Kellie Wong Tuck Sau
How did you first become interested in economics?
Before tertiary education, I have always been interested in investment. I knew that I need to equip myself with more holistic economic knowledge in order to make more rational and wise investment decisions in the future. I chose Economics over finance, business and accounting as Economics is the center of social science which offers perspectives covering the three mentioned subjects.
Why did you choose to study at the Nottingham School of Economics?
Whilst the main reason for choosing NSE was scholarship, what attracts me most was the ranking of NSE - it is ranked top 5 in the UK and is highly recognized by many MNCs. Besides that, the advantage of smaller class size conducted in Malaysia enables the lecturers to pay better attention to students and vice versa.
Tell us about the academic environment.
The school staffs are responsible and helpful - they always try their best to help and guide students, providing students necessary resources for studies. Since the class size is relatively small, a more intimate bond can be formed between the school staffs and students.
What are your fondest memories of your time at the Malaysia campus?
My fondest memories are definitely the times I worked with my friends and colleagues from the campus, be it course mates, group members from clubs and societies or team members that worked day and night for a business challenge competition. Underlying these experiences, it is not the things I do or the successes I have achieved, but the people who went through the ups and downs with me that matters - they are the main characters in each memory.
What advice would you give to someone considering or about to start a course at the school?
Never worry about the technicality of an economics degree. Mathematics is not the only component in economics and only a few concepts are needed in most of the time. As long as you are willing to work hard, they can be learned and mastered over time.
Have your experiences at the school helped shape and develop your career?
Yes, an economics degree elevates one’s competency. An economics degree is highly valued in the labour market as employers treasure the training, directly or indirectly, to the students. Students graduated with an economics degree are often viewed as strong candidates - they are equipped with both soft skills and hard skills, coupled with the ability to think critically. Furthermore, given that an economic degree covers different fields (e.g. development economics, financial economics, environmental economics etc.), students are offered a larger range of options in which they can choose to specialize in (i.e. more opportunities).