“Hi! I am Shiva. We tested our new Rehoboam, the world’s most powerful AI droid, to predict stock market indices 15 minutes in future and have successfully reaped millions of profit.” This has been a dream for both day and night for the past few years ever since I started fantasizing about the Westworld series.
I was exposed to data all through my career, be it working with excel in managing the inventory or acquiring 1’s and 0’s from millions of offshore installed seismic sensors. However, I would call it a monochromatic scenery. A sneak peek opportunity to explore Tableau for Inventory planning on short-term assignments opened a whole new world of visualizing data. I started exploring Data Analytics and AI. That’s when the Westworld dream felt no more a distant reality, and I began to consider Data Analytics as a pathway and career option towards realising that dream.
Pandemic was a blessing in disguise. Returning to Australia compelled me to switch career. While searching for Data Analytics opportunities, I came across Data School. In sailor terms, the wandering ship spotted the lighthouse.
If you are someone like me trying to switch career midway, here are the few tips to safely navigate to Data School without running aground in between!!
Passion trumps Talent
If you are reading this blog, you are already on the right path to accessing relevant resources and knowledge. Whilst you continue this journey, the first obstacle you encounter with overwhelming sources of information coupled with fear of letting go of an existing career is self-doubt. If you are a newbie to the data world, rest assured that every skill can be acquired through learning and practice. Do not let the jargons make you believe otherwise.
See the big picture but start small.
- Pick a self-engaging data.
While selecting the data set for your viz, make sure the content resonates with you. Since the first attempt can get frustrating, if the data set is something of your interest, you would obtain a natural motivation to continue working on it.
Empathy Mapping
I always felt, I’m not the end user while designing the dashboard.
Implementing empathy mapping to understand the user’s requirement has greatly helped create an effective dashboard(to pass the interview). Though Empathy mapping forms the basic foundation of the Human-centered Design thinking process, it can be utilized to suit any business requirement/Persona/Situation. I strongly recommend you to use the Empathy Mapping tool for dashboard creation. It could be as simple as having a limited set of questions interviewing friends or family members as Users.
Onboard Sponsor Users
The road ahead may get bumpy, but it’s essential to know that you are not alone. Reach out to Data School cohorts(Sponsor Users). They often lend a helping hand and guide you towards your goal. You are here to learn, and you will be respected for that.
- Reach out to Data school members and cohorts
- Follow DataSchool Blog and Tableau Community
Sponsor Users are real users from the industry, or the users worked closely with the industry. At DataSchool, you will find members working with clients from various industries and help you understand the industry requirements and the data you are working on.
Other Data School blogs to Read
While peeking into DataSchoolers profile, please spend some time to read the informative blogs they have written to help other aspirational Data Analysts.
Few of my favourites below.
How to get into the DataSchool Down Under
How to become a pro at Tableau Dashboards
Tableau Tips and Viz in tooltips
Author: Shiva Ravi
Shiva, a graduate in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, had an exciting Oil Industry career for over a decade exploring ocean bed through marine seismology. Being an Instrumentation specialist in International waters, he found his passion for data visualization while working with binary seismic data. Recently, in a short stint as a Technical Asset Manager, he discovered Tableau to manage the ridiculously diverse scientific equipment in the Global marine warehouse. He refers to inventory planning as finding a needle in the haystack, and Data analytics is like having a wand in hand. In a quest for learning, Shiva found Data school, which paved the way for the most-awaited career switch as Data Analyst. He is currently pursuing Masters of AI (Part-time) from Western Sydney University, and in his spare time, you can spot him cycling, running or designing logos. Recently, he tried his hand in cooking and took an interest in exploring cuisines. If there is something he cannot live without, that would be coffee!