Economist

Money makes the world go round. Understanding the key fundamentals behind money can help drive success. Have you ever been interested in how some policies and decisions have substantial effects on an individual’s wealth? Or what banks, governments and consulting companies would do if they didn’t understand wealth and the movement of money?

An Economist is an expert in the fields of wealth and money movement. They study the impact of policies and decisions on the real world to provide both the private and public sectors with recommendations. Through extensive research, Economists discover and expose trends to make industry specific forecasts. They analyse and interpret money-related issues such as taxes, inflation, population growth, employment levels, and the management of resources, goods and services. They typically work for governments, banks, consulting companies, multi-national corporations and universities.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Economists deal with two main streams – Microeconomics and Macroeconomics.
• Both Mick Jagger and Arnold Schwarzenegger studied economics.

Mr. Sopheak Srun
Economist
Royal University of Law and Economics

My passion and love for research and teaching is what lead me to enter academia, where I was able to satisfy both passions at the same time.

Economics is a subject that allows you to pursue many different career opportunities: in the private sector for companies and financial institutions, in the public sector via civil service, or in academia. After graduating with a Master’s in Economics from the University of Lumière in Lyon, France, in 2010, I was contacted by the Head of Projects for French Cooperation at the Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE) with a proposal to set up an economics and management research centre. Upon my return to Cambodia in 2010 I began working as a Researcher in international trade.

My passion and love for research and teaching is what lead me to enter academia, where I was able to satisfy both passions at the same time. Since May 2014, I’ve held the position of Operations Manager, where I conduct extensive research for various economics-related projects and act as Program Coordinator.

I monitor both the Master’s and Bachelor’s programmes for economics. On a daily basis, I oversee the academic curriculum and the planning of classes while managing relationships with our partners, among other things. I very much enjoy this challenge because I am in constant contact with students, professors, companies and partners – allowing me to improve my communication and problem solving skills every day.

With my current experience, I have the opportunity to progress through the ranks at the university to become a department head, dean, vice rector or rector. But to do so, especially in the education sector, having a PhD degree is key. At the French Cooperation, we encourage our staff to pursue a PhD and allow them to suspend employment contracts in order to do so. I am currently a third year PhD student at the University of Toulon in France.

I would recommend this career path to anyone that enjoys learning and passing on knowledge to younger generations, people who like to communicate with people from all parts of society. Some of the key qualities we look for includes: problem solving skills, time management skills, language (at least French or English) and the ability to work under pressure.