Alexander Troutner is an American labor analyst and economic commentator who produces articles, videos, and guest commentary on how economic forces shape society. He has been researching, consulting, and teaching about the job market since 2017.
For sponsorships, collaborations, or event requests, please contact: business@alexandertroutner.com
Professional Resume & Curriculum Vitae:
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Independent Labor Analyst & Economic Commentator, Self-Employed
September 2025 - Present
Creator of the Urgently Firing YouTube channel and Author of the Zero Weeks’ Notice newsletter, reaching an average audience of 300,000+long-form viewers as of July 2026
Executive Board Member, Utah Career Development Association
August 2024 - September 2025
Consulted Utah’s politicians, business leaders, and schools on how to respond to changing labor market conditions in the Intermountain West region of the United States
Career Specialist, Engineering, Utah State University (USU) Career Design Center
February 2022 - September 2025
Served as the primary liaison between the USU Career Design Center and College of Engineering, providing career services to 8,000+ engineering students via 1:1 career coaching, guest lectures, and in-person hiring events
Served as a Co-Chair for the USU Internship Coordinator Council, as a Co-Chair for the USU Career Champions Program, and on Sponsorship Committees for the Mountain Pacific Association of Colleges and Employers
METRICS:
Conducted 700+ career coaching sessions for engineering majors
Reviewed 1,400+ resumes of college students applying to internships and full-time professional jobs
Gave 100+ guest lectures to engineering classes on resume-building, interviewing, and salary negotiation
Organized 40+ on-campus career fairs
Helped bring 1,600+ companies onto USU’s campus to recruit students
AWARDS & RECOGNITION:
Served as a Co-Collaborator on a $1M NSF Grant for BioTech Workforce Development in the Intermountain West
Named one of USU’s 50 Influential Aggies for scaling students’ access to internships and relevant in-person hiring events
Team received the national Career Innovation Award from the Career Leadership Collective for developing “Career Tutorials for Students,” a series of online career literacy modules
Instructor of Job Market Literacy, USU Department of Integrated Studies
February 2022 - September 2025
Developed classes at Utah State University that were focused on career design, internships, and professional job acquisition, while directly teaching 240+ students annually
COURSE TAUGHT:
ISTU 3010 “Career Exploration and Design”
ISTU 3010 served as the capstone for the Integrated Studies major at USU, which I taught to 700+ students over the course of 9 semesters
COURSES DEVELOPED:
USU 1400 “Explore Majors and Careers”
USU 2400 “Exploring and Preparing for Internships”
USU 3400 “Launch Your Career”
ISTU 4010 “Career Design and Planning”
ISTU 4250 “Advanced Internship”
“Career Tutorials for Students”
Recipient of the 2023 Career Innovation Award from the Career Leadership Collective
Employer Relations Manager, Interim, USU Provost Office
June 2021 - February 2022
Recruited by the Executive Vice Provost to manage all employer partnerships, digital recruiting, and on-campus hiring events at Utah State University during a 9-month gap in career services leadership
Vetted 17,000+ internships and job opportunities targeting students to ensure that they were legitimate, relevant, and compliant with labor laws
Rural Workforce Development, USU GEAR UP Grant Program
May 2020 - June 2021
Ensured that rural, low-income high schoolers in Cache County had access to vocational training, full-time employment, and/or higher education upon graduation
Safely organized monthly, in-person field trips to technical schools, universities, and work sites across Utah during pandemic-related lockdowns
Promoted to serve as the Parent Outreach Coordinator for the grant, meeting face-to-face with rural families in Northern Utah and Southeastern Idaho about what vocational and educational opportunities were available to their children
Endowed Research Fellow, Economic History, University of Nevada, Reno (UNR)
April 2019 - May 2020
Researched the evolution of tech-sector job markets in North America and East Asia and taught Economic History courses under the Wilbur S. Shepperson and James Hulse Endowments in History
COURSES CO-TAUGHT:
HIST 462 “The French Revolution and the Revolutionary Era”
HIST 224 “Pirates and Hackers”
Career Peer Advisor, USU Career Services
June 2017 - April 2019
Audited new employer partnerships, reviewed student resumes, and organized on-campus hiring events
Conducted NACE’s First-Destination Survey to accurately track employment outcomes for graduating seniors
Blue-Collar Laborer, Multiple Companies
December 2013 - May 2020
Copper Metal Recycler for an Automotive Scrap Yard | Flooring Installer for Housing Constructions | Crime Scene Restorationist for Emergency Response Teams | Audio-Visual Engineer for Performance Halls and Sports Stadiums | Truck Driver & Merchandiser for a Domestic Brewery
EDUCATION & LICENSES
Master’s Coursework, Economic History | 4.0 GPA | 15 Graduate Credits
University of Nevada, Reno
Research focused on the evolution of tech-sector job markets in North America and East Asia
Recipient of Professor James Hulse and Wilbur S. Shepperson Endowments to research and teach about economic history, providing tuition waivers and living stipends
B.A. Religious Studies, Minor Coursework in Linguistics and Asian Studies
Utah State University
Co-Founder and President, USU Interfaith Student Association | Student Scholar, Wheatley Institute | Council Co-Chair, USU Student Association
Language emphases in Japanese, German, and Sanskrit
American Intelligence, Diplomacy, and Defense
George Mason University (credits transferred to USU)
Represented Nevadan youth at the 2013 U.S. Presidential Inaugural Gala Ball under the sponsorship of U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid
Honors Diploma
Fernley High School
President, National Honor Society | Captain, Northern Nevada Forensics League | Varsity Letters in Speech & Debate, Academic Olympics, and Theatre
PROFESSIONAL LICENSES:
Designing Your Life Certification, Stanford University, 2024
Appreciative Advising, Florida Atlantic University, 2023
Kickstart Cohort, Career Leadership Collective & Indiana University - Bloomington, 2023
Clifton Strengths Coaching, Gallup, Inc., 2022
PUBLICATIONS & CONFERENCE TALKS
Utah State University Career Guide, Published by Momentous Campus, August 2025
Scaling Our Reach through Career Courses, Utah Career Development Association Annual Conference, April 2024
Effective Self-Marketing Through Resumes and Interviews, Utah Youth Councils Leadership Institute, March 2024
Connecting College to Career: Elevating Students’ Career Success, Empowering Teaching Excellence Conference, Published by USU Digital Commons, August 2023
Professional Resumes for Electrical and Computer Engineers, IEEE Student Professional Awareness Conference, March 2022
IN THE NEWS & MEDIA
“How Cuts to the Department of Labor will Impact Gen Z. Workers,” The Adam Mockler Show, May 21, 2026
“College Alternatives May Not be Lucrative,” Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, May 1, 2026
“Why College Remains America’s Best Investment, Despite Skeptics,” Penn Live Patriot News, February 2, 2026
“USU Receives $1M NSF Grant for BioTech Workforce Development,” Utah State TODAY, July 18, 2024
“USU Career Design Center Receives Award for Innovative Career Innovation,” Utah State TODAY, April 27, 2023
“50 Influential Aggies,” The Utah Statesman,” May 1, 2023