These amazing people have some pretty interesting jobs, so we’re bringing you a fun peek into their work-world along with some of their personal facets. This series is ongoing with our most recent interviews being with Michael Darger and Praveen Aggarwal. I you have anyone you’d like to nominate as a potential Spotlight feature, put your nomination in the comments, or send us an email. Enjoy!
Spotlight on Carson Gorecki
Carson Gorecki is the Regional Labor Market Analyst for Northeast Minnesota at the Department of Employment and Economic Development and has been with them for three years. Over the years, the BBER has frequently called on Carson to answer labor market questions, provide advice on data-related issues, or deliver trainings to LSBE students and faculty.
What does a typical day look like in your job?
A typical day involves responding to requests for economic and demographic information or data, prepping and delivering presentations, and researching and writing on subjects of interest in or related to the labor market. I spend a sizeable share of my time in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
What do you like best about your current job?
I enjoy the variety. I can dive deep into the data and lose myself in a subject that interests me one day and the next be speaking in front of 100 people. In the middle are the one-on-one interactions where I answer questions and have conversations directly. It is a great mix of extrovert and introvert-oriented activities that I find stimulating and rewarding.
What about your current job do you find most challenging?
One big challenge is to distill data-heavy concepts down to the point where they are more easily understood in a PowerPoint slide or chart that you see for maybe 30 seconds. Another big challenge is to answer questions that cannot be answered directly with the data currently available. One must get creative and provide alternative solutions/data sources to get as close as possible. Sometimes this necessitates a reframing of the question. I love getting questions I haven’t heard before.
If you could snap your fingers and solve any problem facing our community, what would it be?
The housing affordability/availability crisis. The lack of housing options restricts any community’s ability to meet its members’ basic needs. In terms of economic competitiveness, we can’t attract workers if there is nowhere for them to live. We need more housing at all cost levels.
What is the most recent thing you’ve read (besides email)?
I just read the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest jobs report for January. Another great thing about my job is that there are new data to interpret every month.
What is something (knowledge or a skill) you would like to learn?
I would love to get a better grasp on some programming languages such as SQL and Python, to better take advantage of more data sources and to help with some of my more repetitive data manipulation tasks.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received that has helped you in your career?
Everyone’s career path is different. It helps to have an idea of where you want to go but to be open to potentially beneficial detours. Sometimes that is where you learn the most about yourself.