They’re all reborn, what’s wrong with being a little more almighty?

Chapter 228 First Steps towards Becoming an Economist

Principal Gu's proposal of a double bachelor's degree surprised Zhang Wei.

Tsinghua University is not without dual bachelor's degrees. As early as 1985, the state issued the "Central Decision on Education System Reform", which first proposed the term "dual bachelor's degree". Tsinghua University also implemented the dual bachelor's degree system in that year.

But the double bachelor's degree of Tsinghua University is one basic subject plus one applied subject, such as basic mathematics and physics plus mechanical engineering, basic mathematics and physics plus power engineering, chemical biology plus material science, etc.

The combination of liberal arts and science and engineering will not appear until 2020 when Tsinghua University opens a double bachelor's degree in computer science and finance. Before that, there will be no double degree combination of liberal arts and science and engineering.

In modern finance, big data analysis has become an indispensable part, so computer plus finance can be considered a practical combination.

But economics and biology are really completely unrelated.

Zhang Wei also knew that Tsinghua University did not offer a double degree in liberal arts, economics, science and engineering, so he was surprised by the back door opened by President Gu.

You have to know that even schools of the level of Tsinghua University and Peking University have to follow the rules set by the Ministry of Education in terms of admissions. It is obvious that the Ministry of Education would not allow Tsinghua University to implement a dual degree system of economics and biology.

"Principal, you are not kidding, are you? Economics and biology are completely unrelated. How can you pass the education test?" Zhang Wei asked.

"You also know that economics and biology have nothing to do with each other!" Principal Gu couldn't help but complain, and then said: "To tell you the truth, the Ministry of Education has always wanted us to conduct a pilot program of double bachelor's degree cross-training with Peking University, but I have always suppressed it.

I am thinking that our basic scientific research is still far behind that of Western developed countries. Although we have caught up with some of the advanced sciences in recent years, we are still lagging behind developed countries! It is meaningless to study double degree now. We haven't learned to walk yet, so we can't rush to learn to run!

But since you want to study economics, I will use this double bachelor's degree cross-training pilot program on you! It happens that I can also give an explanation to the Ministry of Education, and it can be regarded as a pilot program for double degrees. Anyway, it takes you four years to graduate from college, and I can also delay it for four years. "

"You said you were going to use the back door for me, but it turns out you were using me as a shield! Principal, you're really awesome. You're doing a favor for two parties! I have to thank you on both sides." Zhang Wei gave a thumbs up.

……

The Department of Economics and Management is the oldest major in NTHU. NTHU began planning to establish a university department in 1925. When the university department was officially established in 1926, there were 17 majors, including the Department of Economics.

It is worth mentioning that the Department of Music and the Department of Physical Education were both among the 17 majors at the time. During the National Tsing Hua University period, the Department of Music was cancelled, while the Department of Physical Education continued to exist to this day in the form of the Ministry of Physical Education.

In 1952, Tsinghua University adjusted its departments and began to focus on science and engineering majors. The Department of Economics was merged into other schools because it was a liberal arts major. It was not re-established until 1979. The undergraduate program was restarted in 1980, and the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University was established in 1984.

As for undergraduates, Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management is not the best, but few students at Tsinghua University only study for undergraduate degrees. Moreover, majors such as economics are not very exclusive, and if you don't get a master's degree, you will not have an advantage in employment.

At the master's level, Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management has become prominent, and at the doctoral level, it is not inferior to Peking University and Renmin University.

Qian Guoguang, dean of the School of Economics and Management, is not only a top economist in the country, but also a member of several domestic policy-oriented economic research institutions. Simply put, he is a member of the national think tank.

At this time, Qian Guoguang was standing at the entrance of the main office building of Tsinghua University, as if waiting for someone.

A moment later, another man who looked like a scholar came from a distance. This man looked a few years younger than Qian Guoguang, but his hair was much whiter, which made him look more scholarly.

When the man saw Qian Guoguang waiting at the door, he immediately trotted over and said, "President, I'm sorry, I'm late."

"I'm here early. Director Bai, let's go in and wait!" Qian Guoguang nodded.

The person who came later was Bai Qian, the vice president of the School of Economics and Management and the director of the Economics Department.

Bai Qian, as his name suggests, looks like a modest gentleman. He is a Ph.D. from Harvard Business School. After graduation, he taught at an American university. Later, he gave up the high salary of the American university and chose to return to build his motherland.

The two walked side by side to the elevator entrance. While waiting for the elevator, Bai Qian was the first to ask, "I wonder why the principal asked us to come this time?"

"I don't know either. The principal didn't say it on the phone, but I guess it must be related to your Economics Department. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically asked me to call you over." Qian Guoguang said.

"Our Economics Department hasn't launched any new projects recently!" Bai Qian frowned and thought for a while, then continued, "The domestic economic situation is relatively stable. Could it be that the country is going to introduce some new policies?"

Bai Qian looked at Qian Guoguang tentatively as he spoke. He knew that Qian Guoguang was a member of the think tank, and if there were any new policies to be introduced, Qian Guoguang would definitely get wind of it.

However, Qian Guoguang shook his head: "It's the end of the year. Even if there is a new policy, it is impossible to introduce it at this time. As for why Principal Gu came to us, you will know when you get there."

As they were talking, they got on the elevator, then came to Principal Gu's office and met Principal Gu.

The secretary served tea to the two men. After a brief greeting, the three of them got down to business.

"The reason I called you here this time is because there is a freshman this year who wants to study in the Economics Department of your college." Principal Gu said.

"The semester is almost over. Are you going to study in the Economics Department again? Are you changing your major or joining the experimental class?" Qian Guoguang asked.

"It's from the experimental class." Principal Gu replied.

"All the students in the experimental class are high-scoring candidates, so of course we welcome them with open arms," ​​Qian Guoguang said immediately.

The principal had already offered it, so he couldn't refuse it. But Qian Guoguang was thinking about something else: what kind of freshman was it that the principal had to personally come to him to give him instructions? Could he be the family of some important person?

President Gu then continued, "You must be curious about who this freshman is, right? I won't keep you in suspense, he is Zhang Wei! The most precious treasure of our Tsinghua University!"

"Which Zhang Wei?" Qian Guoguang asked subconsciously.

"Who else could it be? The Zhang Wei from the Biology Department!"

"You are talking about Zhang Wei!" Qian Guoguang exclaimed, and immediately showed an incredible expression. If these words had not come from Principal Gu, he would not believe it even if he was beaten to death.

It was Bai Qian, the head of the Economics Department, who was next to him, who came to his senses first. He asked, "President, I remember hearing about Zhang Wei when I first came to Tsinghua University last year. How come he is still a freshman?"

"Zhang Wei's situation is rather special. He dropped out of school for two consecutive years, then passed the exam and was admitted back, so this is his third year as a freshman!" Principal Gu showed a helpless expression.

"Dropped out? And passed the exam to get back? A freshman has to study for three years? What's the point! Hasn't he made several impressive scientific research results? It is said that he is qualified to be an academician, so why does he have to continue to be a freshman?" Bai Qian asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Geniuses always have some special habits, we have to understand that. And this year, not only is he going to be a freshman, he also specifically wants to study economics!"

"Why? Our economics and biology have nothing to do with each other. It is meaningless for a biologist to study economics!" Qian Guoguang continued.

"He said he suddenly became interested in economics. This child is willful, and since he is interested, let him be! Anyway, as long as he stays in our Tsinghua University, it's fine." Principal Gu's words were full of doting.

Qian Guoguang and Bai Qian looked at each other, then said, "Principal, why did you call us here? Do you have any specific instructions?"

"I hope that after Zhang Wei arrives at the School of Economics and Management, you will take good care of him and not treat him as an ordinary student. If he has any needs, you should try your best to meet them. If you cannot satisfy them, just come to me and I will find a way to solve it!" said Principal Gu.

"Principal, don't worry. Even if you don't give any instructions, we will definitely take good care of the person!" Qian Guoguang said quickly.

"Also, you have to keep a close eye on him and don't let him get into trouble again!" Principal Gu continued.

"Again?" When Qian Guoguang heard this word, his heart suddenly tightened.

It turns out that Zhang Wei, this sweetheart from Tsinghua University, is not only good at scientific research, but also often gets into trouble!

According to what the principal said, we have to take care of Zhang Wei and comply with Zhang Wei's needs. Does that mean he can't be punished even if he gets into trouble?
This is like inviting back an ancestor!
At this point the two finally understood why Principal Gu had come to ask them to come in person. This was to give the School of Economics and Management some boost!

"There's one more thing!" Principal Gu continued, "Zhang Wei has been a freshman for three years. I'm really worried that he'll do something weird again this year and yell that he wants to drop out. So I'm giving you a task. Make sure he's promoted to sophomore!"

"Principal, I can't guarantee anything else, but this is easy to handle! Not to mention promotion to sophomore, even direct graduation is no problem! Economics is the easiest major for us to graduate from.

Economics is something that can be solved as long as you want to. Even if he doesn't say a word in his graduation defense, I can come up with a reason to keep silent about economics and let him graduate. "Bai Qian said with a smile.

"Silent economics? I don't know much about economics. It turns out there is such a school of thought!" Principal Gu said.

"No, but I can make one up." Bai Qian lied without blushing or getting nervous, still looking like a modest gentleman.

"Those who come back from the United States know how to adapt!" Principal Gu said in his heart.

Qian Guoguang asked, "President, when will Zhang Wei report to our School of Economics and Management?"

"Maybe by the end of this month!"

"I understand. There are still some unfinished projects in the Department of Biology. I'll wait for your news." Qian Guoguang said.

"It's not about the biology department. This guy flew to the United States again this morning. He said that when he was a visiting scholar in the United States in the first half of the year, he wrote a book and it sold well. This time he went to collect the royalties." Bai Qian showed a look of sudden realization; "I always thought that only academic works in economics were popular in the United States. I didn't expect that academic works in biology could also sell well in the United States."

"It's not a biology book. It's a novel called Hunger or something!"

"Hungry?" Qian Guoguang and Bai Qian frowned at the same time.

These two words don't sound like a serious work.

It seems that Zhang Wei is really a problematic person!
……

After Zhang Wei arrived in the United States, he went straight to Amazon's publishing department.

Upon learning that Zhang Wei had arrived, Thomas greeted him warmly.

More than half a year ago, Zhang Wei was still an inconspicuous rookie writer, and it took Comas McCarthy's recommendation letter to get Thomas to take a look at him.

But now, Zhang Wei is Amazon's number one best-selling author and is considered a leading figure in Amazon publishing. Naturally, his treatment is very different from before.

Zhang Wei's "The Thirst Game" gained great momentum at the beginning of its release and quickly entered the top ten in Amazon sales. After entering the summer vacation, it continued to advance rapidly and entered the top three.

Originally, "The Thirst Games" had a hope of hitting the first place, but on July 7, a big-demon-level book was released, that is JK Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince".

The Half-Blood Prince sold 690 million copies on its first day in North America, unsurprisingly topping various sales charts.

However, Half-Blood Prince lacked stamina and failed to maintain such high sales.

The previous film of the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, has the worst sales in the entire series. Precisely because of the poor sales of the previous film, readers do not have high expectations for the Half-Blood Prince.

More importantly, Dumbledore died in this movie.

The plot of teammates dying is always unpleasant, especially when the one who dies is the teammate with the highest combat effectiveness. This kind of plot alone has discouraged many readers.

In the days before the release of Half-Blood Prince, the people who bought the book were die-hard fans. Since there are many die-hard fans of the Harry Potter series, the sales volume in the first few days was naturally high. After the die-hard fans bought the book, the remaining readers would decide whether to buy it based on the word-of-mouth reviews.

As a result, they found out that Dumbledore was dead! This immediately discouraged many readers. As a result, the subsequent sales of Half-Blood Prince were somewhat weak.

Amazon's publishing department does not want Half-Blood Prince to dominate the charts for a long time, because the publication of the Harry Potter series in North America is represented by Scholastic Group, and Amazon is just one of the sales channels, so it just earns some channel fees.

In comparison, "The Thirst Games" was published by Amazon itself, and the money earned is its own, so of course it has to be promoted.

So after September, when the hype of Half-Blood Prince had passed, Amazon began to allocate some resources to it, and The Thirst and Games successfully topped the Amazon sales list.

Although Amazon has given more resources, there is a saying that a good iron must be forged with its own strength. The fact that it can surpass Half-Blood Prince itself shows that the quality of The Thirst Games is high enough. At least when facing the Harry Potter series, it can still give it a try.

That's the Harry Potter series, it's already very difficult to fight back.

Based on this point alone, Zhang Wei is currently the most valuable writer in Amazon Publishing.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Thomas directly asked about the sequel to "The Hunger and Games".

"Mr. Zhang, have you started writing the second part of "The Thirst Games"? If possible, I hope to see this sequel next summer." Thomas said.

"Next summer? There's still half a year left. Are you in such a hurry?" Zhang Wei asked.

Thomas explained: "July of each year is the best time for new books to be published. More importantly, there will be no Harry Potter books released next year. According to the information we received, the next Harry Potter book will be released in the summer of the year after next.

Moreover, the next Harry Potter book will be the finale of the entire series and will certainly be extremely popular. It is foreseeable that the finale of Harry Potter will sweep the entire book market. If it collides with this, it will definitely affect sales.”

"I understand." Zhang Wei nodded, and after a moment's silence, he said, "I should be able to finish the second part of The Thirst Game by May next year."

"May? Then it will be published in early July, which is enough time." Thomas nodded with a smile.

Zhang Wei said, "Mr. Thomas, I came to you this time because I want to publish another book."

"Oh? Mr. Zhang has a new work? I can't wait to read it!" Thomas said immediately.

Zhang Wei took out a thick stack of manuscripts from his backpack and said, "The subject matter of this book is different from The Thirst Game. This is a fantasy novel with a realistic theme."

Thomas took the manuscript and looked at the title on the first page.

"The Big Short"!
Then Thomas turned to the first page, which contained an introduction to the work.

“A financial crisis dealt an unimaginable blow to the prestigious Wall Street. However, amid the chaos, some unknown people had already seen the loopholes in the market and shorted the market when everyone was crazy, and finally made huge profits.

This book shows a group of "Terminators" with superior intelligence and eccentric personalities. They were previously unknown Wall Street employees, but because they were full of doubts and distrust about the prosperity of the subprime mortgage market and the proliferation of financial instruments, they finally saw through the market madness that neither the Federal Reserve nor the Treasury Department had noticed, and bet on the imminent collapse of American financial institutions. As a result, they defeated Wall Street..."

Seeing the word "financial crisis", Thomas frowned slightly, and then he asked: "Mr. Zhang, is this about something that happened in the last century?"

"No, it's a matter of this century," Zhang Wei replied.

“In this century, there was only the Internet bubble at the beginning of the century, which shouldn’t be considered a financial crisis, right?”

"The background of my story takes place in 2006, which is next year."

"You mean, there will be a financial crisis in the United States next year?" Thomas asked.

"As for fantasy novels, of course they need some gimmicks. If it's the same as usual, who would buy it to read?" Zhang Wei said with a smile.

……

How to become a famous economist?
You can study economics in depth over many years and then come up with a set of economic theories. As long as your economic theories are recognized by some people, you can be considered a well-known economist.

You can also work as a consultant in a financial institution, such as a certain investment bank or a certain private equity firm, where you can look at data and say some unnecessary nonsense. Once you have a resume, you can be considered an economist.

You can also go to some economic research institutions or think tanks, where you can study data and write reports every day. If you can make a name for yourself in such institutions or think tanks, you can also call yourself an economist.

If you can't do all these, you can write some articles on economics and submit them to newspapers or magazines to make yourself familiar to readers. Over time, readers will also think that you are an economist.

Of course, the quickest way is to predict!

Predict economic trends, predict financial trends. As long as your predictions are accurate enough, you can quickly rise to the top and become a popular economist.

Many economists have made a name for themselves by successfully predicting certain economic events.

Of course, there are also people like Director Zhang, who makes predictions every year and is always inaccurate. But he is called a famous economist just because he predicts things that you like to hear.

People are like this. Even if you are full of lies, as long as you say something that others like to hear, you will definitely be welcomed.

For economists, a more common prediction is to predict whether the central bank will raise interest rates or lower reserve requirements in the future;
Some of the more advanced ones can not only predict the central bank's interest rate hike or reserve requirement ratio cut, but also the extent of the hike or reduction.

Even more impressive ones can accurately predict the time period and extent of the interest rate hike or reserve requirement ratio cut by the central bank.

If you have the ability to predict this, you will never have to worry about making a living, as many financial institutions will pay you to write reports.

If your predictions are not just at the financial level, but can rise to the industrial level, then you will definitely become a guest of honor at commercial banks and investment banks, and even national think tanks may extend an olive branch to you.

Industry-level forecasts are no longer something that ordinary economists can do, and making accurate forecasts is even more difficult!
What if you could predict an economic crisis?

There is no doubt that you will become the world's top economist. The eyes of the whole world will be on you, and the reputation you bring will be enough to keep you in the economics world for the rest of your life.

What Zhang Wei plans to do now is to predict an upcoming economic crisis!

There are still two years before the US subprime mortgage crisis breaks out. If you can successfully predict the US subprime mortgage crisis two years ago, and even clearly explain the causes and consequences of the entire subprime mortgage crisis, then you will definitely become the most popular economist of our time!

The book "The Big Short" is Zhang Wei's first step towards becoming an economist.

(End of this chapter)