My journey growing my career in Data Analytics through JADE

Intelligence des données · 27 sept. 2022

As someone who is a data-driven individual I am always looking for ways to improve communicating to non-technical audiences in simple and creative ways. The Junior Analytics Development Experience (JADE) program has allowed me to expand my technical skills in areas such as Adobe Analytics, machine learning, writing SQL queries, and creating dashboards. My name is Arshia Amali, and this is my journey through the JADE program. 

As a recent graduate from my masters program in business analytics I want to be involved in a role where I can continue to learn new skills, challenge myself, and have a work culture that allows for growth and curiosity. Every JADE cohort is composed of individuals looking to build on their data analytics expertise by going through a six week training program in which different tools are mastered alongside meeting each line of business to build meaningful connections outside of their teams. TELUS Digital hit all of these criterias for me and has allowed me to explore my potential and the opportunity to transition into my role very quickly despite being new to the technology industry. 

How I Joined JADE

After completing my undergraduate studies at University of Calgary I had the opportunity to work in a marketing agency with a specific role in SEO. In this position I was able to help clients understand their web analytics and come up with strategies to improve their ranking on search platforms. Although my role involved working with some data, I still saw myself seeking to understand the “why” behind more data and wanting to create other meaningful insights. This is when I learnt my passion for analytics and my interests in data pursued me to continue my education with my postgraduate studies. I had the opportunity to go abroad to the United Kingdom for my MSc and I enjoyed every minute of it, meeting new people from all over the world and seeing a new culture.

As I was wrapping up my studies I began to look into roles where I could show my passion for data and somewhere I could build a long term career. After speaking with the recruitment team at TELUS and meeting my prospect manager I knew this was the place for me. I have always been a true believer in taking risks and being lean, valuing data over opinions, and embracing inclusivity which are just some of the values of TELUS & TELUS Digital.

How JADE Prepares You to become a Rockstar Data Analyst

When I initially started out at TELUS Digital and saw all the learning opportunities, I was both excited and nervous. The six-week JADE training program looks in detail at all of the tools that an analyst uses in their day to day with each week focusing on different aspects. 

My favourite tool that I learnt through JADE was Adobe Analytics. We had the opportunity to learn the platform from an Adobe consultant and I was able to expand my understanding towards analytic insights with the tool. JADE as a whole was such an exciting experience in terms of being able to learn everything in such a fast paced environment and at such a big organization. At first I was nervous of not being able to fully comprehend everything and thought I would struggle to keep up with the learnings. What I quickly learnt about the culture at TELUS Digital was that everyone here enjoys helping one another and the value of collaboration is important. From day one the JADE cohort was ensured that they had everything in place from the program facilitators who had created a schedule for the upcoming weeks with full support available. As well, every session provided resources and assistance for any questions we had to allow us to be efficient with the tools. After going through JADE I can now say that I have successfully been able to master all the tools learnt and as I settle into my team more I hope to be able to expand my knowledge even more. 

In addition to all the learning that takes place through the lectures, my buddies and my team have been fully supporting me in getting incorporated quicker into my team. Our Tuesdays in JADE were put aside for shadowing time with our buddies where we would collaboratively work on tickets and other tasks assigned for the week. I found shadowing time very beneficial especially because I was able to use the learnings from the lectures to actual tickets that are worked by my team. As well, my buddies were the first point of contact for any questions I had in regards to operations, and cultural values to allow me to get settled into my squad. 

The coolest thing about JADE was the time devoted to meeting leaders from each line of business around TELUS Digital. The meet and greet opportunities allowed us to network outside of our squads to meet Leadership where they introduced us to their teams, discussed their goals, and their career path to getting to their position. The value of meeting with so many different people allowed me to see the different options of growing my career and the endless possibilities that I can take as an analyst. As well, understanding each line of business has allowed me to better be integrated into my team as I better understand operations in and around TELUS. 

What’s Next After JADE? 

The paths are endless. I believe with all the things that we have learnt, the analysts from this year's JADE cohort can all have different and meaningful careers to build on from. Personally, I want to continue my expertise in Adobe Analytics and SQL, and make an impact in my work environment at TELUS Digital by continuously helping create a diverse team of tech-savvy problem solvers who can bring new ideas and embrace the possibilities that technology brings to evolving digital business landscapes.

Auteur:
A person wearing a black T-shirt
Arshia Amali
Junior Digital Analyst
Arshia is a Junior Digital Analyst on the Home Solutions team focusing on national products. When he’s not working with data, you can find him traveling or playing soccer.