Where to begin? Like any prolific origin story, my tale will be short and to the point (hope you caught the sarcasm). My hope is that you get to know a little bit more about me, while also gleaning any wisdom from what I’ve learned along the way.
My Story
Most interesting stories provide some type of background or character development. So first, I should tell you that I’m a Christian. You’d be simply astonished to learn were to see how far I’ve come in roughly eight years, you would be simply astonished. The work I’ve achieved is nothing short of a miracle; I give all that credit to Jesus himself. If you’d like to know more about that side of this story, I’m always available to chat.
As far as the data sciences go, my first real taste was working for Domino’s Pizza. I wasn’t the data nerd you read today. I was a cocky young lad, competitive and eager to please. In retrospect, not much of that has changed; I’ll let you decide what may have, but I digress. Domino’s sponsors a fastest pizza maker contest. It really is a spectacle to watch. I recommend you go check out this post on YouTube. While I personally never competed, I would always try to improve my speed over the years. And while currently I’m not attempting to see how fast I can slap out dough, ladle sauce, spread cheese, or top pepperoni, this fasciation of continual improvement is still with me today. This experience gave me my first taste at analysis and Kaizen (or incremental improvements).
Like most of my fellow data analytics nerds, I didn’t grow up wanting to be data analyst, data engineer, or data scientist. I would have rather discussed with you the existential questions of life as an eighteen year old than tell you what I was going to do with my career. I had no idea! As a disclaimer, I don’t speak for all data science gurus, just of my own experience. However, like most of my colleagues, I lucked out and landed in a good Fortune 100 company. Today I work for a Healthcare Payer organization.
When I started working for this corporation, it wasn’t even on a data tract. Through a series of events by what I consider divine providence, my second role was as an analyst. With the very limited knowledge I had of performing data analysis, I somehow landed a role creating reports. I immediately fell in love and knew that this was it! This is what I enjoyed, and this is what I wanted to do with my career. Like churning through the Bible for truth, data science provides a way that echoes and mirrors what I enjoy most: seeking answers to life’s questions – or in this case, business’ questions. And to be completely frank, I also love playing with all the different toys…. cough…I mean tools.
Today I write after a number of years under my belt in data science and analytics. I’ve held multiple roles in this space and have attained my Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Data Management and Analytics. The things I’ve learned along the way can be applied in virtually (pun intended) every other field. Here are some things I’ve learned along the way:
Always Pay Attention to Your Pizza Time
The life of a data analyst, data scientist or anything related to data analytics should be one of continual learning. You need to keep getting better as a person, a data nerd, and as a citizen. Keep a gauge of your progress. James Clear is one of my favorite bloggers. He also has written a book on habits entitled Atomic Habits (check it out if you have time). In the book he alludes to the “aggregation of marginal gains.” The principle is this: keep getting one percent better week after week, and you will see amazing results.
Go Hard in the Paint
I’m not sure if it’s part of a rap song that I once knew or something I picked up playing basketball on a regular basis. The paint is the rectangle underneath the basketball rim. The premise is that when it’s crunch time, get to business. A hard work ethic will get you a long way. But there’s a fine balance. Working hard while not overworking is something I have to work on every day. And yet you need to make sure that you are saying yes to learning and growing. Take on new projects, dig further in to the data, or take the time to not just produce a report. Far too often are reports produced and handed off without any explanation. Don’t just do the data; consult on its meaning.
Your Relationships Matter
Time and again I have seen the highly intellectual fail because of a lack of people skills. It goes even further than the golden rule. You can treat others the way you want to be treated and still fail at caring or understanding them. A high emotional intelligence doesn’t hurt, but it isn’t everything. Working hard is great, but it will be lost in translation if you’re a jerk. Attempt to understand your colleagues, the stakeholders, and your leaders before you speak. It could do much more than save your job – it will allow you to thrive.
Please feel free to comment below!