Britton Anderson

Robinson
CNS 220
November 2015
For the first informational interview I conducted, I had the
opportunity to learn more about the educational and occupational
experience of Dr. Caitlin OGrady, who is currently working as a
research analyst at The College Board based out of Reston, Virginia.
When speaking with Dr. OGrady, she made it clear that her career
path was not linear nor was it what she originally planned. Going into
college loving literature and thinking she wanted to major in English,
she slowly started taking political science classes. Eventually, she
realized she loved politics and the ethics side of it, and decided to
major in political science. She described that the transition just kind of
happened. This made me realize that as a sophomore, it is perfectly
acceptable if I do not know what I want to major in just yet. This time
should be used to explore the things I am passionate about.
Dr. OGradys LinkedIn revealed that she previously worked for a
congresswoman. I have an interest in working on Capitol Hill, so I used
the next portion of the interview to ask about her time in DC. She said
that the work experience all depends on who you work for. The
experiences can be drastically different. She also informed me that if I
want to have a career in politics, I should be prepared to start at the
bottom. She enjoyed her experience working for Congress, but also
digressed that she would have enjoyed working for a committee more.
She said the hardest part of working on Capitol Hill was finding the
internship, and it is easy from there.
Deciding she was not ready for the real world, she made the
decision to go back to school. Originally wanting a Masters Degree,
she decided to continue her studies and pursue a PhD so that she
would not have to pay. She graduated with a PhD in Political
Science/Philosophy but chose not to pursue a career as a professor
because of the overcrowded field and her lack of teaching experience.
When I asked what brought her to The College Board, she said she had
always been interested in the data side of things, and after bouncing
around from one job to another, she finally found a place where she
was doing meaningful work.
She described a typical day as very fast paced. There are only
two survey researches at the moment, and she is constantly trying to
get surveys out. She is constantly directly reporting her findings to the
Vice Presidents and other higher-ups, so she must be efficient in her
work. Whether she is interviewing lower income students on their
thoughts of the SAT to make it more accessible or gathering marketing
information to improve The College Board brand, she is constantly
collecting information. Dr. OGrady revealed that the most meaningful

experience is interacting with the higher-ups in the company because

she realized they are implemented the work she is doing.
I took away from the experience that I should always keep my
options open, and find fields that I am passionate about. She revealed
great insight on the Congress intern experience and definitely makes
me interested in that field. Helping less fortunate students have equal
opportunities is definitely a position that I align with, which I could also
achieve as a member of the local or state government in Congress. Dr.
OGrady was a great source of information and I want to continue to
look for more information relating to politics.