My Career at the US Census Bureau Jim Farber US Census Bureau Presented at Penn State Stat Club Career Exploration Event October 11, 2014

Outline A little about me How to get a job at Census Overview of Census Bureau work Thoughts and advice Q & A

About Me State College High class of ‘87 BA in Economics, Columbia, 1991 MA in Statistics, Penn State, 1996 Mathematical Statistician at Census, 1995-now Three boys: ages 12, 11, 7 Enjoy coaching, tutoring, reading, soccer, running, trivia, learning

How to Get a Job at Census Hand-out in your folder Full-time and internship opportunities Apply at usajobs.gov We periodically review resumes and bring in candidates for interviews

How to Get a Job at Census Helpful classes: sampling and estimation, regression and modeling, data visualization, categorical data analysis, SAS and R Writing ability: technical and analytical Demonstrated teamwork Demonstrated understanding about what the Census Bureau does

Overview of Census Bureau Work Thousands of Census Bureau employees in Suitland, MD <10% are mathematical statisticians Math stat work is fundamental to Census programs Three major areas of Census: Economic Decennial Demographic

Overview of Census Bureau Work Some of my experiences with Decennial work: Sampling and estimation in tests before Census 2000 Sample design to evaluate quality of Census 2000 Data analysis and documentation of census quality

Overview of Census Bureau Work Some of my experiences with Demographic work: Research and application of administrative records in surveys and decennial census Redesigning major demographic surveys Managing production and research on major demographic surveys

Overview of Census Bureau Work Some of the demographic surveys I work on: Current Population Survey: estimates include the monthly unemployment rate National Health Interview Survey: estimates include health insurance coverage and health indicators Survey of Income and Program Participation: estimates include poverty

Overview of Census Bureau Work One example of a current project: National Health Interview Survey wanted better estimates for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) We developed a frame and sample design Sample yielded fewer NHPI than expected (~40% not in target population) Now we’re investigating the potential causes

Thoughts and Advice Statistics is an intellectually rewarding career You can make a valuable contribution, even early in your career Wide variety of applications can keep your career fresh and interesting It can become routine (e.g., monthly survey production) Mostly low stress, except before big deadlines Census has all of the above

Thoughts and Advice A few personal random observations … Pick an organization or industry that will meet the needs most important to you Don’t work for a bad boss (if you can) The money will be fine Keep your technical skills sharp as you move up Make presentations about your work Work/life balance, size, and diversity of Census have been most important to me

Thank you! Jim Farber James.Farber@census.gov Q & A Thank you! Jim Farber James.Farber@census.gov