Thomas Amoani
Thomas is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Finance at Brunel University London. He is an aspiring economist and a member of the Discover Economics "Student Champion " programme - find out more in the "get involved" now!
Why did you choose to study economics?
I think my journey to discovering Economics was funny because from a younger age, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I just went to do economics in high school because my best friend was in the same class. But also, that’s where the magic started. I fell in love with the subject immediately after the first class which was “What is economics?”. So, upon completion of high school, I realise that I love and can’t do without economics, and I am good with mathematics so the fact that economics is full of maths and have interesting diagrams that can be used to explain almost everything about the world made me want to see what is next.
How would you describe economics?
In simple terms, I would say economics as a social science, studies human behaviour and decision-making in response to the insatiability of their needs but having scarce resources to provide them, and then (Economics) provides how to maximise living with the fundamental problem of scarcity of resources. However, many complexities arise though from the fact that human beings are mostly unpredictable and are not always rational. Nevertheless, economists develop various theories and mathematical models to help make sense of what is happening in the world. And I know as we all know that economics is everywhere, so in all, I put everything this way, “without economics, there isn’t the world, and without the world, there isn’t economics, so economics is the world".
If you had a time machine and could meet your 16-year-old self, what advice would you give them?
First, I would tell him to do what he did with economics in high school but be more curious and practical with it and have fun because, in two years, he will blow up his high school exams and fly abroad. Second, to learn how to write and speak articulately with precision and listen carefully.
What is your favourite part of economics?
First, I LOVE Economics in general, but I super-duper love Macroeconomics. I like how this aspect of Economics builds theories and models that answer most of the questions about the major problems facing our world like unemployment, inflation, inequality, and achieving economic growth among others. I also enjoy the mathematical nature of economics in this aspect as well as the use of analytical diagrams to explain almost everything. However, I also believe in economic individualism so I can’t do without the knowledge of Microeconomics, especially Behavioural Economics.
Is there anything you would do differently if you had the chance?
I would like to get at least a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Pure Mathematics, Philosophy and Arts.