“You need to think carefully before you jump into this deep sea,” said Professor Daniel Levy at the very beginning of a presentation entitled “Why can a Ph.D. be bad for you?”. While this statement sounded frightening to those who were planning to pursue a Ph.D. or other further studies, it appeared to be more bemusing for others who were not considering a career in academia.

For over a decade, ISET has produced MA graduates whose experience, knowledge, and expertise have allowed them to pursue successful careers across the world. Some stayed in academia, and went on to earn further degrees in the United States and Europe; others moved into public service or the private sector, both at home and abroad, actively working towards regional development or establishing successful careers overseas.

On the 25th of May, ISET was pleased to host the environmental economist and founder of the consultancy company GIST Advisory, Pavan Sukhdev, for a presentation. Starting his career as a physicist, Mr. Sukhdev got interested in the challenges of environmental protection. This led him to investigate economics, particularly aiming at understanding the significance of businesses as a driver of the changes that we see around us as well as third-party impacts, which are known as externalities in economics.

On Wednesday, March 1, ISET hosted an 'Information Session' with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on "What a Career in ADB Entails". Mr. Toshio Oya, the ADB's Director-General of the Budget, Personnel, and Management Systems Department led the session.

Shota Bakhuashvili of the Class of 2017 decided to apply for an MA research scholarship at the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation after listening to an encouraging speech by Professor Norberto Pignatti during a lecture. Shota was ultimately successful, winning 6000 lari that he will use for books, papers, and travel to attend conferences.