Lecture 14
Career Session
October 17, 2024
DANL Career Session
DANL Career Session
Introduction: Share Your Background and Experience
Jaehyung Lee (Andy), Class of 2022
DANL Career Session
Q. What challenges have you encountered in your role at the workplace?
DANL Career Session
Q. How do you envision the future of AI?
DANL Career Session
Q. How does working at a large company like Meta compare to your previous experiences?
DANL Career Session
Q. What has been the most fulfilling aspect of your work?
DANL Career Session
Q. Can you share advice for students who are preparing for internships or job applications?
DANL Career Session
DANL Career Session - 1. Marcie Hogan
- Background
- Graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 2023 with a degree in Geography and minors in Mathematics and Physics.
- Took several data analytics courses and was a tutor in the Data Analytics Lab.
- Initially worked at Crown Castle as a Geospatial Data Analyst, including an internship, totaling about two years.
- Career Path
- At Crown Castle, Marcie managed database operations for spatial data, frequently working with Python and spatial packages.
- In July 2024, she began a new role at Meta as a Community Project Manager within the Maps Organization, working on a contract basis.
DANL Career Session - 1. Marcie Hogan
- Role at Meta
- Works extensively on Mapillary, an open-source street-level imagery hosting platform acquired by Meta.
- Conducts analytics to understand the user community and guide product development.
- While her job title doesn’t explicitly mention data, data analytics is heavily integrated into her role.
DANL Career Session - 2. Jaehyung Lee (Andy)
- Background
- Graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 2022 with a major in Mathematics and a concentration in Data Analytics.
- Served in the South Korean military for two years before resuming his academic and professional pursuits.
- Took several data analytics courses and was a tutor in the Data Analytics Lab.
DANL Career Session - 2. Jaehyung Lee (Andy)
- Invisible Technologies
- Works as Analytics Associate at Invisible Technologies, a fast-growing startup that partners with leading AI platforms like OpenAI, Cohere, Google, and Character.AI.
- The company specializes in refining AI models through techniques like Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) and Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT).
DANL Career Session - 2. Jaehyung Lee (Andy)
- Role at Invisible Technologies
- Holds monthly business reviews for executives.
- Provides visibility on departmental targets for hiring, people operations, and client services.
- Analyzes client data to ensure targets are met, particularly for clients like OpenAI.
- Creates numerous data pipelines using Python and develops data models with SQL.
DANL Career Session - 2. Jaehyung Lee (Andy)
- Projects
- Self-Evaluation Project: Tracked over 20 personal metrics daily for two years to improve his lifestyle and productivity, such as wake-up times, tasks completed, reading, and meditation.
- Used this project to enhance his coding skills and had valuable discussions during job interviews.
- Emphasized the importance of personal projects in learning and showcasing skills.
DANL Career Session - 2. Jaehyung Lee (Andy)
- Impact of Academic Courses
- Took courses like Data Analytics 100, 200, 210, and 310, which helped him build a meaningful relationship with data.
- Learned programming languages like R and Python, and developed skills in data visualization and presentation.
- Created interactive dashboards using Shiny, which impressed interviewers and aided in job acquisition.
- Stressed the applicability of classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios.
DANL Career Session - 3. Jason Rappazzo
- Background
- Graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 2023 with a major in Economics and a minor in Data Analytics.
- Served as a tutor in the Data Analytics Lab and was part of the track team alongside Marcie.
- Role at Momentive
- Works as a data analyst in the Global IT Automation and Reporting at Momentive, a chemical manufacturing company.
- The company produces a wide array of products found in everyday items, from tires to mattresses and aerospace components.
- Responsible for automating manual business processes and turning complex data into actionable insights.
DANL Career Session - 3. Jason Rappazzo
- Technologies Used
- Alteryx: For data extraction and consolidating data from various company sources.
- Snowflake: Serves as the data warehouse where data is transformed and prepared.
- Tableau: Used to create dashboards and visualizations for different departments.
DANL Career Session - 3. Jason Rappazzo
- Insights on Learning
- Emphasized the importance of adaptability and the ability to learn new technologies in a rapidly changing tech landscape.
- Encouraged persistence in coding, highlighting that overcoming errors and frustrations is part of the learning process.
- Believes that proficiency in one programming language can facilitate learning others.
DANL Career Session - 3. Jason Rappazzo
- Projects
- SG&A Dashboard: Acted as the project manager for a dashboard visualizing the company’s Selling, General, and Administrative expenses.
- Digital Growth Dashboard: Visualizes online sales data and tracks the company’s shift toward automated online product sales.
- Regularly combines data from various ERP-related tables into coherent views for analysis and presentation.
DANL Career Session
Challenges Faced
- Marcie
- Experienced corporate instability at Crown Castle, witnessing four rounds of layoffs, a CEO change, and office closures.
- Had to make an earlier-than-expected career move due to the company’s uncertain future.
- Adjusted to Meta’s faster-paced environment and the need to learn new internal tools and processes.
- Navigated strict data privacy and legal considerations at Meta, a shift from her previous role.
DANL Career Session
Challenges Faced
- Andy
- Initially believed data analytics was primarily technical but realized the importance of interpersonal skills.
- Learned to communicate effectively with stakeholders to meet their needs and deliver valuable insights.
- Continues to work on improving communication and presentation skills.
DANL Career Session
Challenges Faced
- Jason
- Faced a learning curve due to a limited background in finance, necessitating on-the-job learning of financial data analysis.
- Recognized the importance of understanding data context to create meaningful visualizations for stakeholders.
- Learned that real-world data is often messy and inconsistent, requiring significant data preparation and cleaning.
DANL Career Session
Insights on AI
- Marcie
- Observed Meta’s significant investment in AI technologies, such as open-source models like Llama 3.
- Believes AI applications will expand across various sectors, including geospatial data and map-making.
- Emphasized the importance of having industry-specific knowledge to optimize AI models effectively.
DANL Career Session
Insights on AI
- Andy
- Acknowledged the hype surrounding AI and the possibility of an AI bubble.
- Mentioned that his company is preparing by diversifying into other industries beyond AI.
- Believes AI will become more prominent across all businesses, requiring adaptability and broader skill sets.
DANL Career Session
Most Fulfilling Aspects
- Marcie
- Finds fulfillment when her work aligns with her passions, particularly in geospatial data and map-making.
- Enjoys seeing the direct impact of her insights on public-facing products and contributing to an interconnected world.
- Prefers roles where she can witness the end results and user impact of her work.
DANL Career Session
Most Fulfilling Aspects
- Andy
- Derives satisfaction from building solutions from scratch and seeing them positively impact stakeholders.
- Values moments when his work translates into tangible benefits for the company and receives appreciation.
DANL Career Session
Most Fulfilling Aspects
- Jason
- Finds it rewarding when code runs flawlessly and data is accurately prepared.
- Enjoys impressing stakeholders with the final product, especially when it simplifies their work.
- Values making a tangible impact on colleagues’ efficiency and effectiveness.
DANL Career Session
Advice to Students Who Are Looking for a Job
- Marcie
- Encouraged students to leverage opportunities at Geneseo to build their resumes, such as tutoring, research, and extracurricular activities.
- Highlighted the competitive job market and the necessity of relevant experience to secure internships and jobs.
- Advised students to combine their data analytics skills with industries they are passionate about for a more fulfilling career.
DANL Career Session
Advice to Students Who Are Looking for a Job
- Andy
- Emphasized the significance of working on personal projects to deepen coding and data science expertise.
- Recommended mastering Python, R, and SQL as essential tools for data-related jobs.
- Advised students to have one or two significant projects to discuss during interviews.
- Encouraged networking with professionals in the field to gain insights and collaboration opportunities.
- Highlighted that exploring various projects builds confidence and aids in transitioning from academia to industry.
DANL Career Session
Advice to Students Who Are Looking for a Job
- Jason
- Recommended learning basic finance and accounting concepts to better understand and meet business needs.
- Advised developing strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with non-technical stakeholders.
- Encouraged being open to learning new tools and technologies to stay relevant in the field.
DANL Career Session
Summary
- The speakers highlighted the importance of:
- Technical Skills: Proficiency in programming languages like Python, R, and SQL is crucial.
- Continuous Learning: Staying adaptable and willing to learn new technologies and methodologies.
- Interpersonal Skills: Effective communication with stakeholders and team members is essential.
- Passion Alignment: Combining data analytics skills with personal interests leads to a more fulfilling career.
- Practical Experience: Engaging in projects, internships, and leveraging academic opportunities enhances employability.
DANL Career
Useful Skills for DANL Students
- Data Analysis with Python and R
- Data Science with Python and R
- Programming Languages for databases such as SQL
- Business Intelligence Software such as Power BI and/or Tableau
- Version Control with Git and GitHub
- Data Analytics/Science Portfolio with a Capstone Project on GitHub
- Prompt Engineering in Generative AI
DANL Career
Data Analytics-related Certificates on Coursera
- General Data Analytics, SQL, and Business Intelligence
- Data Science
- Generative AI
Lecture 14 Career Session Byeong-Hak Choe bchoe@geneseo.edu SUNY Geneseo October 17, 2024