My current role is Assistant Vice President in the Predictive Sciences department at Equifax, the credit reporting agency. It is a fast-paced role that requires many different skill sets including analytical, programming, organizational, multitasking, managerial, and business. The wide variety of tasks that I perform every day and the speed at which I must accomplish these tasks are what keeps me energized and engaged.
While I was in graduate school, the medical and pharmaceutical research career path was emphasized. I was absolutely excited about this type of job opportunity because I could use my favorite analytical tool, design of experiments, in a real world environment. Upon graduation, I relocated to an area of the country where very little research of this type was performed, and due to the recession, it was quite difficult to find a job. I took a position as a statistical modeler at JCPenney Life Insurance Company (now Aegon Direct Marketing Services) and built insurance response models for their direct marketing and telemarketing campaigns. I discovered that even though I was not using design of experiments, I loved what I did for a living. I realized that as long as I could play with data, regardless of its source, apply mathematical and statistical concepts, and formulate valid conclusions, I would be professionally satisfied in any type of analytical role.
Since my time at JCPenney, I have worked for several other financial services and database companies, including Acxiom, Conseco Finance, and now Equifax.