{"209271":{"#nid":"209271","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Economics Alumnus Finds the Story in the Numbers","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EValentin Todorov\u003C\/strong\u003E had migrated to the United States from Bulgaria, learned two languages, and received a degree in mechanical engineering (ME) as well as an Master of Business Administration (MBA), but his first semester as a Master\u2019s student at the IAC \u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Economics\u003C\/strong\u003E was nearly too much for him to handle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI thought about quitting the first semester,\u201d said Todorov. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say there was anything easy about going into the economics program.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETodorov was born in Bulgaria and studied mechanical engineering before coming to the United States ten years ago. His cousin is a professor at the University of West Georgia (UWG), making Atlanta a natural choice to start a new life. Todorov graduated with an MBA from the UWG in 2005, but felt the urge to narrow his focus of study further.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI wanted to study a more quantitative discipline,\u201d said Todorov, and \u201cgraduate to work in an exciting field.\u201d He was looking to delve into numbers with a scientific approach like his ME degree and a social application like his MBA. The \u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Economics\u003C\/strong\u003E, recommended to him by a friend, was the perfect academic blend. He emailed the program director and received a prompt response.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe director said, \u2018Sure, come on over!\u2019\u201d recalled Todorov. \u201cI got a warm reception when talking to professors in the program.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey may have been friendly, but Todorov quickly discovered their high expectations for him once he began classes. He soldiered through that first semester, knowing he could not come so far only to fall short.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI don\u2019t quit whatever I start,\u201d said Todorov.\u0026nbsp; \u201cI came here [to the United States] as an international student. When you come, you\u2019re really determined to change your life. Once you leave, there is really no going back.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETodorov pushed through the first semester, found his stride, and graduated in 2007. After spending a few months as a stockbroker intern for Scottrade, he began work as a statistician for Assurant and became a statistical consultant at Equifax in March. \u0026nbsp;He credits his success in data forecasting to knowledge gained in the economics program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA lot of the tools I learned at Georgia Tech,\u201d said Todorov. Once students gain a familiarity with the basics, he encourages them to move beyond tools to develop storytelling skills to capture audiences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s good to know the tools. It\u2019s good to know how to crunch numbers,\u201d he said. \u201cBut people are interested in your stories, and crunching numbers is just one way to get them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe says his job is to tell stories with numbers. He spent his three years at Assurant looking at the daily performance of mortgage data and reporting that data to the upper management.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat I do is say, forget all the tens of millions of records. Here\u2019s what\u2019s important,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeing able to choose the right statistical method and the best data visualization type is imperative to clearly communicate the message in the numbers. The daily challenge to do just that keeps Todorov going.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen you\u2019ve found your calling, that\u2019s what matters,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to find something that makes you want to wake up in the morning and go to work.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Todorov, that motivation stems from a long journey to a new world filled with numbers, all quietly waiting for their stories to be told.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EValentin Todorov\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;had migrated to the United States from Bulgaria, learned two languages, and received a degree in mechanical engineering (ME) as well as an Master of Business Administration (MBA), but his first semester as a Master\u2019s student at the IAC\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Economics\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;was nearly too much for him to handle.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27663","created_gmt":"2013-04-25 12:12:30","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:08","author":"Rebecca Rolfe","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"209261":{"id":"209261","type":"image","title":"Valentin Todorov","body":null,"created":"1449180001","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:00:01","changed":"1475894869","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:49","alt":"Valentin Todorov","file":{"fid":"197035","name":"todorov_500x333.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/todorov_500x333.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/todorov_500x333.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":77466,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/todorov_500x333.jpg?itok=0T3ngh3y"}}},"media_ids":["209261"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"}],"keywords":[{"id":"602","name":"economics"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERebecca Rolfe\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-1720\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}