Becoming a Data Analyst

Have you ever wondered why they call a collection of graphs a dashboard? I suspect because it’s a view that helps drive a business forward.

In general, entering my 30s has been a hard pill to swallow. I am approaching the age where a few coworkers, primarily female, who are just starting off their career have asked me about my career development such as “how did you get to where you are”, “how did you discover your passion for data analytics?”, “what are things I should do to figure out if data analytics is for me?”

It’s bittersweet. On one hand, I don’t see myself as equipped enough to be a mentor — I, too, am still figuring out my path. Still at an IC level, I don’t yet consider myself a success story. I am proud of my journey, but I still have work to do! On another hand, I am extremely flattered that people entering the workforce want to pick my brain. I’d love to be there to support and encourage anyone.

While I have not yet made a ‘top women in data’ list (hopefully someday!), I thought to share my journey to data and offer advice if you have an interest in being more data-driven or pursue a career in analytics.

How did you get to where you are?

Let’s see, I finished college and worked at Starbucks in the morning and a local pub at night. One of my mom’s previous coworkers came into Starbucks one morning — I said “Hi, remember me?” catching her completely off guard. I told her I had just recently graduated and moved back, working two jobs. She gave me her contact info and told me to reach out if I am interested in working for her. I didn’t email her right away — part of me wanted to move to a big city (so glad I didn’t move).

At the time, MINDBODY was still in start up mode. I was the 348th employee hired and it was full of recent or almost college graduates. I was a sales coordinator, which later turned into Sales Operations — monitoring the distribution of leads, making sure reps were not cheating the system, optimizing hand-off from engagement to follow-up, and doing lots of monthly reporting.

How did I discover my passion for data analytics?

Ambitious 23 year old me: I thought I wanted to grow into a sales manager, but discovered a few things: I am a little too introverted, I don’t care much for…

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