Abigail Tang
Abigail studied Economics at Newcastle University where she was a Student Champion for three years. She completed a Sandwich Placement with the Government Economic Service as a student economist in HM Treasury. She is currently studying a Master’s at King’s College London in Economics and Policy and is also the Communications Officer for Discover Economics.
Why did you choose to study economics?
I chose Economics initially at A Level because I enjoyed studying Maths and they sounded like they would go hand in hand. I am happy I chose it because it was an interesting subject that was more than just maths! I then continued to choose Economics at university because I wanted to work in a job that would make a difference to people’s lives. I wanted to be able to study something where I could use what I had learnt to change policy to help people.
How would you describe economics?
Economics is the study of how people make choices as well as how economies work. This means that every decision anybody has ever made can be explained with economics. When people say economics is boring and only used for in big banks or consultancy firms, I point out things in their daily life that would have been determined or influenced by the laws of economics, e.g. how much their coffee was in the morning, how their school system works, where they got their clothes from. You can’t escape economics, and it definitely isn’t just crunching numbers in a calculator.
If you had a time machine and could meet your 16-year-old self, what advice would you give them?
My advice to my 16 year-old self would be to talk to as many people as possible. If you are interested in somebody’s work, then ask them about it, they are normally always happy to discuss and answer questions. Or if somebody is researching something you are interested in, offer your help. You never know who could help you out with an internship, or work experience, later down the line - which is why it is important to connect and network. Also, to read more; as somebody who knew they wanted to study Economics long term, I wish I had understood the importance of reading the news or listening to a podcast or reading economicsy books. Even one article a week is better than none.
What is your favourite part of economics?
One of my favourite part of Economics is studying how different economies in the world work. I have really enjoyed Development Economics, which is a module I took in undergrad and postgrad and is so different from other Economics 101 modules. We look at how different factors affect the development of different economies, which is a refreshing break from just learning about the UK.
Is there anything you would do differently if you had the chance?
If I could do something differently is not be scared of asking questions. Rather than pretending I understood something and googling it after, I wish I had asked people to explain things in the moment or found them after. People don’t expect you to be perfect at everything and understand every economic concept or paper when you are a student or early in your career.