Data Analyst
His career goals changed several times and involved overcoming multiple challenges.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
JD was born outside the U.S., emigrating here with his family at age 6. His family had all been college graduates in their native land, each enjoying careers in physics.
CHALLENGE – LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE
After arriving in the country at an age when most children are already familiar with listening to and speaking English, JD had to start learning to speak and read his new country’s native language for the first time. He studied diligently to overcome the learning challenges he faced initially, becoming as proficient in English as his classmates by the time he completed first grade.
JD credited his rapid learning ability to being an avid reader, often checking out loads of library books. Also, he developed early friendships with many of his classmates, who were kind and helpful, rather than mean and aloof to “the new kid.”
CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER
In the ninth grade, JD made a big announcement: he planned to attend a prestigious university known nationally for the study of mathematics, toward his career goal of becoming a physicist (a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length scales, from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made, to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole, to better understand the universe. Physicists use their logic skills to develop probable theories and experiments to test their accuracy. Working as a physicist often requires complex calculations.)
HIGH SCHOOL
JD enjoyed math and math related courses. Since he was interested in continuing to learn about physics, astronomy and statistics, his parents found college summer camps for JD to attend. JD scored very high (1490) on the college board tests, became a National Merit semi-finalist and graduated 10th in his academically competitive, high school class.
COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY
On the basis of his high school GPA, SAT score and teacher recommendations, JD applied to top-rated mathematics and Ivy League schools but was not admitted to either MIT or Princeton, instead enrolling in a lesser-known Ivy League school, where he loved the physics and math curriculum, earning his Bachelor’s degree in both disciplines.
CHALLENGE – DEPRESSION
JD’s plan toward the end of his college years was to attend graduate school and possibly become a college professor. But he began suffering from severe depression during his senior year in college and wisely sought professional counseling to deal with it.
With the guidance of a skilled, mental health counselor plus his own determination to deal with his depression rather than ignore it and possibly wind up addicted to something physically harmful (liquor and/or drugs), JD learned to cope with and eventually put his depression “in the rear-view mirror.”
CAREER BEGINS BUT THE PATH IS A WINDING ROAD
Looking back, JD said “I thought I would be teaching. I thought I was going to discover the ‘Grand Unified Theory’ in physics, and I didn’t. There have certainly been challenges.” He never became a teacher or professor but brought his comfort with numbers to the business world.
CAREER SATISFACTION
JD has put his math and statistics skills to good use, first as a market research statistician and later as a statistical modeling expert with a private coinage manufacturer.
For the past two decades, JD has been a data analyst with a graduate student testing organization, assembling assessments and exams as part of the professional licensing responsibilities of his employer.
Married for 25 years, JD and his wife have two children, both currently college students. He keeps up with some high school classmates through social media. Said JD: “I’m in comfortable middle age, looking forward to the end of my career and retirement.”
