The Leap into JADE (Junior Analytics Development Experience)

Data Intelligence · Nov 16, 2021

My name is Randy Miskuski, I am a Junior Analytics Implementation Prime, and this is my JADE story.

As a recent boot camp graduate, I was looking for a company that matches my personality and values. After searching the internet for potential matches, I finally found the JADE Program at TELUS Digital. Being introduced to the JADE program was a great fit because its collaborative style matched my personality and bridged my education gap, to practical real-life work challenges.

Day 1 of TELUS Digital

I walked into this new opportunity unsure of how I might fit into the culture and make friends along the way. As nervous as anyone may be on their first day, I now rest assured that TELUS Digital flattened any anxiety that I had. Upon my first day of entering the JADE program, I was greeted by my cohort which at first were strangers, but very quickly became some of my closest friends at TELUS Digital. My cohort had 12 eager new hires that were all excited, friendly, and just as happy as I was to become a part of the team. On our first day, I was assigned 2 experienced buddies from my direct team that became my main line of defence for any technical and non-technical questions I had. My buddies and I had frequent touch points to ensure a smooth learning experience.

The JADE program is a well-designed onboarding experience that turns the most junior newbies into well-polished Analysts and Implementation Specialists. The first week of the onboarding experience started with introducing our JADE cohort to several current employees within TELUS Digital. We met a wide variety of TELUS Digital employees ranging from Managers to Directors, to even the Vice-President. These valuable interactions taught us about the paths that TELUS Digital employees have taken, and taught us that we are in control of our own destiny. It was also a great opportunity to ask those burning questions we had. At this early stage in the program, we learned that many employees at TELUS Digital have embraced the TELUS Digital culture and through spirited teamwork and growth, were able to quickly progress through their career.

The Technical Training of JADE

After my first week of getting to know everyone and being familiarized with the flow of my schedule, weeks 2 – 4 were where the technical training begun.

The JADE program dives deep into several tools I will be using in my line of business to help me be successful at my job. JADE educators are typically people we will continue to work with at TELUS Digital, and use real workplace examples to practise what I have learned. I received collaborative homework that applied learning concepts and built the confidence needed to be successful.

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What I learned is that the JADE Program is great for forming new relationships, which is important because my cohort and I will be relying on each other for encouragement and support. Over the course of 4 weeks, I learned lots and will continue learning by revisiting
material and discussing concepts with my buddies and within my cohort post-JADE.

Now that I have completed the JADE program, I feel that I am embedded within TELUS Digital. My manager understands my goals, and we frequently revisit my progress and ensure that I'm striving for continuous growth. I feel that my time in JADE was the kickstart that everyone needs to be rapidly onboarded and tackle personal and career goals as a unified team. JADE gave me the confidence that I needed to be successful, happy, and to have a sense of belonging in a vision much larger than I could have ever imagined.

Authored by:
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Randy Miskuski
Junior Analytics Implementation Prime
When he’s not building guides and in meetings, you can find Randy snowboarding, or skateboarding around town.