Karen Tan

Honours BA, Arts & Business and Economics, Co-op; International Trade Specialization, 2011

During my undergraduate degree I worked in the marketing department of several tech firms including Microsoft Canada. It was in my last year of university that I decided to shift my career focus from the private to the public sector, and I spent a semester working with the Government of Canada. All of these co-op experiences provided me with practical and valuable work experience, which opened many doors upon graduation.

My two study abroad experiences through the University of Waterloo, one to Tec de Monterrey (Mexico), and another to the National University of Singapore (Singapore) helped encourage my decision to move abroad upon graduation. Since graduating in 2011, I have been living in Cambodia working in the field of politics, human rights and development. I am currently working as a Research Coordinator for a grassroots Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), supporting women who have been illegally displaced by land evictions. Additionally, I provide support to Cambodian grassroots women’s networks and female community leaders in the wake of the upcoming general elections. I assist them to write petitions, letters, newspaper articles and advocacy materials that help to bring their causes to light on an international level.

What interests and goals led you to major in economics?

I was interested in the wide range of topics covered when completing a major in economics. It combines math, philosophy, psychology, history, and enables you to immediately put theory into practice. I was most drawn to economics because it impacts every area of our lives, from the foods made available at the grocery store to foreign policy decisions.

Which economics courses influenced you the most during and after your academic career? 

My favourite courses were the ones that combined economic theory with practical application – in particular public expenditure, and macroeconomics. I was interested in the way that the formulas and models we learned in textbooks could be used to analyze real life problems, especially in regards to fiscal policies.

How did you benefit from your co-op work terms?

I spent several terms working as a marketing associate for technological firms, including a co-op placement at Microsoft Canada. These opportunities enabled me to put economic principles into practice in order to analyze market demands and better develop marketing materials.

While these co-op terms in the private sector were valuable to my career progression, it was my experience in the policy research directorate of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada that helped focus my goals to work in policy analysis. I was able to put to use the economic theory and econometric models that we had learned in senior level classes in order to analyze adult education policies and policy instruments. Due to my strong economic background, I was given the opportunity to work with a team of academics in order to develop a policy instruments analysis framework that is used across departments.

How has your Economics degree influenced your current job?

Working at a grassroots NGO in Cambodia, I had the opportunity to lead a piece of research on the psychosocial effects of land evictions throughout the country. My background in economics helps me to better conduct research by structuring the way our team collects, sorts and analyzes the data based on models and assignments I worked on in classes. Here, I have been able to help grassroots women’s networks to create policy recommendations for the Cambodian government on behalf of victims of land evictions.

What are your future plans or career goals?

I plan to continue working with public sector groups in order to research and promote positive, sustainable policies in the developing world. To better achieve these goals and further my knowledge of policy development, especially on an international level, I will be starting my master’s degree at the London school of economics in September 2013.