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Are you someone who has no data analytics or related degree and working experience but finds yourself passionate about data analysis? Are you looking for an opportunity to kick off your career as a data analyst? I was one. Here, I want to share the top 3 reasons I decided to start my data analyst career at The Data School. They are:
- Unique recruiting procedure
- Paid training and placements
- Positive online reviews.
Unique recruiting procedure
Most recruitment procedures usually require you to submit a CV/Resume. However, it is tough to write an outstanding resume to get you an interview if you do not have a relevant background. For example, I studied mechanical engineering. I am proficient in using MATLAB to prepare, process, analyse, and visualise data. So…whoops, I can’t find any data analyst related roles that mention the word “MATLAB”. 🙁
While I was struggling, I came across The Data School, which had its recruitment procedures listed as following:
I immediately thought, “Wow, they don’t ask for a resume. This is my chance. I can compete with other applicants on the same starting line and show my capability.” And I was correct. I made it to the interview. Please see The Data School website for more information about the application process. By the way, once you send the viz to the data school, they will review and provide feedback to help you improve the viz, which I appreciated a lot.
Paid training and placements
The Data School provides a 28-month fixed-term contract, of which the first 4 months are the training period. Once you completed the training, you will be placed to work for different clients. Each placement takes 6 months, and there are 4 placements in total, as shown in the image below.
I really like this training program because it allows me to learn the soft and hard skills needed as a professional data analyst. And you get paid during the training! The four placements, in my opinion, can also allow you to quickly gain valuable analyst experience in various fields, which is very helpful to your career development.
Of course, some of you may not like being locked by a contract for 28 months. But I personally have no problem with this, because I think these 28 months are very worthwhile as the first stage of my career.
Positive online reviews
Like most of you, I research before entering a company. Since I don’t know anyone who works at or knows The Data School, I searched online. Although I didn’t find many reviews about The Data School online, after reading the few reviews I saw, I felt that The Data School has a great corporate culture. They do seem to spend a lot of resources to help employees develop their careers. And it is a horizontal managed company, meaning that its staffs are treated equally, which made me comfortable to join them.
Those are the top 3 reasons I choose The Data School. If you are looking for an opportunity to become a data analyst, I hope my experience can inspire you. But keep in mind, you should always make your decision based on your research! Good luck! 🙂
Author: Binbin Chen
Binbin came to Australia and studied mechanical engineering at Monash University. After earning a bachelor's degree, he pursued a PhD degree and worked as a part-time teaching associate at Monash University during the period. When analysing data in research projects involving human eye movements, he discovered his enthusiasm for data. He was delighted to learn about Data School Down Under as it provides a unique opportunity to start a career as a data analyst through a thoughtful training program. Outside of work, Binbin enjoys watching historical and political videos. He is also an anime fan!