Learn more about Alisha's experience, from the time she applied to The Data School, to her career as a Business Intelligence Analyst at HarbourVest Partners. Alisha was part of Cohort 21 of The Data School London, which took place from August 2020 to February 2023.

Interviewed by Mel Niere | Edited by Collin Smith

Q: What brought you to The Data School?

A: I discovered The Data School when I was looking for a job after I finished studying for my graduate diploma in law. I had the option of doing a legal practice course and becoming a solicitor or a barrister, but I decided that I wasn't quite ready for that yet (I had just spent two months in Vietnam because my boyfriend was living out there). I wanted to just earn some money for a bit first. Also, a legal career is very expensive. I couldn't afford it. So, I was looking for jobs, but I wanted a job that was exciting and that I wouldn't get bored of. I saw The Data School and I didn't believe it was real as most people tend to, because I thought, why would they want someone who studied criminal justice and criminology. I studied law and thought surely, they want someone who's good at math, and I can safely say I am not a math genius at all.

I discovered The Data School during Covid when life was being turned upside down. I got excited because it was a time when I was presented with data on the news daily.  I was really interested in The Data School because I got to put together real information and make sense of it. I realized it's not that far from where I came from. What I studied allowed me to be passionate about making sense of information and trying to storytell through essays. When I started building dashboards with data, especially when I was passionate about the data, it was even more exciting, so that's what made me interested in The Data School.

Q: What factors influenced your decision to apply and ultimately join The Data School?

A: The fact that they provide you with training is one of the biggest factors. When I initially read that training was provided and I don't have to be an expert in anything, I thought, surely not possible. Then I was so excited to know that I'd upskill and learn that area. Secondly, the other factor that was huge was stalking the website and seeing all the people who've gone through different placements and where they end up. And just knowing that this is real, and I'm going to get exposure to so many different things in that very short space of time.  I eventually ended up on placement at some of those companies I got rejected by when I was applying for jobs.

Q: What was your training experience like?

A:  It was enjoyable, despite it being mostly virtual [editor’s note: Alisha completed her training during the Covid lockdowns so training was done virtually]. The training was unique because you work with a small group, and everybody's an expert in a slightly different way, so you bounce off each other. Also, working with real clients and real projects is very beneficial even though it's just a week-long project and you are working on multiple projects in that space of time. One thing about the training experiences, you do a variety of different things, it's not just Tableau and Alteryx: it's recording videos, it's speaking to other people, it's teaching the public. At the time, it seemed like I might be wasting my time here, editing a video, but I must admit that in all my placements I've used these skills and I still use these skills now. So, nothing that I learned in the training experience has gone to waste. Then, there's a big part of training where you learn how to interact with the stakeholder and how to carry out a project. That's very applicable in the real world. But even today in my role, every time I carry out a project, I use skills from The Information Lab and The Data School, where we learned to have a requirement gathering session for a project kick off. I still have the same questions that I have used from day one of training for my requirements.

Reflecting on my training now, I just want to add that the coaches do an incredible job in supporting you. The individuals in my cohort were amazing but also, a bunch of geniuses - at least that is how I saw them and I felt like the weakest of the bunch having been the last one to pass certain certifications or understand certain concepts. This is more commonly known as imposter syndrome. I remember one of the coaches taking me aside and checking in and saying that I’m being a bit harsh to myself in trying to understand everything at once, and that it will take some practice. I was encouraged to keep asking questions and even rubber duck (talk it through). I can say now that I was never worse than my peers, rather, I had different strengths and weaknesses. I learned a lot about myself and the way that I work. Today, I’m never afraid of a problem despite having no experience in the area because I know that I can break it apart, talk it through and tackle it in stages. Most of all, I will learn so much from this that will make me grow.

Q: What was your experience during placement?

A:  I was probably one of those individuals who started out and said, “I'm going to have four unique placements. I won't have anything else.” The reason for this was that I knew that four unique placements will make me a well-rounded person. My first placement was a training-based placement that I thoroughly enjoyed.; It taught me that teaching people isn't easy. I gave it my all with lots of enthusiasm and energy and often people would just stare at me and turn off their cameras. But it's a big learning curve. You realize, especially in a world where we're half in person, these are skills that you do need. I became better at teaching, training using tools, presenting and supporting people through that placement. Also, we have shifted from data people being the data experts. Data literacy is essential for everybody to understand and so I learned how to navigate an integral area very early on.

My second placement was for a healthcare company and invoice based. I was creating invoices in Alteryx rather than using software where they would have to wait a long time for these invoices to come out. They were getting paid sooner because they were getting the invoices sooner and then reinvesting it into the business to buy more companies, which is a great model if you think about it and beneficial to them. Whilst occasionally, I’d feel as though my peers were at more exciting placements than me, this placement taught me very unique skills within Alteryx. I would say 90% of companies still operate in Excel - in fact, I'd probably say 100%! What I learned at this placement,  I used literally two days ago in my current role. I can safely say that those two placements have helped me so far in the company that I'm now working for.

In my third and fourth placements, I stayed at the same company, which was a little bit unusual and a deviation from what I initially set out to do. I realized that all of my placements didn't have to be different for me to learn something and grow. I say I, but the truth is, that I spoke to my mentor and someone from the placement support team that shared their real life experiences with me. I think this is important to acknowledge because if you're like me and you really want four different placements, I could have easily gone into a fourth placement that I absolutely hated, or loved, who knows. I had a fear that I might be doing the wrong thing for my career but I’m so pleased that I was vocal about these fears and encouraged to do what was best for me, and for what I wanted to achieve.I think what I learned from my third and fourth placements most of all, is what type of working environment I wanted to be in: a good, supportive team that will listen to you. You want a manager who's present but not overbearing. You want to wake up everyday and be excited about the work that you are doing but also, create an impact.

When you're at The Information Lab, it's such a collaborative environment. You support one another. To go from that into a workplace that was the complete opposite was what I didn't want. I found that in my third and fourth placement (the company that I'm still at) I got a team that I love working with and a manager who is supportive, not overbearing. I learn every single day. They're happy to give me independence.

Q: How did The Data School and The Information Lab serve as a launching pad for your data analytics career?

A: I am a business intelligence analyst in my current role. When I was at The Data School, I thought that Tableau was what I love and dashboarding was my passion. Funnily enough, I don't dashboard often now. What I did learn from The Data School is that you can be good at everything through just a couple of tools. You also don't need certifications in absolutely everything in data. You just need some experience, and you need to have the ability to apply what you've learned in different ways to different tools. You should never be tool-centric.

The Data School served as a launchpad for my career because it provided me with the foundation and experience that I was able to leverage into a corporate role.

During my training, I was assigned a mentor. And a big shout out to my mentor, Louisa O’Brien because the other day I answered a question, in a way that's exactly how she would have thought about it. When I first met my mentor and I had a conversation with her, I thought, “Wow, she's smart.” She knew what she was talking about, and this was prior to me joining my first placement. But she continued supporting me through my first, second, third, and fourth. She supported me through any personal and professional issues. I know that some people don't use their mentors as much, but for me, I learned so much more by asking questions. There are multiple levels of support - the support that you get with the mentorship but also the company supporting you to answer questions because we use a platform where you can write and ask questions.

I also had quarterly check-ins, with someone from the placement support team. A big shout out to Dan Farmer who is part of that team, as he supported me through a lot of technical stuff. The biggest thing that I learned is to keep asking questions, document the answers in a way that works for you and learn from those situations. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for those weird experiences and my panicked messages to the whole company asking, “Does anybody know how to write or fix xyz” and hopping on calls trying to troubleshoot issues.

Q: What advice would you give to individuals considering applying to The Data School?

A: Number one, be open and willing to accept failure and feedback. I didn't get into The Data School the first time that I applied and I was upset because I had spent a lot of time on my application and most of all, I was proud of myself for producing a whole dashboard from scratch. I also desperately needed a job as covid and lockdowns had begun. I remember getting the call from Andy Kriebel that I didn't make it, but I can apply again. I reapplied and I learned so much more from the second application process.

If you are reapplying it does not mean that you are bad or not suited to that career, because for a moment, when I didn't get in the first time, I thought that maybe this isn't for me. But, I love what I do so much right now. I'm glad that I gave myself the opportunity to reapply and not let that get to me. I think it's important to know that this isn't just a job that you will have for a few years. This is a career and you will grow in it and you'll keep learning.

I hope that's valuable advice. Keep asking questions! I still ask questions to this day. The communities online are very helpful and if I'm not asking there, I'm asking my colleagues. When I first started at The Data School, I wouldn't put my hand up but today, I've learned that if you don't ask you don't get. I say this about everything but it's definitely very useful in the world of data.