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General Discussions

Discuss any topics that are not product-specific here.

How did you fall into analytics? Let us know!

JessL
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)

 

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The Alteryx Community provides the space for working professionals and students alike to come together to solve problems, grow their skills in the field of analytics, and learn new ways to use Alteryx. Now that the North America Fall semester is well underway, the SparkED team wants to connect proud alumni and learners across the globe and provide space to share what the road to an analytics career looks like to you. 

 

Read Alteryx Cofounder, Libby Duane’s blog to learn more about the SparkED program and use this place to show pride for your alma mater by providing insight and guidance to the next generation of data workers.  The university or academic institution with the most representation in the four threads that are a part of this series will be eligible for SparkED swag and an opportunity to participate in a virtual career exploration event with an Alteryx executive, so make sure you include your alma mater in your reply to this thread! *Bonus points for photos of you showing your school pride. 

 

This week let us know in a reply to this thread, What educational pathway would you recommend to someone looking to pursue data analytics? What did that look like for you? 

Jessica Long
Online Community Manager
Alteryx
4 REPLIES 4
Luke_C
17 - Castor

From what I can see in the candidates I interview as well as from trips to campus is that universities are increasingly putting a focus on analytics. When I was in college (shout out Villanova Wildcats 😺) data analytics was just a minor that you could pair with other majors. Now it is a full fledged major for undergrad, and the graduate school has a data analytics program and has also transformed their masters of accountancy program into 'masters of accountancy with data analytics'.

 

For students starting out  I think pairing a data analytics program along with another major in business is always helpful. Data analysts with the capacity to understand the business they're analyzing are invaluable. I would also recommend checking out the courses offered and seeing how they're structured. I'm seeing a growing number of college applicants talk about how their courses contained projects where they went out to businesses in their community to do data projects which is a perfect way to get some good real world experience. 

DataNath
17 - Castor

My own journey into Data Analytics was a bit more obscure, as I don't have a technical (in terms of computers/mathematics/statistics) background at all! Throughout my studies I picked up an undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry & then went on to do a Masters in Forensic Science. Although there was a couple of stats/'maths for scientists' type modules, we didn't ever dive deep into these and certainly didn't cover data anaylsis as a standalone topic. In all honesty, I wasn't even aware of this space as a possible career! After studying, I went on to work within the field of Forensic Toxicology for ~2.5 years. Following this (relatively) short stretch within the industry, I realised that my future prospects were pretty bleak and I was also beginning to stagnate - work wasn't challenging at all and most daily tasks could quite easily be replaced by robots (and things like Alteryx if they'd had the budget!). Therefore, I decided to look around into schemes and courses that were tailored towards graduates and career switchers; I was particularly interested in tech, finance and data and soon stumbled upon The Data School, ran by The Information Lab. As part of the application process, I began learning Tableau in my spare time and once I felt confident enough I took the plunge and applied... Fast forward a few months and I was in! Our first four months with the company are 100% dedicated to intense, in-classroom training where we become specialised consultants in Alteryx & Tableau and that's therefore where my journey in data analytics truly started!

 

When I initially started looking for opportunities like this, I didn't find a lot and was beginning to feel a little demotivated, thinking that I'd screwed myself over entirely by going down my previous pathway. However, that turned out to be far from the truth; I think we're now beginning to see a number of companies adopt this approach of hiring people with the intention to train and mould them into consultants based on their perceived potential. If you're thinking about switching careers or are perhaps about to graduate with a degree that 'isn't very data-y' then, honestly, go for it! Many of my colleagues and mentors have entirely different backgrounds ranging from History and Politics degrees all the way through to Medical Doctors and they're all incredible at their jobs... some of them are now even Alteryx ACEs & Tableau Visionaries/Ambassadors!

Kenda
16 - Nebula
16 - Nebula

I'm taking a bit of a twist on the question, but my advice to students would be to explore opportunities to learn outside of your normal classroom and classwork! Regardless of what classes you decide to take or what major you ultimately pursue, if you're interested in data and analytics, there are many paths you can take to get into this type of work. Use your time in college to explore, gain experiences, and find what you do or don't particularly enjoy. Take advantage of free resources such as webinars and interactive lessons available here on the Alteryx Community and elsewhere online. If there are in-person events at your school, attend those! Getting different experiences early on can be extremely beneficial because they may help direct your next steps or open up new doors for you. At Purdue Fort Wayne, I was part of the Actuarial Club where we held events to talk directly with actuaries currently working in the field. This allowed students to learn more about the career while also making important connections. 

 

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TheOC
15 - Aurora
15 - Aurora

I totally agree with @Kenda on pursuing additional routes outside of the classroom. 

 

As a student, I filled a lot of my time networking and trying to meet people in the industry. One of these routes was to attend a local 'Data Scientists Meetup' once a month, which would include a guest speaker and the opportunity to meet many exciting professionals. At one of these meetings, I was able to see @mceleavey demonstrate a modern version of the data science I had been learning in class, including some #Alteryx! 

 

Because of being able to meet people actually in the industry, and in the case of @mceleavey pester my way into an organisation, I actually found that the degree and education meant less for the finding my first role than networking. I would say however, that the University knowledge has been incredibly useful in giving me a fantastic baseline of knowledge to add to.


Bulien
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