Dallas Moore
Program Analyst
U.S. Department of Justice
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I initially flunked out of college after my freshman year. I was not focused.
I began going to a community college after I failed my freshman year. I received all A's.
My girlfriend at the time got pregnant, so I had to figure out how best to take care of them.
I joined the U.S. Air Force at age 21 and stayed for almost 5 years. I still took college courses the whole time.
I received an Air Force ROTC scholarship to finish my degree and receive an officer commission. I ended up having knee surgery and out of the ROTC program, but finished my bachelor's degree.
After I received my undergraduate degree, I looked for all types of jobs / careers.
I found a temporary job while I applied to other jobs in order to best utilize my college degree.
I was finally hired as a Program Analyst with the DOJ after about 2-3 months of background checks.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Western Hills High School
Western Hills High School
Career
Program Analyst
I conduct internal performance and program reviews and external audits of federal grants.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Government
Business
Working with Others
Day to Day
For a Program Analyst, a typical day involves analyzing large amounts of data, including spreadsheets and other documents. We test compliance of the program with the current laws, regulations, and statutes. We also look for any fraud, waste, or abuse in any of the programs we are reviewing, along with trying to find ways to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of those programs. You also have to be able to clearly communicate and write about what you have done.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
At the very least, have a college degree. No one is hired in my field without a college degree. Business, Accounting, or Public Administration degrees work very well in my career. Be familiar with analyzing data, working with spreadsheets, and writing with Microsoft Word, etc. Be open to working with teams and sometimes independently. You will also need to communicate your findings to upper level executives.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Family:
"I was never discouraged during my journey. I had lots of encouragement from family and friends."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation College Student
