Time flies! There’s only one week left before we finish our four months training at The Data School and head to our first placement. It feels like I was just talking about how I felt unready for client projects, and now we’ve done all of them.
The training in the past 16 weeks (almost) has been intense and stressful, but also enjoyable and full of fun. Reflecting on what we have gone through, I’d like to share some of my personal advice in this blog, and hopefully it would be helpful for future data schoolers.
Ask Questions
As you’ve probably read in lots of data school blogs, there’re no silly questions here. Whenever it’s in the training sessions or during client projects, you’re encouraged to ask any questions. There’s no need to be afraid to make a mistake by asking question. First, there’re no wrong questions, Second, it’s a safe place to make a mistake, as long as you learn a lesson from it.
Work with Your Team
Team work is important, especially when working on client projects. It’s a good way for you to learn from each other. When working as a team, ask for help when needed, as others may already have the same problem before. Similarly, offer your help to others. It’s also a good way to test your knowledge. If you can teach somebody something, that means you really understand it thoroughly.
Review What You Have Learnt
The training sessions are intense, therefore sometimes you may feel overwhelmed. If you find certain parts that you feel less confident, allocate some time out of work to review the contents. In addition to the training material, there are tons of resources for both Tableau and Alteryx online. The more you practice, the more you become proficient.
Arrive Earlier
The training sessions start at 9am everyday, but I would suggest to arrive a bit earlier. Get yourself ready for a new day full of challenges by either reviewing the contents that have been covered, or previewing the topics that are going to be covered (if known).
Write Blogs
Personal branding is vital when it comes to placement. Ideally one blog per week is expected. If you don’t want to find yourself having only three(ish) blogs when personal branding reviewing week (around week 12) comes, try to keep on track from the beginning. It’s a good way to reorganise some of the topics you have learnt. I also find it rewarding by reflecting what I have gone through at The Data School.
Plan Your Certification
We are expected to get at least Alteryx Core Certificate and Tableau Data Analyst Certificate before we go to our placement. Therefore in addition to daily training, think about how your are going to achieve these two certifications in time. This includes plan your schedule and allocate time for review and practice.
I hope you find this blog useful and enjoy your days at The Data School!
