Day in the Life: Q&A with Research Analyst I Carly Benson

How would you describe your role on the Analyst team?  

The analyst team works on a variety of projects, including delivering research-based analytics, creating visualizations, and supporting data systems for our partners. As an Analyst I, I get to try a little bit of everything, so I provide support on projects in all those areas, generally by writing code in R or SQL and reviewing results to ensure they meet our standards for quality. A key part of my job is communicating and collaborating with more experienced analysts and members of other teams—like Data Engineering, Partner Strategy, and Research—to ensure that the code or results we’re producing will meet our partners’ needs. 

What interested you in working at EA?  

I have always had an interest in education. Some of the most important people in my life are educators, and all my favorite classes in college were in the Education Studies department. During my senior year, I had the opportunity to work on two education research projects focused on analyzing school climate data and the state of education in wartime Ukraine. Working on those projects was the most fulfilling academic experience I’ve had, and it cemented to me that I needed to be in the education field. Working with education data allows me to leverage my skills in statistics and data science, which I find really fun! 

I also was interested in EA because it is a non-profit. I wanted to be part of an organization that respects schools and educators and holds the same values that I do, but that also has the flexibility to innovate and be creative in the education space. I think EA’s status as a non-profit allows it to meet those goals. 

Follow-up question: You originally started at EA as an intern on the Analyst team, what interested you in making the transition from working as an intern to working as a full-time Analyst? 

On any given day, I might work on multiple projects with totally different educational contexts or that require a range of technical skills. As an intern, this gave me the opportunity to try out and gain knowledge in a lot of different skill areas. I think that is a valuable experience in a first job, and it encouraged me to make the transition to full-time. I also love the office culture and flexibility at EA. As I enter “adult” life, I am looking to grow both professionally and personally, and I think having a good work-life balance is key for that! 

We know that every day is different, but what would a typical day at EA look like for you?  

I spend most of my day focusing on a variety of projects. That work can be anything from writing and running code in R or building out a new feature on a dashboard. I usually attend a few meetings a day, like check-ins with other analysts, project teams, or external partners. In between meetings and independent work, I take short breaks by going outside for a quick walk or looking for my favorite soda in the office fridges. 

What skills do you possess that you find helpful in your role?  

Technical skills, particularly being able to read and write code in R and SQL, are key to my day-to-day work, but I also focus on the “soft” skills that help me succeed in my job. I like to think I have a strong attention to detail. I am thorough in my completion and evaluation of my own work, and when a problem arises in data or code I’m working with, I strive to understand it in as much detail as possible so I know how I can fix it or avoid it in the future. I don’t know if this is a skill, but I really pride myself on bringing a positive attitude to my work every day. Even when working through a challenging problem or a busy season on a project, I am ready to learn, take feedback, and contribute however I can. 

What is your favorite project that you’ve worked on at EA?  

This is hard! I recently joined the San Antonio growth modeling project, and I am loving it so far. I’m very proud to be from Houston, so working on Texas-related projects is meaningful to me and gives me a sense of community. One of my first tasks on the project was running a new model type as part of our research with the partner this year. Running through the entire model was a fun challenge and a good chance to put skills that I learned from working on a different growth project as an intern to the test. Seeing the results presented to San Antonio felt very rewarding. 

I also have enjoyed working on visualization and dashboarding projects in the past. It’s fun to make a (sort-of) tangible product that partners can click through and interact with, and balancing design considerations with technical constraints is always an interesting problem to solve.  

If you had to choose a different team to work on at EA, which team would you pick and why?  

Probably Partner Strategy! Learning about the unique contexts and policy considerations that our partners work within is really interesting, so being on the PS team and interacting with a variety of external partners would be fun for me. I am also always in awe of the PS team’s organizational skills. 

What changes do you anticipate in your field in the next year?  

AI is a huge topic right now. From a technical standpoint, we are seeing so many new AI tools aimed at programmers; in my role, I think this will make it more important than ever to have an equity-oriented, human understanding of the data and education systems we work with. From the classroom perspective, I think it will be interesting to see how the integration of AI into education technology and learning platforms will shape the needs of teachers, students, and the products that EA can offer to best help those populations. 

What is something you enjoy in your free time?  

So many things, it’s hard to choose which to talk about! I love to read. I come from a family of readers, so we are always trading books and talking about what we’re reading. My favorite book that I’ve read recently is Educated by Tara Westover, which was recommended to me by someone on my team at EA! 

I also love thinking about my style and searching for deals on secondhand clothes online or browsing Pinterest. This summer, I’ve been trying to do more baking and crafting! Highlights so far include making cinnamon donuts, decorating my planner, and painting a jewelry box.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?  

Honestly, I told people I wanted to be a teacher/singer. My grandmother was a public school librarian, and I have always loved music, so I wanted to have a bit of both. I thought I could teach during the day and slip into my celebrity persona after work. Unfortunately, I am a terrible singer, so I had to give up half of that dream early, but clearly the interest in education stuck with me! 

What is something that you would tell your younger self about your career? 

This is hard because I just graduated from college recently, so I feel like I am still gaining perspective! I think I would tell myself not to be afraid to advocate for myself or ask questions. I remember being so afraid to go to office hours during my first college math class because I was really struggling with the material, while a lot of my peers had seen it in prior classes. Once I finally worked up the courage to ask for help, the class became so much more enjoyable. Looking back, I have never regretted asking a coworker, mentor, or friend for support or advice. I think having that reassurance when I was younger would have been so helpful and given me more confidence as I was working towards starting my career.