From Unemployed to Senior Manager: Alfred Davis-Shih's QuickStart Student Success Story
Excerpt taken from September 6th, 2023 QuickStart IT Bootcamp Webinar, featuring Alfred Davis-Shih who participated in QuickStart’s Data Science and Analytics Bootcamp (renamed Data Analytics and Visualization Bootcamp). In this webinar snippet, Alfred describes his experience with QuickStart, obtaining workforce student funding (WIOA), and how this online training course helped him land his current job while still attending the bootcamp!
Written transcription has been edited for ease of reading.
Introduction
Nick Rockett (Senior Admissions Advisor): So, QuickStart Student Success story! I'm going to introduce Alfred here. He’s going to give a presentation talking about his experiences and then he'll hand it back to me for our Q&A towards the end. Alfred, go ahead and take it away.
Alfred Davis-Shih: Hi there, thank you! So, my experience here, I did data science and analytics through the bootcamp, and the thing that really surprised me about the bootcamp was all of the projects and the modules that we started doing on day one. It really had an immediate application to work. A lot of the projects that I had worked on...on one hand, taught me all the mistakes I made in previous jobs and kind of prepared me for my next job.
But the big piece to all of this was the way it was structured and the theory and the methodology behind everything. [The bootcamp] was really delivered in a way that it was a lot easier to understand. And I was able to translate that into my new job, which helped because a lot of times in data science, when you're making presentations, you need to explain to the whole audience of people what's going on. So, a lot of the language on how to do that effectively, I got out of this bootcamp.
And as Nick mentioned, the other piece to all of this was, I had come from an environment where I was used to going into the office and I've never really — aside from COVID — never really done the whole remote work thing. So, when I was job hunting, I was really going for either hybrid or on-site jobs, but I ended up getting a 100% remote position.
And to Nick’s point earlier, I think having gone through this bootcamp and making data science presentations — through zooms and learning how to interact with people and to complete work that way — really helped me transition into this 100% remote role.
And in this role, actually, I've gained a lot of visibility fairly quickly. And a lot of the materials that I have from the bootcamp, I'm still referencing and using for a lot of the projects that I'm driving right now. So, all good things to say about this bootcamp. I was very glad that I discovered this and very happy that I got to go through it.
What Prompted Alfred to Choose QuickStart's IT Bootcamp and Alternative Financing Options (WIOA)
Gwen Gayhart (Director of Career Services): This is Gwen Gayhart, Director of Career Services, and I just have a couple of questions for you, Alfred, if you don't mind. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. You were able to tap into some alternative financing, correct? Tell your story a little bit about that: where you came from — not necessarily specifics — but kind of where you came from [and] what prompted you to choose [and] to go through the bootcamp.
Alfred: So, I secured my funding through the federal WIOA program, and that was because I was part of that wave of tech layoffs that happened and that started happening at the end of last year. So when I found myself without a job, I learned about WIOA funding, and it was through that WIOA application process and working with the office that managed that funding, that's how I discovered this bootcamp.
And a big piece of this was to really help me: one, upskill in areas of data science that I felt like I was lacking so I could find that next job, but also pivot a little bit into a different area of what I've been working in. And this bootcamp was appealing to me because it was a really nice mix of data science from a business and presentation perspective as well as more of the technical side of data science, especially with Python programming and all of the fundamental math that goes behind a lot of the more technical pieces of this field. So, it was kind of like a perfect combination of what I was looking for.
Alfred Explains Data Analytics in His Current Role
Gwen: Ok, thank you for sharing that. I appreciate that but because I was going to say, perhaps you can fill in the gap a little bit about what data governance means because, as you mentioned, it's sort of a combination of things, it's not just numbers.
Alfred: Right, my role at Shake Shack is with finance city governments. So, I work with our accounting and our finance teams. As a publicly traded company, we have very strict controls around our financial data. And so the data itself, the systems that maintain it, the processes that are in place for accountants to use it for reporting, all of that has to be really thought out. The process needs to be designed out and meet certain compliance requirements.
So, my role is kind of overseeing all of that the governance of our data: how it's being used, how it's being managed, how it's being handled [and] received. It is slightly different from actual data science work, which is the presentation of doing your research and parsing through that information to extract insights.
Where the overlap [is] with this bootcamp and this job — what really helped me in the interviews — was being able to speak to a lot of the fundamentals of data. So, the things that are covered in the bootcamp. SQL for instance was a big piece, and an interview question. Just really understanding data structures, data types, and how to access and manipulate data.
I guess the soft skills that came out of this bootcamp that really has a direct impact on this job is something that a lot of people don't really talk about, but it's the presentation work, right? So, it's like a bootcamp with each capstone. And with each project, you're building out a project plan. You're following that project plan [and] you're making your presentation. All of that is process documentation and planning and project management. Those are the soft skills that in any position at any company, is looking for. And that is core to my job. Data governance is doing all that documentation, making sure everything is documented, having a plan in place, following that plan, and being able to add that important historical reference.
Importance of Tech in Industries
Gwen: That's great to hear actually, we certainly like to hear that you were able to obtain and acquire basically some additional soft skills as well. You've got background obviously in the tech industry and — in fact, when as Nick was describing sort of the prerequisites, so to speak, or sort of the ideal background for someone going into the data analytics programs — that your story actually, is maybe the same as mine, because you mentioned that you did work technically in finance prior to your more recent position where you were laid off. So you've worked in different environments and from a more, like you said, more of an “old school” kind of an environment: your initial position in IT and then in a more startup type of an environment. Do you feel like what you learned and what you obtained and were able to gain from the bootcamp, do you feel like that applied in both of those kinds of environments?
Alfred: Oh, absolutely. So just some context. My career over the last ten years has spanned public sector companies as well as the private sector. The tech company that we're talking about, is…so I worked at Twitter (X) before and now I'm at Shake Shack, and so we're talking about public sector/social media and now hospitality. And what's unique about Shake Shack…it's kind of like a hospitality company and a tech company combined. But what also all of these companies have in common, and what they were really looking for in…the skills that came out of this bootcamp...it's that analytical skills. The understanding of the fundamentals of data, right? The methodologies, the structures, the infrastructure, and the soft [skills] side, the presentation and the organization piece, all of those are covered here [in the bootcamp]. And I think these skills are really just so transferable across any industry, any sector, any role. It's not just in a tech-specific position.
Benefits of Using LinkedIn and Utilizing Keyword Searches for Job Searches
Alfred: When I was job-hunting, data governance was not in my purview at all. It was Shake Shack’s recruiter that found me through LinkedIn, and we started chatting about the role and it was interesting and that's where I am. I think all these skills are transferable, especially with the way technology is developing. And with the growth of data analytics, these opportunities are growing, so I would suggest broadening horizons, just capitalize on keyword searches on LinkedIn.
Gwen: Mhm, absolutely. For example, I often will coach our cybersecurity students to look beyond just cyber security analysts and consider things like identity access management and that type of thing. Typically keywords or job titles aren’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind but encompass a lot of the same ground for sure.
I like that you mentioned LinkedIn because it is something that in Career Services that we do emphasize a lot. And as we were talking just before this with the team is that 95% of our recruiters go to LinkedIn for their talent. And so it's absolutely critical to exist there, to be there, and to build a brand there…kind of a professional presence there, and that's one of the things that we work with students to to help them optimize their LinkedIn profile even if you've never had a LinkedIn profile before. We have a guy that start[ed] with square one, so it's an important piece of that professional aspect [and] I appreciate that you mentioned that.
Alfred: Yeah, I used to be very hesitant about being active on LinkedIn. I wasn't really sure it was useful because I really just thought of it as a corporate Facebook. But there's a certain point where I think you start seeing the benefits of LinkedIn. I mean my last job, and my job at Twitter, it was all because a recruiter found me on LinkedIn. And so it's a it really is a great way to just maintain and manage a professional network but also just keep a pulse on what's actually happening in the labor market because it is all concentrated in on this one platform.
Why Every Company is a Tech Company
Gwen: Mhmm. Absolutely, and I think you made another good point previously that you mentioned essentially that even though you're currently working at what would be considered a hospitality company, for all intents and purposes the primary function, the truth of the matter is that every company has a technology need, right?
Alfred: Yeah, I mean we’re looking for software engineers, we're looking for infrastructure architects. I mean, pretty much every company is becoming a tech company.
Gwen: Right, right exactly. There's just that much need for it.
Alfred: Yeah.
Gwen: And I'm not sure, I'm trying to remember, who was it that mentioned it…that might have been one of our cybersecurity students who worked for DoD and for Department of Defense that they've now come out with the requirements that basically any company that does business with the federal government has requirements that they have to meet standards. If you're a hot dog vendor, you need to have cyber security as part of your business to make sure those kinds of firewalls are probably protecting everything. So it's expanding all the time for sure. So, I really, really appreciate you sharing your experience. And I think that's a very inspiring story and hopefully the attendees today are able to get something out of that [and] the opportunities and possibilities there.
Major Takeaways from Alfred's Story
Nick: I think that the major takeaway for everyone who's here with the webinar — and who's listening about Alfred's experiences and some of the experiences that Gwen has shared — is that our students come from all walks of life. And whether you are coming into our programs with experience or you're coming in and you were a truck driver prior to coming into the IT sphere, we can find a program for you and we can support your learning. And then Gwen's team can step in to teach you how to approach those technical interviews, if you've never been to one like Alfred has, to teach you how to build your resume or your LinkedIn profile. And the main takeaway here is that Alfred is still in our program and he's been able to be successful.
So, our students can come from absolutely any background and we can help you bridge that gap between where you are and where you are now. And for everyone who's attending here, I definitely want you to be able to take that away from his experience.
To see if you qualify for WIOA benefits, see our page here: https://www.quickstart.com/workforce-students/
If you are interested in enrolling in our Data Analytics and Visualization Bootcamp, feel free to request more information on how to get started here: https://www.quickstart.com/bootcamp/data-science-and-analytics/