By Dakota Morehouse

I thought a life in academia was where I belonged starting in high school, explaining calculus
and statistical topics to my peers, until I started college. Not long into my time at Southern New
Hampshire University, I became a mathematics tutor. This seemed to satisfy the need to teach
within me, but I yearned for more. I’ve come to discover that this “more” is being able to
translate my work to those without a heavy math background, and provide solutions to the
problems at hand.

My current position as Quality Control Technician for Pike Industries resulted from relentless
applications for various internships in the central New Hampshire area. During my junior year of
college at Southern New Hampshire University, I discovered that the majority of any data
analytics position hinged on the knowledge of various coding programs I had not worked with.
Because of this, I applied for any kind of internship that did not have this requirement
and still involved some sort of data analytics to at least give me exposure to the
field.

Pike Industries is the largest asphalt and aggregate producer in New England, and was the only
company that accepted my application. In my mind, at first, I was thrilled to have a summer job.
Then, I wondered what someone in a quality control position did for mathematical computation. It didn’t take long for me to discover that it was a statistic heavy role relying on the use of excel spreadsheets, yet another skill I was not strong in. However, the various ratios, formulas, and templates soon began to make sense. The interpretation and implementation of the results followed. I’ve become comfortable calculating various rock graduations, determining binder contents in asphalt products, and working with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation on state project

I find that since starting this position, there isn’t a day that goes by where I’m not learning in
some capacity. Whether it’s about a procedure or about various situations with a certain project,problem solving is at the forefront of this position. This, and communication, are two of many skills I have enhanced over the past three years here.

My time in college level classes doing research and presenting it to peers prepared me for this
position more than I initially realized. I find myself often translating the work I do to various
departments across the company to help achieve quality in any capacity. Due to my
mathematics background, there have been many instances where I teach my peers shortcuts in
everyday calculations , and they teach me about various job types and requirements for each
one. Most are jobs I have yet to experience for myself.