Two hours on Zoom last month with small groups of NPower students, and I probably got more out of it than they did.
A lot of them want to be data analysts. So we talked about what the job market looks like right now. Several students asked me what a typical day looks like where I work. It was a great question, because I realize they have concerns about “what to expect if I get hired” and “am I ready for this job?” I explained that it varies. The service desk has high and low peaks, and the upper tiers tend to focus on issues that are more impactful to the whole business, versus a few small fires each day. I also spoke about how the collaboration, teamwork, and the people you work with make the job rewarding.
As a matter of discussion, I talked about working across different industries. Early in my career, I worked in hospitals, warehouses, and manufacturing, before IT became my main job. The message I delivered was that you should work in a space that feels comfortable and enjoyable. I found hospitals are very busy and high stress, and that can carry over to your department. Warehouses can be overwhelming because production outages are critical. Basically, interview the company and its history just as much as they interview you.
Like many tenured managers, I read resumes and sit in interviews as a natural part of my role. The students had a lot of passion for what they are learning, and I told them that this is what inspires a hiring manager. Engaging with the company you’re interviewing with, and showing interest and some knowledge of it, goes a long way.
I told them about a candidate with a non-IT background I interviewed for a Tier 1 applications platform role. He gave a presentation on his home lab, a bitcoin mining setup. What stood out was the level of documentation: energy consumption graphs, hardware costs, time spent on the project, and more. His level of detail was so impressive that I hired him that day. He’s now a senior Linux administrator.
Coaching isn’t charity. It keeps me honest about how hard it is to break in, and it’s a good reminder of why I manage people the way I do. The willingness to learn and the energy they invest in the field are why I will always offer my time to support the growth mindset of first-tier technical analysts.
If you work in tech, find one hour this month to coach someone. It’s worth more than you’d think.
What’s the best career advice someone gave you when you were starting out?
#Mentorship #TechCareers #DataAnalytics
