In college, I loved working math problems and I loved working with people. I searched for a job that incorporated both of these aspects. After graduating with a BS in mathematics, I took a consulting job at IBM Business Consulting Services (formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP). The field of consulting was ideal for me because I was able to participate in many different projects, each with new challenges.

What is a consultant? A consultant is someone who provides expert advice, usually to another company or agency. In my case, I worked in an office that consulted for the Federal Government. My colleagues at IBM Consulting had quantitative degrees such as mathematics, statistics, quantitative finance, or computer science. The degrees obtained ranged from BS to MBA all the way to PhD.

My work involved forecasting techniques, market research, statistical analysis and data mining. Typically, we were presented with a problem and it either involved analyzing large amounts of data or building a mathematical model to estimate unknown values. For example, the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) noticed an increase in single car accidents since anti-lock brakes were introduced in the 1990s. Our job was to determine if there actually was a direct relationship between anti-lock brakes and single car accidents. This involved statistical analysis involving large amounts of data and performing a market study of drivers involved in single car accidents.

Another project for the State Department involved building a model to estimate the dollar amount of land owned by the U.S. in other countries (e.g., embassies, military bases, etc.).