Conversations with ESSA

RED LIGHT! GREEN LIGHT! Gaining media traction for his publication on Squid Game, Wayne Geerling returns to the ESSA podcast once more to talk game theory and the new frontier of teaching.

Squid Game sheds light on how people act — not always rationally. The series is about 456 contestants, who are in financial debt, competing in a series of deadly games to win a large sum of money.

Wayne briefly speaks about his teaching and more specifically his adoption of pop culture to teach economics and the progress that has been made in this area of teaching. Wayne also talks us through some scenes in squid game where game theory is present. He discusses scenes including red light green light, the marbles game and more and how game theory is (and is not) followed throughout the series! (refer to: https://www.economicsofsquidgame.com)

If you are interested in contributing to the Squid Game teaching repository or just have a great show that you are currently watching please contact Wayne Geerling on Linkedin or wayne.geerling@monash.edu.

In this episode we interview Warwick Davis who is an economist for Frontier Economics. We discuss Warwick’s time as a university student and his experience as an economist in the private sector. He also describes the three main categories of projects taken on in this sector as well as some of the exciting projects he has worked on. This podcast then concludes with insightful advice for economics students, consulting in the future, and a few book recommendations!

In this episode, we interview Emma Grey who is the Manager of the Macroeconomic Policy & Forecasting Team at Deloitte Access Economics. Emma speaks about her career journey so far, starting from her studies at Monash University, to being a graduate at Deloitte and working her way up to Manager. She also unpacks what life is like working at Deloitte and more specifically, her role as an econometrician. Finally, we cover Emma’s opinions on how COVID-19 has impacted her role and the workplace, as well as any advice she has for young students looking to pursue economics as a career.

In this episode we interview Anthony Rossiter who is a Senior Economist for the Department of Treasury and Finance, Victoria. Anthony talks us through what work is like in the public sector and the various aspects of his job. Included in this episode, Anthony also describes the challenges of the COVID-19  pandemic and the process of creating public policy. To conclude, Anthony explains what has been learnt from dealing with COVID and what can be done to combat a future crisis.

This is the first episode of a 4-part series where we gain insight into a career in economics and where a major in economics could lead you to. For this episode we interview Wayne Geerling who is a senior lecturer in economics at Monash University. From disruptions such as COVID and the increase in connectedness of the world, Wayne speaks about his career and discusses the future of economics education moving on from 2020. To end, Wayne offers advice to students and how they can get the most out of their economics education.

In this episode of Conversations with ESSA, double degree students Orlando and Gabi explore the world of economics from the perspective of a student outside the commerce degree, and how economic skills and thinking can be applied to a multitude of different social, environmental, and political issues. With the goal of allowing you to understand the meaning and reasoning behind using economics to approach these different problems, you will be able to take these skills with you, so that you can  become a more well rounded person!

In the last episode of this series, Michelle chats to Suvi an economist at the Productivity Commission. Having started as a grad in 2019 after graduating Monash, we pick Suvi's brain about all things working in economics as a young professional - why she chose economics, what her application process was life, and what a day in her life entails. We also chat about the economics Honours program at Monash and how that fits into the picture.

0:02 Intro
2:11 Why economics?
3:12 Jobs to consider in economics?
4:27 Why the Productivity Commission?
5:39 The graduate application process
8:21 Life as an economics grad
12:09 Expectations of a graduate
13:35 Learning process of a graduate
16:15 What do employers look for?
18:01 Honours in Economics
24:53 Graduate life
29:14 Top tips for future economists or enthusiasts

Huge thanks to the ESSA Committee for planning and producing this series!

What do we wish we knew before applying for internships? In this two part episode on internships, Michelle and Sasha delve deep into everything internship related: what it is, where you can apply, and the application process (start to finish).    

In Part 2 we discuss our top tips and tricks for daunting assessment centres, how to approach interviews and finally, we reflect on our internships - including what you may expect to do in an internship, and how to make the most of it.  

Time stamps: 

00:52 Assessment centres
11:30 Interviews  
32:32 How to do well in your internship

What do we wish we knew before applying for internships? In this two part episode on internships, Michelle and Sasha delve deep into everything internship related: what it is, where you can apply, and the application process (start to finish).  

In Part 1 we explain the benefits of internships, places you can apply, the pre-requisites (do you really need a HD wam?) and the first stages of your application: online applications and those suspicious psychometric tests.  

Time stamps:
0:02 Our background/experiences  
4:07 What are internships and work integrated learning (WIL)
11:15 Timelines to apply and pre-reqs (including grades)
16:03 Application process outline  
24:51 CV and cover letter  
33:51 Psychometric testing

What exactly is economics? Why should you choose to study it? Lauren and Sasha debunk the mysteries of the major, including what skills you'll learn, what topics you'll cover and the all important question - how much maths is there?