What is your title at Progeny and what does your role entail?
I’m Progeny’s Business Analyst. I work across the business with key stakeholders creating dashboards and reports which allow data-driven decision-making. I take large amounts of raw data from various sources and transform that into easy-to-understand analysis on the company’s performance.
How long have you worked in your field?
I have worked in analysis for around five years, prior to that I worked in the finance sector.
Why did you choose this profession?
I started my career in the finance sector, starting as a Finance Apprentice and working up to being an Assistant Accountant. As time went on, I realised the parts of my job I liked the most were the month-end analysis and the reporting aspects, so I made the decision to take a sidestep into an analysis role so I could do more of what I enjoyed. Since then, I’ve spent the last few years upskilling in data analysis and BI visualisation tools such as Power BI.
Tell us a bit about the education and qualifications you need to do your job.
There are a variety of routes into analysis, some companies require an education to degree level, whereas in others you can work up from a junior position.
In addition to the qualifications, what further skills, experience and attributes do you think make for a good Business Analyst?
I’d say the main requirements are strong Excel skills, experience in business intelligence software such as Power BI/ Tableau, SQL database querying skills, and an understanding of data modelling and cleansing. Software aside, excellent time management and organisational skills are a must as there are a lot of deadlines in this type of role.
What advice would you give to anyone wishing to follow in your career footsteps?
If you are passionate about a career in data, use your spare time to upskill on areas of technology you might not be as familiar with. Put yourself out there and ask to shadow more experienced colleagues – you never know where it could lead!
Any last words of wisdom you’d like to add?
Try to push yourself out of your comfort zone, you could surprise yourself with what you’re capable of! If you identify a weakness, try to improve it. I used to have a huge fear of public speaking, so I volunteered to present an award in front of 500 guests at a corporate event. It was scary but I’m so glad I did it!
Interested in joining Progeny’s growing Technology department, or another part of our team? We’re recruiting for another Data Analyst and many other roles right now – click here to find out more.
