Economics was my favourite subject in JC, and I was fairly adept at it; so, it came as a surprise to most people that I decided to stop pursuing it in university. The realization of my ineptness at higher economics played a small part in making that decision, but the underlying reason is that the study of economics at a higher level is unaligned to my ambition of being an outstanding investor. (Yeah, I know this is probably a lesser ambition than curing Aids or fighting for world peace, but I’m not a saint, so sue me.)

The problem with economics is that it’s often wrong, and very wrong. The fault lies not with the economists themselves, but the very nature of the discipline itself – there are just too many variables to consider, and more often than not, there’ll even be a variable that hasn’t been thought up yet. If reliable prescience, the primary purpose for the study of economics and a vital element in making key business decisions, is unattainable most of the time, it’d be a waste of time for me to delve deeper into economics. Having said that, studying economics can enhance my understanding of the macroeconomic policies of finance ministries; but even then, I wouldn’t have to scrutinize the nuts and bolts of the entire economics discipline (read: attain an economics degree) to figure them out.

Then, there’s the issue of my relative ineptness. In the ultra-competitive finance industry, graduation from university is a given. What really matters now is the university you studied in and the class of honours – if you’ve any – which you have. In most well-respected companies these
days, the minimum requirement for you to even get a foot past the interview room door is a 2^nd class uppers. That’s the harsh reality for fresh grads today in this merciless industry. I’m fortunate enough to not have to worry about job procurement upon graduation; nevertheless, I’m still bound by my contractual obligations – and more importantly, personal ego – to excel. Ergo, it would be irrational for me to pursue a discipline which I already know I’d be hard-pressed to produce sterling results.

So there, my decision is grounded in rationality and pragmatism, and not cowardice and challenge-phobia.