Carson

Why did you come to work at DC Energy?
I initially found out about DCE through a friend, but I accepted the offer to work here as a result of the people that I met at my interview and on the subsequent office visit day. I have always felt that the people you work with will determine your experience, and I have certainly found that to be true here. It was immediately apparent that the people at DCE were intelligent and friendly, but it was ultimately the pervasive spirit of teamwork and collaboration that the people here have cultivated that drove my decision to accept the offer.

What responsibilities do you have?
I work on the investment module for the PJM FTR team and am responsible for generating and submitting bids to for Financial Transmission Rights auctions. When the team is not in auction, we are constantly looking for new ways to view and analyze data and scrutinizing our own processes to ensure that our strategies work as efficiently and effectively as possible. In the near future, I am excited to be expanding my efforts onto a new team that will be responsible for the management of the firm's vast (and ever-increasing!) stores of data.

What do you like most about your job?
My favorite part of the job is finding the solution to a specific problem, and thinking about how that can be generalized or extended to be more useful across the firm. The most challenging parts of the job come from making big investment decisions, while the most rewarding come from seeing all of the hard work that led to those decisions pay off. I think all of these factors speak to the uniqueness of the position-- where else can you get the satisfaction of seeing your investment decisions pay off and also solve challenging and important firm-wide problems on a daily basis?

What do you do outside of work?
Besides playing frisbee with my coworkers before or after work, I try to get out for a run on one of the many bike trails in Northern Virginia whenever I can. I live on the Metro, so making it into the city is always fun , whether to meet up with friends or check out a new exhibit at the Newseum. One of my favorite things about DC is that it has a team in all four major sports, many of which play my hometown teams several times a year--go Braves!

What have you learned at DCE that you were surprised to learn but are glad you did?
So much! I've gained tons of experience in things like object oriented-programming and task automation, and I've learned a lot more than I ever thought possible about energy markets, which has given me a lot of respect for the ability to get power with the flick of a switch. However, the most surprising things I've learned have come from my coworkers and are often about subjects completely unrelated to work. Outside of the standard work-related knowledge I've gained in subjects like PHP and energy markets, I've found experts at DCE in poker, U.S. presidents, local eateries, and of course ultimate frisbee tactics and strategy.