Jenny Guo
Jenny Guo was an economics student at the University of Warwick, Co-President at Warwick Women Careers and summer intern at HSBC. Following her internship, she secured a role at HSBC as an Investment Banking Analyst.
Why did you choose to study economics?
In 2017, I travelled to South Africa on a volunteering trip and was shocked at the stark inequality in the country. Early from dawn, queues of unemployed people formed on the side roads trying to sell things to people stuck in car traffic. Rich multi-storey apartments resided a couple of streets away from the shanty towns. I chose to study economics as a way to better understand these societal divisions.
How would you describe economics?
Economics is everywhere, and understanding economics can help you to make better decisions such as deciding whether to meet your friends over studying. The diversity of the subject extends into many fields from behavioural economics, development economics, financial economics to managerial economics. If you're looking for an inter-disciplinary subject, then Economics might be the one for you.
If you had a time machine and could meet your 16-year-old self, what advice would you give them?
There's a place for you within the discipline. At 16, I had little knowledge of economics except the faint understanding of stocks and trading from the classic Wolf of Wall Street. I didn't think Economics was the right subject for a person like me, but there is no "right person". Make sure to build your maths skills too!
What is your favourite part of economics?
Applying the academic theory to the real world. I think the great thing about Economics is how relevant and applicable it is to your life. Open the news and instantly you will see articles of the latest economic events or trends - studying Economics at a degree level helps you make better sense of all the economic jargon. Behavioural Economics is particularly an extremely interesting field to explore within the discipline.
Is there anything you would do differently if you had the chance?
Don't let your self-doubt and fear hold you back from taking up new opportunities outside your comfort zone. Read for your enjoyment rather than just reading because you have to and leave time to explore your interests!