Deirdre Roche - Economics

I always had a natural interest in what I thought was Economics. Growing up in Celtic Tiger Dublin meant that I saw Dublin explode into this booming city, with foreign shops, big tall buildings and an appetite for the finer things in life. To someone looking in, it seemed Ireland and her people were living the dream. But as I have come to learn from my time studying economics in UCD, when there’s a boom it’s shortly followed by a bust and the bigger the boom, the bigger the bust. I was in my early teens when the 2008 financial crash hit and I remember being fascinated and scared by it all. The bad banking practises, the back hand payments and the infamous secret recordings between members of the Government. For about 3 years it seemed every day there was another news article about bank losses, job cuts and spending cuts within the government.

I went into secondary school hoping to learn more about business and economics and how we could learn from the mistakes of the past. I took an early interest in the banking side of business and the Macroeconomic side of Economics. While my interest was kept alive in Secondary School, I finished the leaving cert still not feeling as if I had a strong enough grasp of how deeply Economics and Money played a role in people's lives. I decided then that I would like to study it in college. I made the decision to come to UCD because the Economics Department had an excellent list of lecturers who had real world Economic experience. Between their extensive knowledge of the theory of Economics and their love for it, it made sense that I continued my learning experience in UCD. From the outset the lecturers squashed any preconceived ideas about how stuffy and boring college lecturers could be. They engaged you in the course from day one, between showing you the real world application of the theory you were learning to offering their often critical yet humorous opinion on where banks and governments failed in utilising the best practises available. While at times the lecturers have been hard the people teaching them have been helpful and supportive.

All this led me to become involved in another aspect of college; societies. Through my love of Economics I decided to become involved in the UCD Economics Society, which since its formation, has had a strong tie with the Economics Department. From round table discussions, to pre budget analysis, to lively discourse the society provided another way of understanding the real world application of Economics. Through the society I have come to meet some of the leading Irish experts in Economics, Business and Finances. It has been deeply rewarding to see the theory of economics spill into the real world. To finally be able to not only understand the language and terms used in the business world but to also be able to engage in discourse with the people who spoke it gave me a great feeling of accomplishment.

As I look towards my last year studying Economics in UCD, I know that wherever I may end up and whatever career I find myself in, I can be secure in the knowledge that my degree has prepared me for the ever evolving and challenging business world. I have made so many wonderful friends and have availed of so many amazing opportunities. What I have learned so far is that economics is a subject that leads itself easily into avenues of further study. Thankfully, I have been able to spend this summer interning in an accounting firm. This has solidified my desire to go on and become a registered chartered account. Before this, I would like to further my studies by doing a MSc in Accounting and Finance from the University of Cologne which will not only build on the foundation of knowledge I have received in UCD but which will also greatly aid my career prospects/