Freshman Year

Fall		Winter
BA 101	4	Econ 266 S	4
TS1 Gen Ed and/or Electives	9	Comp 150	4
ES 100	1	Lib 150	1
		TS1 Gen Ed and/or Elective	4
Total	14	Total	13

Sophomore Year

Fall		Winter
Acc 225	4	Acc 226	4
BA 260 S	3	BA 253	4
BA 221	3	TS2 Gen Ed and/or Elective	8
PE Activities	1
TS1 Gen Ed and/or Elective	4
Total	15	Total	16

Junior Year

Fall		Winter
BA 301	4	BA 353	4
BA 380	4	BA Elective	4
Q/R Course	4	CSIS 332	4
BA 340	4	TS2 Gen Ed and/or Elective	4
Total	16	Total	16

Senior Year

Fall		Winter
BA Electives	7	BA 496	4
TS2 Gen Ed and/or Electives	8	BA Elective	3
		TS2 Gen Ed and/or Electives	8
Total	15	Total	15

Web Pages

• Stephanie Owings-Edwards
• Deborah Walker

E-mail

• Stephanie Owings-Edwards
• Deborah Walker

Alex Meyerovich

Graduated with a degree in economics in 2002

Describe your current job

I got in on the ground floor of a company (Argent Mortgage) that is now lending over $4 billion a month. I started in 2002, a year after they opened their doors. Now Argent is one of the leading non-prime lenders in the country. We have offices in Chicago and New York . Our corporate headquarters is in Orange , California.

I began in data entry, because I had no mortgage experience, and have since moved my way up. I was an underwriter for a little while, and was recently promoted to account manager.

We have account executives all around the country who solicit loans from mortgage brokers. I work with two different account executives and have about twenty brokers that submit loans to me. My job is to oversee the mortgage lending process for each of these loans. This includes verifying income and debts as well as confirming possible appraisal conditions.

My compensation is based on the number of funded loans I process. The magic number is 60 funded loans. We get paid a certain amount for the first 19 loans, then more for the next 19 up till 59 loans. When we hit 60 all the previous loans become worth a whole lot more. So everyone is always pushing to close 60 loans. That comes out to about 3-4 loans a day.

What advice would you offer FLC students ?

• Focus on networking - that is how you get a job, not through the want-ads or by sending out resumes
• Even a contracting economy (which is where I found myself) has niche areas that are growing. Focus your job search on these industries.
• Be prepared to start at the bottom.
• Do an internship while at FLC. This gives you an edge when competing against other recent college graduates.
• What you learn in college just provides the foundation for acquiring the skills your job requires. Your job will require very specific skills that you will learn via on-the-job training.
• Your college GPA is important. Potential employers use it to infer your analytical abilities and work-ethic.

Has your degree in economics proved useful in the work world ?

My degree in economics has really shaped the way I think about things. While most people seem to look at things from a political point of view, I seem to be one of the few who consider issues from an incentive point of view. Econ makes you think. Thinking is what employers like to see in their employees. Also, most people respect the degree.

If any students want to email me, I would be happy to answer specific questions:

Alex Meyerovich
Account Manager, Argent Mortgage Company, LLC
ameyerovich@argentmortgage.com

Stephen Beville:

Graduated with a degree in economics in 2001

I'm currently at the London School of Economics (LSE) taking a Msc. in Local Economic Development. In America this would probably be termed Regional Economic Development.  The core courses examine the New Economic Geography: distributions of wealth between regions and within and between countries, devolution, trade and the convergence and divergence of incomes.

LSE ranks next to Cambridge and Oxford in terms of prestige over here and is seen as the place to study in all of Europe .  There is a never-ending flow of famous people coming through to give nightly extra curricular lectures. My required lectures are given mostly by authorities in their respective fields. Although the total time spent in class is surprisingly low, I have been happy with the lecturing.  The quality is high even if the interaction with faculty is relatively low. 

At LSE there are 3 terms, each 10 weeks but in the third term classes only meet for two weeks. After that it is independent study for exams which account for anywhere from 70-100% of the final grade.  For the summer I will be working on a dissertation that is due September 1.  For my thesis I am hoping to deal with an aspect of  England 's fishery industry.

My program has 38 students who are literally from around the world. There is a healthy level of competitiveness among us yet the program is, at the same time, quite cohesive. This cannot be said of all the programs at LSE. In just one year of study I will earn a master's degree. Because of the school's level of prestige, it is a highly marketable degree particularly if you are interested in banking.

I am just now acclimatizing to London 's 'atmosphere.'  London is an expensive place to live. To truly enjoy all of the cultural opportunities in the city you need pockets that are deep and wide. At times it is quite exciting being part of the heaving mass of people but there are drawbacks.  At the end of the day, though, I am happy to be here and am glad I took advantage of the opportunity.

Melissa Hansen:

Graduated with a degree in economics in 2001.

I am currently a fellow at the El Pomar Foundation. In its tenth year, the El Pomar Fellowship is a leadership development program that brings together qualified college graduates with diverse backgrounds and interests. During our two-year tenure at El Pomar, we receive training through a series of seminars and classes. These include a Fundraising and Strategic Planning series with Sharp Company, a leader in non-profit fundraising. We also are exposed to Investment Challenge, a course that allows fellows to become comfortable with the stock and bond market. In addition to the development courses, each fellow works on a few of the Foundation's operating programs.

Currently-- I am director of the Homeless Initiative. My responsibilities include staffing the Commission on Homelessness in Southern Colorado (CHSC), a joint initiative of the city and the Foundation. The Mayor and El Pomar's Vice-President chair the CHSC. As the staff person I conduct research and prepare all written materials, including the Commission's final report. In addition to my responsibilities with the CHSC, I am active on numerous other community boards and committees addressing homelessness and also have the opportunity to do limited direct service.

I am director of the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL)/El Pomar program. Every spring and fall ACYPL, a program of the State Department, sends Colorado a foreign delegation to host for a week. El Pomar offers funding and staff support. As director I oversee the logistical and programmatic planning, ensure the budget constraints are met, and act as liaison to the ACYPL national contact. Each visit, when possible, includes a meeting with the Governor, Lt. Governor, a Democratic and Republican representative, and local government officials.

I am also director of El Pomar's Summer Internship Program. Each summer El Pomar hires six to eight college students to work on a myriad of different projects in all of the Foundation's departments. In addition to their work assignments, interns are offered the opportunity to participate in some professional development courses. As director, I do the initial screening of applicants and am on the interview panel. I coordinate all of the professional development, host weekly staff meetings, and conduct bi-monthly performance reviews.

Given my workplace experience, I would advise business/economics students at Fort Lewis to take as many statistics and business / technical writing classes as possible .You have to have the skill set to demonstrate your ability to think critically.

Front Range, CO

Stratus Consulting/Boulder, CO
Denver Regional Council of Governments
Social Science Education Consortium, Boulder CO
BBC Research & Consulting/ Denver
Pacey Economics Inc./Boulder 6688 Gunpark Ave Suite 200
Colorado Legislative Council Staff
Economics Institute, Boulder CO (gateway for grad programs for interntl students)
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder
Colorado Council on Economic Development

Any State

Public Utilities Commission
State Dept of Revenue
Internal Revenue Service (various locations)
State Dept of Insurance
Dept of Corrections
Banks
Qwest

D.C.

Advisory Board Company
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
Brattle Group
Brookings Institution
CAN Corporation
CATO Institute
Center for Studying Health System Change
Center for a Sustainable Economy
Centra Technology
Child Trends
CIA
Comptroller of the Currency
Congressional Budget Office
Competition Economics
Economic Policy Institute
Economic Policy Institute
Environmental Defense Fund
Economists Inc. 
Federal Communications Commission
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp
Federal Trade Commission
Futures Group International
Institute for Women's Policy Research
Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy
International Monetary Fund
National Milk Producers Federation
Ntl Opinion Research Center
Progressive Policy Institute
Research Institute for Housing America
Resources for the Future
Social Security Administration
U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
U.S. Agency for International Development
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
U.S. Bureau of the Census
U.S. Congressional Budget Office
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of the Treasury
U.S. Dept of Commerce
U.S. Dept of Defense
U.S. Dept of Housing & Urban Development
U.S. Dept of the Treasury
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Food and Drug
U.S. General Accounting Office
U.S. Institute of Peace
U.S. International Trade Commission
U.S. Office of Management and Budget
U.Ss Bureau of Economic Analysis
Urban Institute
World Bank

California

AES Consulting
Analysis Group
Bruno, Mack & Barclay
Center on Policy Initiatives
Charles River Associates
Cornerstone Research
Dept of Industrial Relations
Dynamics Technology
Econ One Research
Economic Analysis LLC
Economic Research Services
Economists Incorporated
Fair, Isaac and Company
Federal Reserve Bank, San Fran
Hover Institute Fellows
IBAR Settlement Company
Jones & Stokes
Law and Economics Consulting Group
Micronomics, Inc.
Milkin Institute
Navigant Consulting, Inc.
Public Policy Institute of California
Rand
Redefining Progress
Regional Economic Research
Resolution Economics
Social Polcy Research Associates
Tilden Group
Welch Consulting, Inc.
Working Partnerships USA

Other Locations

William M. Mercer/ San Fran, DC, NY
Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment/ Bozeman, Montana
Econorthwest/ Oregon
Energy, Economic and Environmental Consultants, Albuquerque , NM
East-West Center/ Hawaii