By Jodi-Ann Whitehorne
"Be thankful for all successes, lose your ego, take
risks, fail fast, and if you don't absolutely love what you do, run!" - Cynthia Rowley
As I began my journey at NCB, I was filled
with excitement; I was a developer on the Mobile App team. I was seeking
opportunities to develop my skills and to be a part of something ground
breaking. I was a part of an amazing young team, tasked with the hefty job of
modernizing banking.
Launch day came and it changed my life. I
felt immensely rewarded and I became a leader in my own right.
Little could I have suspected that along
the way, I would discover a secret love that would leave me unsettled in the
wake of, what was at the time, my greatest achievement. Just as all secret
loves happen gradually, the importance of data and data-driven decision-making
impressed itself upon me incrementally, over time. I recognized how impactful truly
understanding the data that we gather can become, how the insights gained from
this knowledge can be utilized to improve business efficiency - reducing cost
and potentially increasing revenue.
I laboured over my heart’s desire and after
much anguish, I decided to part with my development team to align my future
with the Visionary GOATs, my data analytics family.
Data analytics requires a deep
understanding of probability, statistics and software engineering principles. With
my background in software development, naturally, there was some overlapping of
necessary skills.
Similar to a software developer, a data
analyst is faced with a problem and must utilize their ingenuity and
wherewithal to create a sustainable solution, validate through testing or simulating
it, using the right tools, to deliver the solution efficiently and effectively.
These skills, along with sound coding standards and the flexibility to learn
and use different tools are necessary for both software developers and data
analysts.
While the skills are technically similar,
how they are applied, are quite different. Fundamentally, software developers
solve problems to build software while data analysts solve problems by understanding
and interpreting data, for the purpose of innovation. For this reason, data
analytics is powerful for decision-making. It is all about having keen
intellectual curiosity- asking new questions, making new discoveries, and
learning new things.
Once knowledge from data has been obtained,
the ability to present the insights and explain its significance to others in a
way that can be easily understood is paramount, especially as it relates to
C-suite executives. After all, a discovery has little value if no one
understands what it means or appreciates the magnitude of its impact.
The key thing I have learned on this
journey is that as technology continues to evolve, continuous learning is
essential to success. The aim is not just to remain abreast with the changes,
but also to feed creativity and curiosity by introducing new ideas, ensuring
continuous self- development, and uncovering new ways of thinking. Reading is
the key to achieving this as it builds a firm foundation. From reading about
statistics or visualization methods to reading about story telling or team
building, one’s mind begins to evolve and new ways of thinking and perceiving
emerge. You begin to see the unseen, think the un-thought of and bring life and
breath to a world of possibilities. I have had to adjust to the intricacies of
this new approach and push myself so much harder, in order to flex my mind in
new directions at a moment’s notice.
Making the transition
from a software developer to a data analyst was not, in the least, an easy one.
Though there are similarities between the two from a technical perspective,
their approaches and application are vastly different. For success, data analysts
must develop sharp inquisitiveness and efficient, effective communication
skills so as to unlock insights from and translate data to aid in decision
making. This ultimately leads to increased business performance and workflows.
Looking forward to my future together with
data analytics, I sense that my life will change and continue to change along
with the mercurial nature of the, now no longer secret, love that chose me.
Photo by Charlie Firth on Unsplash
Connect with Jodi-Ann via LinkedIn.
Connect with Jodi-Ann via LinkedIn.
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