Career path of a Senior Digital Analytics Consultant at BlastX Consulting
Taylor's career path unexpectedly shifted from website design, initially pursued through internships and freelance work — "I actually didn't start out to become a website analyst" — to a focus on digital analytics after discovering a need for such expertise at NIC Inc., where they built the analytics practice from the ground up. This led to their current role at BlastX Consulting, leveraging their combined passions for "math and website design" in a consulting environment.
Data Analysis, Web Design, Career Development, Freelancing, Digital Analytics
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Taylor Cruz
Senior Consultant - Digital Analytics and Insights
BlastX Consulting
California Lutheran University
N/A
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Technology
Data and Analytics
Honors Student, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Taylor's career path showcases the possibility of transitioning from web design to digital analytics. Starting with internships in graphic and web design, she leveraged freelance work to build her skills and client base. This highlights the value of practical experience and independent initiative.
2. Her experience at NIC Inc. demonstrates how identifying an unmet need (analyzing website data) within a company can lead to career growth and specialization. By proactively learning Google Analytics, she created a unique skillset that was highly valuable.
3. Taylor's move from a government position to a consulting role at BlastX Consulting shows career progression and diversification. This illustrates that developing expertise in a specific area, such as digital analytics, can open up opportunities in various industries and company types.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
I actually didn't start out to become a website analyst. I started doing website design. I completed my undergraduate degree in multimedia with an emphasis in website design.
Then, I began doing internships in various areas of graphic design and web design. One of those internships was located about two hours south of where I was attending school. I completed that over the summer.
After the internship ended, it turned into a freelance job. We had a good working connection, and they wanted to keep me on for freelance work. So, I started doing remote freelance work for the web design company, CU Web Services.
They specialized in website design and hosting websites for people. That's where I really fell into content management systems, like WordPress. I began delving into that, doing more freelance work for them, and broadening my client base.
Eventually, I did even more freelance work with other clients, again in both graphic design and website design. I did this throughout my entire undergraduate program. My clients ranged all over Southern California in various industries, from the web design firm itself to general retail and software companies.
After I graduated, I moved to Connecticut from Southern California with my now-husband. I kept doing freelance work, as it's all internet-based or done by sharing files. This allowed me the flexibility to continue with my Southern California client base.
I started branching out from freelance work into contracting locally in Connecticut. I was hired to do content management work, migrating content from one website to another. At that job, it turned into a full-time position.
That company was NIC Inc. They partner with state and local governments to host their websites and build digital services for citizens. I was part of the Connecticut branch of NIC, helping to manage website content and assist with redesigns.
That is where I discovered analytics. They had analytics on the state website, but nobody was really doing anything with it. My coworkers knew a little, but it wasn't their area of expertise.
My company kept getting questions from their state partners about analytics, like page views for a website last month. Nobody knew how to answer them. So, I took it upon myself to learn.
I gained access to the Google Analytics system and started tinkering with it, learning the tool, and really fell in love with it. It combined my lifelong interests in math and website design perfectly. It involves numbers, trends, graphs, and interacting with websites.
This married the two passions I had, and I just fell in love with it. I worked for NIC for another five years, building up their analytics practice and learning more tools. I was essentially a one-person operation, building it from the ground up.
Eventually, I wanted to branch out from government work into other industries. That's when I moved to Blast X Consulting, a firm specializing in website analytics. This allowed me to branch out into other industries, and it has just grown ever since.