We had the pleasure of meeting with Anna Zhou (2016) to learn more about her time in the master’s program and her career trajectory after graduation.
Anna, originally from Beijing, went to Cornell University with the intention of majoring in math. Studying math at Cornell seemed the natural path, as she had “always been a strong math student.” However, upon entering university, she greatly enjoyed her micro and macro classes, which led to her decision to become an economics major instead.
Following graduation, “I wanted to go for a Ph.D. because I liked the discipline that comes with it, and I didn’t feel ready for the workforce, so I decided to go for a master’s for more clarity,” says Anna.
She chose Columbia University for graduate school because “I understood that the program was a transition between undergrad and a Ph.D.; it was more academic than just preparing you for industry, a unique attribute of our MA program.” That’s how she came to be part of our first cohort.
Furthermore, after living in the small town of Ithaca, NY, she thought living in New York City would be exciting, as she wanted a change of pace.
Anna enjoyed the experience because “we could adapt our curriculum depending on what we wanted to get out of the program. We had more flexibility to ask ourselves, do I stick around with this for a Ph.D. or pivot and go into industry?’”
The flexibility and the year-long program also proved helpful in gaining a better understanding of what she wanted to do in the future.
“After taking classes that I enjoyed, I realized that I would prefer the fast-paced environment of industry,” explains Anna.
Her micro classes were helpful, noting how she liked the “relatability of it, it all made sense to me.” She also credits the professors for being talented economists and great teachers. This made the material more captivating, which deepened her interest in the subject.
For her master’s thesis, she researched policy changes on Airbnb in NYC, motivated by “having friends who do Airbnb on the side.”
“I studied released listings of Airbnbs in a city and whether they would have an effect on rent conditions in the city as supply was being driven out. I found that this was one of the reasons rent in NYC was so high at the time.”
At Columbia, Anna took advantage of the many opportunities around campus, such as working as an RA at Columbia Law School. She found it fascinating to study the correlation between economics and law and also said that it helped her figure out her future career goals.
She also worked at Columbia’s summer school for high school students to teach Intro to Economics, noting the experience was very “rewarding” and “I am still in touch with and now friends with many of my former students.”
Anna also credits the program for introducing her to “some of my closest friends, many of whom I still talk to every day.” She credits studying together at the library as a way for “students from many backgrounds to come together.”
After graduating from Columbia, Anna started working at the Bank of America, her place of employment for almost seven years. She worked as a US Economist for several years, getting promoted to Vice President. She now works as a China and Asia Economist for Bank of America in Hong Kong.
“I was first based in New York City, covering economics in the US with a focus on the consumer, but I recently decided to move closer to family after the pandemic, so I was fortunate enough to have an internal transfer and look at China and Asia markets now,” explains Anna.
Anna noted that applying the theoretical knowledge of macroeconomics that she learned at Columbia proved interesting when applying it to real-life scenarios in her current position.
“Macro can seem so theoretical in class, such as studying the Phillips Curve, but when you are forecasting for inflation and unemployment rate, it becomes so actionable in its relatability. I enjoy applying these theories to help people make better decisions.”
Anna notes opportunities from the program to help her land her position at Bank of America.
“My former director sent a listing for my previous position to the MA program, so I applied and was fortunate enough to get the position.”
When asked if she has any advice for current students who want to work in her field, she notes that despite changing her career trajectory from academia to industry later than others, “if you keep trying, you’ll find opportunities that you didn’t know existed. Don’t doubt yourself, and something will happen.”
Anna also recommends that students who want to follow her career path “stay up to date with the market and get into a habit of reading a lot of marketing news often since it’s easy to be disconnected during grad school.”
Thanks for chatting with us, Anna!
