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What entry-level roles or internships are best for gaining experience in this career? If I do pursue an economics major
I want to know the practical opportunities to apply what I learn and to build a strong resume early!
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Ingrid’s Answer
An economics major gives you a lot of flexibility early on. At the entry level, the most important thing is to choose roles where you actually apply data and economic reasoning, not just theory.
Good starting points include junior or intern roles in credit or risk analysis (like me!), where you learn how companies really operate by working with financial statements, cash flows, and risk. Finance or accounting internships are also very valuable because they help you understand how financial information is produced and used in real decisions. If you enjoy working with data, business or data analyst internships are a great way to apply statistics and analytical thinking to real-world problems. Research assistant roles at universities or policy organizations can be especially useful if you’re considering graduate school. Roles in lending, underwriting, or financial operations are sometimes overlooked, but they offer strong exposure to how financial decisions are made and often lead to more analytical positions.
Early in your career, skills matter more than job titles. Strong Excel, basic accounting, statistics, and the ability to explain numbers clearly will open many doors. Programming can help later on, but it’s not required at the beginning.
Good luck!!
Apply to 1–2 internships or entry-level roles that are clearly analytical (finance, data, credit, research), even if they don’t say “economics” in the title.
Strengthen practical skills like Excel, basic accounting, and statistics — these matter more than theory early on.
If you’re in San Francisco, consider volunteer or pro bono roles to gain experience. Organizations like DataKind (SF Bay Area), Catchafire, or TechSoup often need help with data analysis, finance, or impact measurement. This can be a strong resume builder while you’re still a student.
Good starting points include junior or intern roles in credit or risk analysis (like me!), where you learn how companies really operate by working with financial statements, cash flows, and risk. Finance or accounting internships are also very valuable because they help you understand how financial information is produced and used in real decisions. If you enjoy working with data, business or data analyst internships are a great way to apply statistics and analytical thinking to real-world problems. Research assistant roles at universities or policy organizations can be especially useful if you’re considering graduate school. Roles in lending, underwriting, or financial operations are sometimes overlooked, but they offer strong exposure to how financial decisions are made and often lead to more analytical positions.
Early in your career, skills matter more than job titles. Strong Excel, basic accounting, statistics, and the ability to explain numbers clearly will open many doors. Programming can help later on, but it’s not required at the beginning.
Good luck!!
Ingrid recommends the following next steps:
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Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Roger !
A great way to figure out which niche to go into for economics would be to do volunteer work right now. Internships are usually for students in their Junior and Senior year in college or after graduation, but there are pre-college internships in San Francisco. If you pursue an Economics Major in college, it will prepare you for a first career job, not an entry level job. But there are some things that you can do now to get early/pre-college experience.
For high school students in San Francisco, the Office of Financial Empowerment in San Francisco provides free financial counseling and workshops, which can help teens build a foundation in personal finance and economic literacy. Paid internships are available through programs like Enterprise for Youth, which offers summer internships for high school students in the Bay Area. Mentoring Youth for Employment and Education Program provides job training and paid internships for 9th and 10th grade students who have not previously held a job. Teens interested in finance and economics can also explore internships at financial advisory firms in the Bay Area, with some companies open to high school students seeking experience in the field. The websites Coursera and Khan Academy offer courses in Finance if you want to take a class online. Last but certainly not least, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco offers the "Invest in What’s Next" program for grades 9–12, focusing on personal finance and post high school planning.
So there are a lot of opportunities in San Francisco for you. Being in one of the programs, doing volunteer work or pre-college internships can all go on your resume.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
A great way to figure out which niche to go into for economics would be to do volunteer work right now. Internships are usually for students in their Junior and Senior year in college or after graduation, but there are pre-college internships in San Francisco. If you pursue an Economics Major in college, it will prepare you for a first career job, not an entry level job. But there are some things that you can do now to get early/pre-college experience.
For high school students in San Francisco, the Office of Financial Empowerment in San Francisco provides free financial counseling and workshops, which can help teens build a foundation in personal finance and economic literacy. Paid internships are available through programs like Enterprise for Youth, which offers summer internships for high school students in the Bay Area. Mentoring Youth for Employment and Education Program provides job training and paid internships for 9th and 10th grade students who have not previously held a job. Teens interested in finance and economics can also explore internships at financial advisory firms in the Bay Area, with some companies open to high school students seeking experience in the field. The websites Coursera and Khan Academy offer courses in Finance if you want to take a class online. Last but certainly not least, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco offers the "Invest in What’s Next" program for grades 9–12, focusing on personal finance and post high school planning.
So there are a lot of opportunities in San Francisco for you. Being in one of the programs, doing volunteer work or pre-college internships can all go on your resume.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
Updated
Gennifer’s Answer
If you pursue an economics major, some of the best entry-level roles or internships to gain experience include positions in data analysis, research assistance, finance, consulting, public policy, and business operations. These roles help you build strong analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving skills that are central to economics.
A helpful resource for finding these opportunities is Handshake, a platform many universities use to connect students with internships, on-campus jobs, and early-career roles tailored to their field of study.
https://joinhandshake.com/
A helpful resource for finding these opportunities is Handshake, a platform many universities use to connect students with internships, on-campus jobs, and early-career roles tailored to their field of study.
https://joinhandshake.com/
Updated
Aziz’s Answer
Great question—if you’re thinking ahead and want to build a strong resume early, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are a lot of practical opportunities you can take advantage of as a student, particularly if you pursue an economics major.
First, healthcare-adjacent internships and roles are extremely valuable, even if they’re not clinical yet. In San Francisco, large academic and medical systems like UCSF Health and UCSF Medical Center regularly offer student internships, volunteer roles, and research assistant positions. These may be administrative, operations-focused, or research-based, but they still give you exposure to how healthcare systems actually function—budgets, staffing, patient flow, and data analysis. That kind of experience pairs very well with economics coursework.
Second, if you major in economics, research assistant roles are one of the best resume builders you can get. Many Bay Area universities and think tanks hire undergraduates to help with data collection, statistical analysis, and economic modeling. Schools like University of San Francisco, San Francisco State University, and nearby UC campuses often have economics or public policy labs where students apply what they learn in class to real datasets. This shows employers (and later graduate programs) that you can move beyond theory and actually work with numbers and evidence.
Third, government and public-sector internships in San Francisco are especially strong for economics students. Programs with the San Francisco Department of Public Health or the California Department of Public Health allow you to work on health policy, budgeting, program evaluation, or data analysis. These roles are practical, resume-friendly, and help you understand how economic decisions affect real communities—something that stands out when applying to competitive programs later.
Fourth, don’t overlook finance, consulting, and data internships in the Bay Area. San Francisco has a huge number of firms offering entry-level internships in financial analysis, economic consulting, and business analytics. Even if the role isn’t healthcare-specific, the skills you build—Excel modeling, cost analysis, forecasting, and data interpretation—translate directly into healthcare and anesthesia-related career paths later on. Employers value students who can clearly show applied quantitative skills.
Finally, a simple but powerful option early on is volunteering or part-time work in healthcare settings. Clinics, community health organizations, and nonprofits across San Francisco often need student help with operations, scheduling, outreach, or data tracking. These roles may seem small at first, but they demonstrate consistency, responsibility, and real-world exposure—qualities admissions committees and employers look for.
Overall, the key is to apply what you’re learning as soon as possible. Pair economics classes with internships where you analyze data, budgets, or systems. In the San Francisco area, opportunities in healthcare systems, universities, government agencies, and finance are everywhere if you start looking early. That combination—strong academics plus real experience—is what will set your resume apart long before you graduate.
First, healthcare-adjacent internships and roles are extremely valuable, even if they’re not clinical yet. In San Francisco, large academic and medical systems like UCSF Health and UCSF Medical Center regularly offer student internships, volunteer roles, and research assistant positions. These may be administrative, operations-focused, or research-based, but they still give you exposure to how healthcare systems actually function—budgets, staffing, patient flow, and data analysis. That kind of experience pairs very well with economics coursework.
Second, if you major in economics, research assistant roles are one of the best resume builders you can get. Many Bay Area universities and think tanks hire undergraduates to help with data collection, statistical analysis, and economic modeling. Schools like University of San Francisco, San Francisco State University, and nearby UC campuses often have economics or public policy labs where students apply what they learn in class to real datasets. This shows employers (and later graduate programs) that you can move beyond theory and actually work with numbers and evidence.
Third, government and public-sector internships in San Francisco are especially strong for economics students. Programs with the San Francisco Department of Public Health or the California Department of Public Health allow you to work on health policy, budgeting, program evaluation, or data analysis. These roles are practical, resume-friendly, and help you understand how economic decisions affect real communities—something that stands out when applying to competitive programs later.
Fourth, don’t overlook finance, consulting, and data internships in the Bay Area. San Francisco has a huge number of firms offering entry-level internships in financial analysis, economic consulting, and business analytics. Even if the role isn’t healthcare-specific, the skills you build—Excel modeling, cost analysis, forecasting, and data interpretation—translate directly into healthcare and anesthesia-related career paths later on. Employers value students who can clearly show applied quantitative skills.
Finally, a simple but powerful option early on is volunteering or part-time work in healthcare settings. Clinics, community health organizations, and nonprofits across San Francisco often need student help with operations, scheduling, outreach, or data tracking. These roles may seem small at first, but they demonstrate consistency, responsibility, and real-world exposure—qualities admissions committees and employers look for.
Overall, the key is to apply what you’re learning as soon as possible. Pair economics classes with internships where you analyze data, budgets, or systems. In the San Francisco area, opportunities in healthcare systems, universities, government agencies, and finance are everywhere if you start looking early. That combination—strong academics plus real experience—is what will set your resume apart long before you graduate.