During my undergraduate and graduate studies, I had been given a strong economics background. As a fresh graduate from one of the top universities in Bangladesh, I started my career as a lecturer in a private university. Being a new academic, I was keen to improve my analytical knowledge in order to provide my students a bridge between theoretical and practical implications in different sectors. My aim to pursue a master’s degree in public policy was fueled when I was awarded a scholarship by the Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) in 2014.
With its prominent faculty members, the graduate programs at GraSPP provide a wide variety of courses and resources to pursue a master’s degree. This program allowed me to explore potential ways to connect economic theory with policy analysis via case studies, class presentations, research paper writing, educational trips, and multicultural social gatherings and seminars. I appreciated the emphasis on having a variety of courses available. Advanced economic courses honed my theoretical base, while at the same time courses in applied labor economics and applied econometrics allowed me to analyze empirical data and relate those results to public policy implications.
I rejoined the same university in Bangladesh after graduating from GraSPP in 2016. I realized there was a huge escalation in my class performance, including lecture resources and way of guiding students in their study. Later, I was hired by one of the top private universities in Bangladesh. I was working in academia to teach different courses in economics and guide young students in their research papers.
My way of conducting research was also much improved after attending the ASEAN & South Asia Youth Mission to Japan in 2017 offered by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). I was more inclined towards environmental economics and organized a few programs to share my lessons from the meaningful event. My performance was highly appreciated by my department. I was working there as an Assistant Professor until 2019. My degree from GraSPP provided me with such a strong foundation that soon after moving to Canada in 2019, I started working with a most trusted Canadian organization. Even though it’s a completely new career path and different work culture, I am doing great each day as I had a firm foundation from GraSPP to work in a culturally diverse group.
In the current pandemic situation, all sectors of the economy have been affected long-term and recovery needs proper policy direction with facts. I believe the public policy course offered by GraSPP can enhance the policy research and knowledge among young academics, policy researchers and government officials.