About Rob Pitingolo

Hi, I'm Rob Pitingolo. I'm currently a student of economics at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio and for the past year I have also worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. I'm in my 5th year and planning to graduate slightly later than I originally planned, partly due to a semester I took off to participate in the No Limits Internship Program at Southwest Airlines in Dallas, Texas. Right now I am focused on completing my degree while working on a few valuable projects on the side.

On this page, you will find:

• My resume highlights both academic and work/internship related accomplishments throughout my college career.
• Contact info is on the right side of your screen. You can contact me via email, Google Talk or LinkedIn.
• Writing samples, found below, include some noteworthy blog posts, guest posts written for a for some of my favorite blogs, articles and letters, academic papers, and an introduction to Newsweek's Generation O blog; a project I participated in during the summer of 2009.
  
• Finally, I hope you'll visit my blog, Extraordinary Observations, leave comments if anything interests you, and subscribe to my RSS Feed. A good place to start might be with the post Why My Blog Exists.
  

Skills & Resume

I have been fortunate to develop hands-on experience in a handful of industries during my college career, including marketing, sales, public relations and human resources. My current internship is helping me develop skills in research and advanced data analysis. In addition to manipulating modest-sized data sets in Microsoft Excel, I am working with large data sets and learning various techniques in both SAS ans Stata.

Click here to view my full resume as a pdf document.

Writing Samples

Extraordinary Observations Favorites

• How "Rapid" is BRT? (view) - Cleveland's Bus Rapid Transit, the Healthline, is frustratingly slow. The main problems are: too many stops and too many traffic lights. My hope is that other cities can learn from Cleveland's experience.
  
• Paper, Plastic or Nothing? (view) - If retailers are serious about lowering their costs, and if consumers are serious about protecting the environment, a no-brainer would be to alter the way we utilize plastic bags.
• The Student Debt Dilemma (view) - Taking on personal debt is one of the most important financial decisions many will ever have to make. The situation is uniquely risky for college students.
  
• Loneliness and the City (view) - There is a rational reason that people living in big cities prefer to live alone; and it isn't because they are a bunch of loners.
  

Guest Blog Posts

• Why Don't Ohio's College Grads Want to Stay? (view) - Written for Rust Wire, I look at Ohio's brain drain problem and suggest what local leadership might do to reverse the equation.
  
• RTA's New Fares Are Not "In Line" With Other Transit Systems (view) - Cleveland's transit leadership recently raised base fares to $2.25. In a post at Brewed Fresh Daily, I argue that the price is too high, at least compared to other cities.
  
• Reverse Headhunting with LinkedIn (view) - Written for The Talent Buzz, I describe a technique for using LinkedIn to build connections and relationships with people at companies you might be interested in joining.
  
• The Science of Cubicles (view) - Written for InternshipRatings.com, you can learn a lot about a company's culture by examining how they arrange their cubicles.
  

Articles and Letters

• Economics of Printing Quotas (view as pdf) - An article written for The Carroll News discussing the implications of moving from a free and unlimited printing arrangement on campus to a market-based system.
  
• Generation Y is Losing Faith in Cleveland's Core (view) - A letter to the editor of The Plain Dealer, announcing my disappointment in Cleveland's loss of a Fortune 500 corporation to the region's suburbs.
• Why He Blogs (view) - A letter published on Andrew Sullivan's blog, The Daily Dish, describing my experiences with blogging.

Academic Essays

• Ethanol: America's Renewable Fuel Source (view as pdf) - a research essay detailing the costs and benefits of using ethanol as a renewable fuel source in the United States. Originally written for an upper-level writing and seminar course: Fuel Cells, Reality, Perception, Myth.
• Missouri Makeover (view as pdf) - a research essay detailing the role gender plays in American congressional elections by specifically looking at the 2006 Senate race between Claire McCaskill and Jim Talent. Originally written for an upper-level political science course: Women and Politics.

Newsweek's Generation O

Last spring I was invited to join Newsweek's Generation O blog, a project that began at the end of President Obama's first 100 days and spanned the summer of 2009.

From the blog:
What is the “Obama Generation,” you ask? We’d like to know, too. The grassroots coalition that helped Barack Obama win the presidency is unique because it defies so many political stereotypes. Generation O isn’t defined by race, or class, or geography. Instead, we’re a diverse group of young, politically active people who care about a range of causes—from the economy to social issues to international politics and beyond—but are dedicated to finding solutions that transcend partisanship and benefit all of us.

You can meet the bloggers here or go ahead and watch my short introductory video. An archive of my posts is now available. Thanks to Newsweek for the great opportunity!