If I could change just one thing about my past, this would be it. Don’t study economics.

I regret (almost) nothing. “If I could change” is the silliest mental exercise.

In my life and career, I made many decisions and took many actions that led to difficulties and outright failures. The reason I have no regrets is not because of the much-advertised self-improvement mantra “you should let go of your past”, though there is certainly much wisdom in being able to let go of your past. It’s because even in hindsight, behind every decision there was a rich mix of considerations and emotions. There was “context” I remember now, years later. I acted rationally based on the information I had at the time. And if I acted emotionally — there were good reasons for my emotions.

There is however one thing that I regret. I am staying away from giving advice to my kids, preferring to give them freedom of choice but if I could influence them in this particular area of life I would.

Don’t study Economics in college!

I studied Economics at Cambridge. Yeah, that eight hundred-year-old famous institution. One of my famous professors was a Noble laureate. James Mirrlees. The rest of my professors were incredibly smart too. So were my classmates.

I don’t remember how and why I chose to study Economics. I guess it was an easy and obvious choice. If you study Economics at Cambridge or Oxford (“Oxbridge”) you’re highly likely to get a job at a top-tier investment bank. For…