Why Economics Is The Most Versatile Subject You Can Study With Fiona Cox Artwork

How Did I Get Here? from Discover Economics

What are you going to be when you grow up? A doctor, an astronaut, an engineer, a footballer? Very few people have ever dreamt that one day they would be an economist. It’s a profession on few young people’s radars, is barely understood and, let’s face it, has an image problem. Most people picture economists, if they think about them at all, as “men in suits who are crunching numbers, talking about interest rates and making money”.This series of podcasts aim to challenge – and change – your image of economists. A series of conversations with economists who are working in a variety of different organisations, the podcasts will explore their personal journeys. What inspired them to choose to study economics? How did they get to their current position? What are they currently working on and what are some of the things that they love about economics?

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How Did I Get Here? from Discover Economics

Why Economics Is The Most Versatile Subject You Can Study With Fiona Cox

March 18, 2025 • Two Bees Consulting Ltd • Season 2 • Episode 26

What if studying economics could be the key to understanding the world? Economics isn’t just about money or markets; it’s about solving real-world challenges, from government policies to everyday financial decisions.

In this episode, Fiona Cox, an economist with a PhD and manager at KPMG’s economics team, shares how she lobbied to get economics on her school curriculum and now leads on impact assessments for major investments. Fiona’s journey is proof that economics can open unexpected doors.

If you’ve ever wondered how studying economics can translate into a meaningful career, or even just help you make sense of the world, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

Why the Young Economist of the Year Award is a great opportunity for students
What to do if economics isn’t in your school’s curriculum
Real-world applications of economics beyond finance and banking
The techniques economists use to give unbiased answers
How economics is the only course that won’t pigeon-hole you into one career path
Why you don’t need to be a maths genius to thrive in economics
The difference between a data scientist and an economist
What wealth really means
The big mistake NASA made, and how it could have been avoided

If you’re ready to see economics in a new light, listen in as Fiona Cox shares her insights on making economics more accessible, impactful, and exciting.

LEARN MORE

The Young Economist of the Year Award 2025 opens on the 25th March 2025. Find out how you can get involved: https://www.discovereconomics.co.uk/young-economist-2024-finalists

KPMG - https://kpmg.com/uk/en/home.html

Discover Economics - https://www.discovereconomics.co.uk

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How Did I Get Here? from Discover Economics - https://www.discovereconomics.co.uk/podcast

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ymip1H9Tpy5kBInSEJrUz?si=4b4013bcadd24a14

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-did-i-get-here-from-discover-economics/id1557268390