Career Path Of A Data Analyst At A Fortune 100 Tech Company
Dennis's career path is notably non-linear, starting with a "records clerk" role at a law firm after graduating with a business management degree from San Diego State University and including various roles such as an internship at a production company and eight years at Teach for America, where Dennis progressed from "finance coordinator" to the analytics team; this eventually led to roles at Meta and Cisco, culminating in Dennis's current position as a data analyst on Cisco's competition team.
Career Exploration, Data Analysis, Career Development, Overcoming Challenges, Technology
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Dennis Pham
Data Analyst
Fortune 100 Tech Company
San Diego State University 2009
None
Business Management & Admin
Technology
Data and Analytics
Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Dennis's career path demonstrates that a direct route into data analysis isn't always necessary. His experience in various roles, including a law firm, production company, and Teach for America, showcases transferable skills and a willingness to explore different fields before settling on data analysis.
2. His progression within Teach for America from finance coordinator to the analytics team highlights the possibility of internal career growth and development within an organization. This demonstrates the value of gaining experience and demonstrating initiative.
3. Dennis's experience at various companies like Facebook (Meta), Cisco, and a law firm shows the versatility of data analysis skills across diverse industries (tech, education, and legal). This highlights the broad applicability of the skills learned in data analysis roles.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Then, tell me about any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
I went to San Diego State University, where I majored in business management. To be honest, I did not have a solid internship.
I started off at a law firm as a records clerk, a pretty entry-level role. After that, I wanted to do a stint in entertainment. I did an internship at a production company after I graduated.
Honestly, I had a lot of odd jobs after college. Eventually, I landed at a place called Teach for America, which is a non-profit education organization. I started there as a finance coordinator, where I did a lot of receipt entry into Workday. I then made my way up to the analytics team. Overall, I was there for about eight years.
After that, I moved on to what was then called Facebook, now Meta. I joined their compensation team as a business systems analyst. I was there for almost two years, doing a lot of backend work in HR and compensation-related systems.
From there, I moved on to Cisco, another tech company. I am currently a data analyst on their competition team.
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