I came to APPRISE with a background in environmental economics and a strong interest in environmental policy design, having earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Amsterdam. While my coursework shaped how I understood energy consumption and economic frameworks, the practical realities of energy policy proved to be both a learning experience and a welcome surprise. Through my work as a Policy Analyst, I have developed a deeper appreciation for the human element behind energy policy evaluation.

Coming into the role, I expected my work as a Policy Analyst to center on quantitative analysis, evaluating data, estimating impacts, and translating results. While these duties are a core part of my role, I learned that effective policy analysis extends beyond working with datasets. It involves communication, coordination, and understanding the systems at play behind the numbers.

These tips contain some tidbits that I wish I knew before I started working.

1. Keeping It Simple

In college, longer explanations and polished language felt like the goal, especially for some of my professors and their courses. However, this is not the most effective way to communicate, especially in terms of emails. At APPRISE, people often work on multiple projects at any given moment, which is especially true for Jackie and David. Being able to write an email that takes 30 seconds to read and understand is a skill that makes everyone’s job easier. This principle extends into workplace discussions. Communication should provide the necessary and important information, which often means keeping it simple.

2. Asking Questions (Constantly)

There is a lot of nuance involved with policy evaluation. Programs are constantly changing to meet new requirements, legislation, funding rules, or implementation decisions. The data often varies from one project to the next, even if the programs being evaluated sound similar on paper. If you don’t ask questions, you aren’t really thinking about what is going on. So much of the work as a Policy Analyst is not just doing the evaluation but thinking about it.

 Whether it’s thinking about the data and how it fits into the analysis or how findings from an interview or a survey should go into the report, the process always starts by asking questions. APPRISE has a wealth of policy evaluation expertise and people willing to answer questions. The biggest mistake to make is to not ask questions at APPRISE.

3. Keep Track of the Details (to Catch Mistakes!)

There have been far too many times when I have sent an email with some sort of mistake. A casual glance might not catch that I typed out results for a group of 2024 program year participants when I really meant to say 2025 program year participants. These mistakes are easy to make and easy to miss if you’re moving too quickly. The best way to deal with mistakes is to avoid making them in the first place. Spending a few extra minutes to go over the summary stats of an analysis program or re-reading an email can save you some trouble. It’s the simplest habit that can improve the quality of your work as a professional.

4. Become Multi-Faceted

Before working at APPRISE, I did not think much about what it takes to run a survey. I knew about the core statistical concepts, but I did not appreciate how much work goes into building the instrument, preparing letters, and having conversations with participants and the struggles they face.

Speaking with participants changed how I saw my work entirely. The names and numbers in a dataset can tell a story, but it is never the whole picture. Hearing people describe their experiences and seeing the gratitude they have for assistance programs made the work feel more meaningful and real. None of my college courses prepared me for that.

Being a Policy Analyst means being capable of assisting with all aspects of an evaluation. I might spend one week analyzing customer usage and billing data for one project, and next week supporting in-depth interviews with program administrators for another. There’s only one way to learn how to do something new, and that is by doing it. Sometimes you pick up skills and lessons that stick with you long after the project ends.

5. Network at APPRISE, and Through APPRISE

My colleagues at APPRISE deserve a blog post of their own. These are exceptional individuals with a wealth of knowledge and life experience. Jackie and David have been huge influences on my growth, and their support has helped me become the Policy Analyst I am today.

Connecting with fellow Policy Analysts and Senior Policy Analysts has also been one of the most valuable parts of the job. A lot of what I’ve learned, including many of my favorite Stata tricks, came directly from someone taking the time to explain something or share a better approach.

Outside of APPRISE, this reputation is real. I’ve attended conferences where simply introducing myself as a Policy Analyst from APPRISE led to wonderful conversations. Whether we supported someone with survey work, contributed to an evaluation, or provided technical assistance, people consistently have good experiences working with APPRISE. Those interactions have helped me learn more about how energy programs operate across different states and organizations. It’s made me feel more connected to the larger energy policy space, even though I have much more to learn.

Closing Thoughts

I’ve realized that becoming a professional is less about having all the answers and more about building habits that make you reliable, thoughtful, and easy to work with. For me, that meant learning to communicate clearly, ask the right questions, and always keep program details in the back of my mind. I’ve been fortunate to learn these lessons through the mentorship and community at APPRISE, as well as through the work we do.