What are the best economist qualifications and training to get ahead?

What is the best training for becoming an economist? What types of ongoing training or certifications are necessary to be an effective economist?

What do non-traditional career paths look like?

get a masters degree.i believe inorder to be a qualified economist, one has to be able to debate against the world.must be brave and confident to change their nations economy or the word at large.

To be a credible and effective Economist you must have a PhD in Economic. A Master's degree in Economics does not do it, because the training in a Master's level is rather inadequate to prepare one for doing original research and obtaining good economic modeling skills. Also, an Economist has to have a record of publications. One may get a job with a title "Economist" after an MA, MBA, etc., but they are not considered by PhD Economists as a peer or an equal. I have read somewhere that Joe Biden's Chief Economist, Jared Bernstein is not an Economist - he is a Social Worker or have a Master's degree in social studies. Timothy Geither of the US Treasury is not an Economist - he has a graduate degree in International Studies. For them to do their job effectively they need to have PhD Economists in their team.