so the applicable skills \u2014 like data automation, programming and creating visualizations and graphics \u2014 are self-taught.\u201d<\/p>\n

How broad of a knowledge base do economics students gain from this program?<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe program offers incredible coverage beginning with foundational courses (introductory and intermediate theory courses) and continuing with applied courses (labor economics, financial economics, environmental economics), social equality topic areas (economics of discrimination, economics of inequality), research methods (introduction to economic research) and a variety of technical courses (mathematical economics, econometrics and game theory).\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Take the next step and learn more about the Oregon State Ecampus economics degree online.<\/em><\/p>\n

Request information<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 3<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Oregon State offers an economics bachelor\u2019s degree online through OSU Ecampus, and having Ph.D. instructors like Taylor Rhodes on the faculty is one of the program\u2019s many benefits. It means students learn from faculty who have immense firsthand knowledge of how economics course concepts are applied in the real world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6,9,3,672,676],"tags":[75,261,640,25,24],"class_list":["post-1697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-ecampus","category-faculty","category-features","category-learning-experience","category-why-osu","tag-college-of-liberal-arts","tag-economics","tag-health-and-human-science","tag-online-education","tag-online-learning"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/economics-story-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-rn","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1649,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/online-economics-hope-sims\/","url_meta":{"origin":1697,"position":0},"title":"Oregon State Everywhere: Developing passions, adding skills for the future","author":"Hope Sims","date":"December 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The courses that I\u2019ve taken have helped me expand my education in economics and further develop my passions for sustainability. With the online education, I\u2019ve been able to work toward my goals as a sustainability ambassador.\" \u2014 Hope Sims, OSU economics major","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo of Hope Sims, Oregon State Ecampus online economics student","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hope-Sims-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hope-Sims-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hope-Sims-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hope-Sims-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1655,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/online-tuition\/","url_meta":{"origin":1697,"position":1},"title":"Here or anywhere in the U.S., Oregon State Ecampus students pay the same tuition rate online","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"January 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The benefits of learning online with Oregon State are abundant, so much so that it can be hard to keep track of them all. Here\u2019s a trick to memorize them: Think of the word same. As in, OSU Ecampus students earn the same diploma as campus-based students. And no matter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon State Ecampus graduate Samantha Diaz sits at a table and uses a laptop. Tuition","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/samantha-diaz-osu-ecampus-tuition.jpg?fit=744%2C496&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/samantha-diaz-osu-ecampus-tuition.jpg?fit=744%2C496&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/samantha-diaz-osu-ecampus-tuition.jpg?fit=744%2C496&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/samantha-diaz-osu-ecampus-tuition.jpg?fit=744%2C496&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1926,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/best-online-bachelors-degrees\/","url_meta":{"origin":1697,"position":2},"title":"Oregon State earns another top-5 national ranking for online education","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"January 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State University has been ranked one of the nation\u2019s five best providers of online education for the fourth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report, judged on the strength of its faculty and the distance learning opportunities they deliver.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A black entrance sign reads Oregon State University in gold lettering surrounded by a brick ledge and blooming flowers and a football stadium in the background.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/sign-entrance-reser-stadium.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/sign-entrance-reser-stadium.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/sign-entrance-reser-stadium.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/sign-entrance-reser-stadium.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/sign-entrance-reser-stadium.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1464,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/faculty-spotlight-christy-brekken\/","url_meta":{"origin":1697,"position":3},"title":"Faculty Spotlight: Engaging economics","author":"Carly Fredericks","date":"November 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr. Christy Brekken is known by applied economics peers and students as engaging, enthusiastic and caring in the classroom. She's not alone, either.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Christy Brekken Anderson applied economics","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Christy-Brekken-Anderson-744x478-201210.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Christy-Brekken-Anderson-744x478-201210.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Christy-Brekken-Anderson-744x478-201210.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Christy-Brekken-Anderson-744x478-201210.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1634,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/economics-online-geoff-boldt\/","url_meta":{"origin":1697,"position":4},"title":"Oregon State Everywhere: Economics with a real-world impact","author":"Geoff Boldt","date":"November 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\"As I am actively working in a field that uses my future degree, I am able to apply what I am learning immediately. This helps me understand how relevant the material is and makes the classes that much more interesting.\" \u2014 Geoff Boldt, Ecampus economics major","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon State Ecampus student Geoff Boldt sits at a table outside. He studies economics online","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Geoff-Boldt-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Geoff-Boldt-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Geoff-Boldt-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Geoff-Boldt-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":520,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/graduation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1697,"position":5},"title":"It was once their dream. Now it\u2019s their reality.","author":"Heather Doherty","date":"June 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Last Saturday, 960 Oregon State University Ecampus students earned their degrees and officially became Oregon State alumni.","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Alumna Secota Douglas grins widely with her arms around Benny the Beaver. Secota earned a B.S. in Environmental Economics and Policy online through Oregon State Ecampus in 2017.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/becerra_photography-221.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/becerra_photography-221.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/becerra_photography-221.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/becerra_photography-221.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/becerra_photography-221.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}