preface
I started my data analytics career in 2016 after leaving a PhD program in psychology. In my first role, I was the sole data analyst at a school, responsible for helping the administration make informed decisions and allocate resources effectively. I had to set my own priorities, identify high-value projects, and learn how to communicate effectively with various stakeholders. Needless to say, my work involved a lot of trial and error to align with the rest of the organization. To grow my career, I had to actively seek guidance outside of the workplace and learn many lessons on my own.
Among data professionals, I hear of similar experiences time and time again. We enter the workforce with a set of technical skills (e.g., statistics, programming) but struggle to apply them to complex real-world scenarios, such as managing stakeholders and prioritizing work on our own. We often report to managers who don’t have data analytics experience, have few peers to collaborate with, and spend a large chunk of our time with data literacy education and advocating for the resources we need to perform our jobs effectively. It’s not easy.