Jacob Hunt

Jake serves as a Lead Economist with the BC provincial government. His current role has him working in the Governance and Analytics Branch of the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care. As a Lead Economist, Jake is able to work on a number of projects that have tangible impacts for students in British Columbia.  This role was a natural fit for Jake, as his research work in his Masters had focused on the impact of different curriculum structures on student learning outcomes.

Jake found his way into Economics through several degree changes in his undergraduate degree, from engineering to computer science to economics. The human element paired with the rigorous data analysis was what lead him to study economics.  In deciding on whether to take a break after completing his bachelors degree or to go straight into graduate studies, Jake was motivated to attend graduate school immediately.

The strong Co-Operative education program in the Economics department at the University of Victoria is one of the factors that played into Jake’s decision to attend UVic. The idea of working in the Public Service had long appealed to Jake, so having the opportunity to work on his degree while getting hands on experience in the Public Service seemed like a great option. During his degree, Jake was able to work on a co-op term with the Ministry of Education and Child Care. Through this experience, Jake was able to turn the co-op position into a full-time position once he graduated.

When reflecting on his educational experience, Jake’s advice to current students is: Make connections with professors who you think are doing interesting work and make use of the resources you have available to you in the department. The Co-op personnel are great, everyone in the economics front office rocks, and you have to know that everyone wants to see you succeed. There is no pressure to finish your degree in a certain time frame, so take advantage of this flexibility to get things done in a manner that works for you. Make friends with your office and cohort mates, the overlap of knowledge between you and everyone else is not as high as one might think, so there is always something to be learned from your peers.