I am not an economist, but I still remember when my mum first introduced us to Economics during one of the summer breaks (we called it long vacation).
She and my Dad had planned to put us through the subjects themselves since they couldn’t afford paying for summer lessons, and Mum was determined that we should understand the subject, so she started giving us lessons at home immediately . Those lessons stuck with me then, but only just enough to pass exams.
And to be fair, I did pass. In school, I scored well in Economics, and for a while, I thought I understood it. But looking back now, I realize it was all examination knowledge. I don’t remember the deeper topics, just those basic definitions, and even those feel a bit rusty.
Fast forward to today, and my life and everyday choices constantly proves that I am not an economist. I try to be wise with money, but the truth is, when I have money to spend, I spend it. Not recklessly, on things I actually need. The problem is, I seem to “need” a lot of things. Somehow, the money finds its way out of my hands faster than it comes in, and no definition of Economics has been able to help me with that.
In the end, even though I did so well as an Economics student in school back then, that doesn’t make me an economist. Being an economist is far from just having good grades, it’s about the choices you make in real life, especially when it comes to handling money and priorities. And while I may not have mastered that field, I’ve made peace with the fact that I am not an economist, and that’s perfectly okay.