The Day-to-Day of a Data Schooler in Training

Last week at an informational session for the Data School New York, someone asked me about the day-to-day at the Data School - particularly, what does training look like? Great question! For those interested in joining the Data School, this one’s for you! 😉

Training is four months long. The day begins at 9:00 am and ends at 5:30 pm. We have lunch at 12:30-1:30 pm. The last hour of the day (4:30-5:30 pm) is dedicated to personal development time, in which we can review class content, work on personal projects, participate in Tableau Community Projects, complete Alteryx challenges, etc.

In that time, we learn as much as possible about Tableau and Alteryx, as well as additional data analytics skills and soft skills, to become consultants. It can be intense, but satisfying. There are learning weeks, when the week is spent focused on Tableau or Alteryx, and client project weeks, when the week is split between training and client project time.

🎒 LEARNING WEEK

As mentioned above, learning weeks are spent learning the ins and outs of a particular software. There is training all day, in the morning and the afternoon. However, there are breaks (and snacks!) – every 50 minutes, there is a ten minute break. At the end of the week, there is often a project to individually demonstrate our learnings. After working on this project for a day or so, we present on Friday afternoon, usually at 3:00 pm.

(I personally enjoyed these projects and presentations because they were my chance to showcase my capabilities and practice my presentation skills. It was also exciting to see the work of my colleagues and celebrate their wins.)

💼 CLIENT PROJECT WEEK

During training, we complete eight week-long client projects, in which we work with real companies to solve a data dilemma. In the cohort, we take turns to project manage one of these projects. The kick-off call, for meeting the stakeholder(s) and gathering requirements, is at the start of the week in the morning. On the other hand, the final presentation, for introducing the data product, is at the end of the week in the afternoon.

Although these are week-long projects, we have about half the work week to complete them because there is still training to be done! Further, these weeks can be stressful because each client project has its unique challenges. Nonetheless, it is exciting to examine and visualize the data of actual companies and learn from the experience.


The day-to-day of Data School training can be a demanding but valuable experience. We are developing the skills and knowledge needed to succeed as data analytics consultants with the support and guidance from coaches and colleagues. By graduation, the results of hard work and dedication will be clear. 💯

Hope this helps anyone wondering what Data School training is like!

Author:
Elaine Yuan
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