I really like economics. It’s a great subject and lots of fun. People think I’m crazy for studying it, but I always argue that it just a more specialized form of philosophy. Then again most things stem from philosophy, but I digress.

However like all great things it is always possible to overdose, especially when you are force feeding yourself because of exams, and like all things there is almost always a small aspect of something which you dislike. This thing for me is Econometrics. Econometrics is the more applicative aspect of economics. It consists mainly of advanced statistical inference, along with loads of economic theory. I tend to prefer the more creative aspect of economics. Give me a model, some kind of explanation, it is art. Give me matrices and multidimensional mathematics, and I crumble. I should probably elaborate for economics is a very mathematical subject.

Algebra is ok so long as it doesn’t become too abstract. When I start having to imagine dubious spaces in more than 3 dimensions I get headaches. It especially hurts for vector projections. Calculus, no problem. I know it, I understand it, I know more than most people; I get by. Statistics, if kept relatively simple are doable. Combine, statistics, calculus, linear algebra, and economic theory to boot, you have econometrics.

I guess I’m especially bitter because over the last week I’ve been studying for my econometrics exam about 8 hour or more every day. My exam on Thursday was ridiculously difficult, and although the whole class failed, I am left with a very unsatisfied feeling. Exams like these can’t be studied for so I feel like I might have wasted a lot of time. Fortunately the professor is a fan of the bell curve, so I’ll get a kickback, but how can I convince myself that I want to make a career out of something which leaves me with no sense of accomplishment?

However in defense of the “dismal science,” I happen to love just about every other aspect of economics. I am especially attracted to Game Theory, and not because it has the word “game” in it. This week I’ll have the remaining two exams, International Macroeconomics and Game Theory. I’m a bit burnt out from Econometrics, but I think I can pull them off without too much coffee. Time will tell.

So maybe someday I’ll be Doctor Admiral, but until then it’s back to the Economics Department at Concordia U for more brain stuffing (I know how bad that sounds).