Pharo – from programming to data analytics
My background in the humanities
Although I have by now been coding for the better part of a year, and analysing and visualising data for a few months, my career trajectory did not always involve either one of these activities. My educational background is about as far removed from the world of tech as possible – graduating in 2023 with a degree in History and Politics, and the basic assumption that I would do as my peers had done: go into Law or Finance in the City. However, learning more about the nature of that work, alongside my own personal preferences, I quickly realised that this would not promise the kind of career I wanted. As someone who had initially planned on studying Art at university, the desire to create something real and tangible still prompted me to reconsider and explore options I wouldn’t have previously. And, after completing a number of career quizzes late one evening, I began to notice an unexpected pattern emerging: recommendations towards Computer Science again and again.
CS50: my journey through programming
From there it was all one long journey down the rabbit-hole of programming. A stint working in kitchens as a Baker had left me with great experiences but with an equally strong realisation that if I did not determine a career direction now, it could very easily slip away. Resigning from this provided the perfect timing for me to immerse myself in something new – and that was when I found Harvard University’s CS50x: an introductory course to Computer Science and the art of programming. The next few months were intense and exciting – small milestones were reached as I grappled with the complexities of low-level languages such as C, learnt how to build web applications using Python, HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and discovered the immense power of querying data using SQL.
In the end, I completed ten problem-sets and one final project: a professional portfolio website of my own. Somewhere along the way though, I recognised that this was not the end but rather the beginning – I still needed a solid career path that I could follow. In the background, I knew through the constant news on AI that Machine Learning was an area buzzing with opportunities, and as such, I plunged into research on the topic. However, my findings would not take me towards Data Science as I had expected, but rather Data Analytics: a happier and more realistic blend of my newfound skills in SQL and Python, with the prospect of learning spreadsheet software like Excel and Google Sheets, as well as visualisation technologies such as Tableau.
The Curious Academy: discovering data analytics
One Google search really is all it takes. I quickly found The Curious Academy, offering a 16-week course in Data Analytics, conveniently located in my native Reading. And, after meeting with Matt and Louize, and initiating myself in DataCamp, I was steadily on track towards a career I finally felt would be right for me. The rest is history – attending the bootcamp has been a transformative experience. Learning new skills is never easy, and I still feel proud of the progress my cohort and I were able to make over four months: tackling the intricacies of LOOKUPs and pivot-tables in Google Sheets, constructing advanced SQL queries over millions of rows of data, and presenting increasingly sophisticated dashboards in Tableau. Completing my final project for the course has also been incredibly rewarding, and really gave me the chance to dive deep into a topic of personal interest. I ultimately pursued a project focussing on the current Car Driving Test shortage in Great Britain, something I had felt the effects of myself. Bringing together data from the DVSA, ONS and Doogal, I was able to build a series of interactive dashboards in Tableau – documenting driving test performance 2007 and 2024 across a variety of metrics such as age and gender, and providing a (hopefully) useful map via which one could find the best Driving Test Centre for their location. My project write-up and dashboards are available to explore now!
My experience and looking ahead
Ultimately, I thoroughly recommend the courses at The Curious Academy for the fantastic value and support they are able to offer their students – with great teaching throughout and an involved careers advisory service that extends beyond the completion of either bootcamp. I would also be remiss not to mention the brilliant Curious Lounge within which the Academy is based. Matt, Louize and the team at large have built a calming, professional environment that brings together like-minded and ambitious people that are inspiring to be around. Most certainly, team-work and the real-world experience of collaborating on and delivering projects together with my cohort has given me the confidence to approach a career in Data Analytics not just as someone with technical expertise, but also the ability to connect with people and the problems they want solved. I hope this story encourages all forthcoming students to take the next big step forward in their career journeys – even when it seems daunting or too out of reach, it is possible!