On Finishing My Final Year of High School

On finishing my final year of high school I contemplated the prospect of taking a semester out of studying to gain some real work experience. Following careful deliberation of taking time off, the benefits outweighed the negatives and so I decided to complete a four-month internship at BNP Paribas where I spent the majority of my time in the “Treasury and Dealing room”. The experience was undeniably eye opening, and far more rewarding than I had originally anticipated. Having primarily envisioned this opportunity as a chance to gain insight into the working environment I was also able to see first hand just how complex market forces could be. At the time, the political turmoil of the 2011 Egyptian revolution had caused what was once a stable and prosperous economy to plummet - a recovery that is still a working process. Seeing as the banking sector was significantly affected, I got to closely assess the effects on foreign exchange reserves, government bonds and interest rates. Being submerged in that environment, I was able to attain invaluable knowledge on the methods and measures taken to assist the sorely needed economic rebuilding. The reason why this internship has been so integral to my interest in economics is because the Egyptian revolution added a new dimension to the work ethic of all economists, with a fervor to repair and a sinuous approach to team work like I had never witnessed before. The substantial complexity of economics observed had made me all the more engrossed by the subject and its unquestionable significance in today’s world.

With renewed vigor and an appetite for university work I am confident that an Economics degree would fulfill my vocation whilst being the area where my strengths lie. Whilst/while a deep and varied topic within itself, learning the principal theories contained within the Economics program will open a myriad of doors and opportunities for me to foster my own understanding of what is rapidly becoming