notgoodenough

I have spent most of my adult life in an English-speaking country and started learning it when I was about 5 or 6. Don't think I'm going to have any issues teaching in English. Can you please elaborate on why you think I'm not cut out for a PhD? I think I'll enjoy doing a PhD (relatively) because I've always loved asking questions and searching for their answers. I like to read papers that interest me, enjoy building and solving mathematical models and also don't mind coding/data analysis. Also, I'm just not cut out for a desk job, the whole 9 hours a day routine is suffocating to me.

What do you do if you love econ, are passionate about teaching and research, can't think of doing anything else with your life, but can't get into a good program? My undergrad GPA is average (3.5) and GRE is not stellar (163Q, 158V) . I start a one-year masters soon but I'm sure I'm not going to finish top of the class there as well. Also, I'm not an American citizen. I'm sure I can get good recos and probably manage to get somewhere in top 50-70. But is there a point? A lot of people tell me there isn't. Do these places produce any good research at all? Does someone from a college that's ranked 50 have any shot at getting a decent academic job? What about industry? Will I be screwed if I hold a PhD from a college not well known, considering that I won't be able to get a job as a professor easily and I'll be over-qualified for most jobs in industry? Will I at least be able work at a community college or something somewhere in the USA (keep in mind I'm not American)?