227: This Music Teacher Became a Data Analyst in 6 Weeks

Speaker: 00:00:00

I was a middle school choir

teacher, and now I'm working at

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Humana as a financial analyst.

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I knew I was done teaching when I

prevented a murder in my classroom

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Because I wasn't considering it at all.

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I didn't even know it existed.

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And so I found this journal entry

that I wrote after I got my job, okay?

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And it says, "On October 25th," this

is: 2024

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the Data Analytics Accelerator.

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I learned Excel, Tableau, and SQL.

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On December 4th, I accepted a job

as a financial analyst at Humana."

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So it really was, like, 35, 40 days.

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The job offer was $75,000, work

from home four days a week.

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There were probably 300

applicants on the first day.

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But I think important point was

the job that I ended up landing was

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the 24th job that I applied for.

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It's not all about the techniques.

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Sometimes it's about who you know.

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I have a healthy amount of delusion.

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This is Mason Rice.

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He's a choir director and conductor that

pivoted out of the classroom and into

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data analytics in less than six weeks.

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He didn't have a fancy tech degree.

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He didn't have a data background, and six

weeks before he got hired at a Fortune 50

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company as a financial analyst, he didn't

even really know what a data analyst was.

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So here's exactly how Mason did

it through the full story Mason,

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welcome to the Data Career Podcast.

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So I'm excited to hear about your

journey from going from a choir

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teacher to financial analytics.

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So tell us where you work right now

and, uh, how long you've been there.

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Sure.

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Uh, I'm so excited to be here.

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Um, you know, when I was going through,

like, the Data Analytics Accelerator,

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I listened to probably every o-

episode of this podcast that you had.

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So this is really so full circle for me.

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Uh, I'm really excited to be here.

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Um, so what I did before, uh, I worked

at Humana, um, I was teaching choir.

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I taught high school

choir for several years.

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I taught middle school choir for a

short time here in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Um, but today I am working at Humana.

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Um, I'm a financial analyst in

the risk adjustment department, so

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you can catch me reporting on, uh,

Medicare star ratings and how they

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impact our company financially.

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Okay, that's crazy.

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So you were, like, teaching, like,

eighth graders, like, how to sing

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and doing, like, performances and

being, like, the, like, the conductor,

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and then suddenly, like- Yeah,

allegedly Okay, that's awesome.

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And then suddenly you're, like, on

spreadsheets and, like, crunching numbers.

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That doesn't seem like a very

natural, uh, career transition.

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So, uh, like- No, it wasn't, and it didn't

really feel like it sometimes either.

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Yeah, I- It wasn't,

yeah … I can imagine.

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That's, that's such a, a,

a crazy, a crazy story.

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Um, so, like, do you use

Excel at your job right now?

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What type of tools do you use at your job?

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Oh, yeah.

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Um, I would say Excel is probably

the majority of what I use.

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Um, SQL is really high

up on that list, too.

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Um, I am also using Power

BI, um, to a degree.

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I had to learn SAS on the

job, um, so I didn't have that

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skill before I took the job.

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Um, but I've had to learn

how to write some SAS code.

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And then, um, a- now we are moving

into Databricks, so learning

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Databricks and a little bit of Python

has also been, um, on my plate.

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Wow.

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So you've learned quite a bit

since you've been there and you,

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you know, you learned some of this

stuff before you landed the job.

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I love that you're learning on the job.

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I think that's important

that people recognize that.

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Um, but, but if- Mm-hmm … I guess

you had to choose the top three in

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order, it'd be Excel, SQL, Power BI?

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You got it.

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Okay, got it.

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Um, and what type of data

are, are you looking at?

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You're looking at, like, Medicare data?

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Is that what you kinda said?

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Yeah, for sure.

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So, um, generally looking

at member-level data.

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Um, just trying to figure out, like,

I'm looking at county rates, I'm looking

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at star ratings, I'm looking at, um,

how many, how much money we're getting

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per member per month, per person.

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I'm also, like, looking at the

enterprise as a whole, comparing

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data from competitors to see kinda

where we stack up, um, in terms

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of performance on s- star ratings.

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And there's a really complex system of

how the government pays out for Medicare,

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uh, which is constantly changing and

evolving, and they want to pay us

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less and less money as time goes on.

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And so it's kind of a, uh, uh, a

challenge to keep up with the changes,

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but also to stay ahead of competitors

in a way, in a field where, like, margin

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percents can be really, really low.

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So every, every penny really matters.

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Um, and so we're kinda just

looking at that data and trying

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to stay ahead of the game.

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That is kinda crazy to hear, um,

that, like, margin's small in, in

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healthcare 'cause you often think that

healthcare is kind of ripping you off.

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It feels so expensive in America.

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And we should, and we should

mention that Humana is, uh, like a

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healthcare, uh, company in the US.

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It is, like, one of the biggest ones.

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Mm-hmm.

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I think you guys are, like, you're

at least a Fortune 50 company.

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You guys might even be bigger than that.

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Right.

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Um, so this is, like, a huge

healthcare company, um, in the US.

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We should mention that you are,

uh, located in Kentucky, which,

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which is kind of, like, kind of

close to the middle of America.

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A little bit, a little bit

to the east of the middle.

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Mm-hmm.

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Um, okay, very cool.

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And, like, tell us a little bit about

what your work situation i- is like.

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Are you in the office full time?

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Are you remote?

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How does that work?

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Sure.

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Yeah.

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So I'm in Louisville, Kentucky.

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I've been living here for two years,

and, um, Humana's headquarters

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is in Louisville, so they have

remote workers all over the place.

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But my specific team is a hybrid team.

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So I go into the office

on Wednesdays only.

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Um, so Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,

Friday, I am working at home.

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Um, and so that has been super nice

balance for me 'cause I love having

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some face time with people, um, and

getting to get out of the house.

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But, um, the working from home

is also really, really nice.

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Though there are people even on

my team who are fully remote.

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But generally, like, for Humana, if

you live within, you know, a 30-minute,

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45-minute drive, you're probably coming

in one day a week, if not a f- a few more.

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That's something that I

think is so interesting.

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Everyone wants a remote job, and, uh,

I've started to see some, I don't want

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to call it backlash, but some pushback

to remote jobs where it's like, I

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don't know how healthy, uh, completely

remote jobs are just because I think

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you, I think you get better training

when you go into the office 'cause it's

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just, it's hard to train people online.

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It's, it's hard to,

like, schedule meetings.

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Um, I think you get better opportunities,

uh, like, to get raises and promotions

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just 'cause, like, you actually are

forming a relationship with an actual

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human being, like, with your boss, versus

just, like, talking to them online.

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And I just think, like, mentally

and emotionally, we were meant as

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humans to interact with people,

like, actually interacting with them.

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I think, I think there's so much to be

said about a hybrid job like what you're

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talking about, where it's actually

worlds better than a remote job.

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'Cause, like, really, it's hybrid, but

you're, you could just call it 80% remote.

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I mean, that's what, that's

what it is for you, right?

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Mm-hmm.

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But that 20% feels so important.

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You've enjoyed the 20% in office?

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Oh, yeah.

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And I completely agree with you.

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I mean, in fact, like, I was … I

mean, I was working in a school, right?

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I mean, it doesn't get any

more in person than that.

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No.

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Right?

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You're hands-on dealing

with people all the time.

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And so I was so ready for the

pendulum to swing the other way.

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I was like, "Oh, no,

let's be totally remote.

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Let me, let me get, you know … " It

seems so nice to be so convenient.

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And as time has gone on, I kinda

wish I had two or three days in the

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office to go in and work, just because

I feel like that energy exchange

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between people is so important.

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And what you said is exactly true.

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Like- The way you connect with

somebody in person is so different

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than the way you connect with

them online and, and I find online

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connections are difficult sometimes.

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They can be really awkward.

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You know?

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You can't…

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It's harder to have a give and

take on a, on a Zoom call, right?

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Because you, you can't listen

and speak at the same time in the

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same way that you can in person.

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Yeah, it's like when you're really

making eye contact with somebody, and

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you can notice their breathing and

their body language, and you can read

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the room when everybody else is…

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When there are other people involved too.

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I think it's so valuable, um,

something that I've really missed.

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Um, and I would also say, like,

working, working remotely can be lonely.

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It can be, it can be depressing.

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Um, it can be really repetitive.

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It can be very comfortable,

but it, it's also…

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You know, it's, it comes

with its cons as well.

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I hope, I hope everyone just

listening kind of internalizes that

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and maybe instead of applying to

remote-only jobs, try some hybrid jobs.

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'Cause the other thing

about hybrid jobs…

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I, I'm gonna call them 80% remote

jobs, 'cause that's what, that's what

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yours, that's what yours is right now.

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Those 80% remote jobs, like, they're

just way less competitive because I

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can only, you know, like, I can only…

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Okay, almost.

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You did say there were some people

that are fully remote on your team.

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But the majority of the people

on your team, you know, have

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to live in the Louisville area.

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And so when a job opens up, uh,

for your team, it's like the whole

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entire country, the whole entire

world can't apply for those jobs.

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You know, only people

in Louisville, Kentucky.

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So your application pool

is just so much smaller.

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So I…

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Anyways, everyone listening,

start to apply to hybrid roles.

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Um, okay, I wanna talk about- Oh, yeah

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that in-person job you

had, the choir teacher.

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You're, you're right that, like, other

than, like, being a doctor or a nurse,

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like, teaching is, like, one of those

jobs that is, like, in person, hands-on.

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Um, so you're teaching, you

know, all these students music.

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You're, you're, you're,

uh, a choir teacher.

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Um, like, at what point were you

like, "Uh, I don't know if I wanna

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do this the rest of my life"?

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Like, what was, what was

so hard about that job?

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Sure.

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I mean, in my first job, I was

fresh out of college, and I mean,

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and any first-year teacher can, can

commiserate with the energy and the,

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the crazy, uh, amount of effort it

takes to just get started as a teacher.

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It's really just kind

of unbearable at times.

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It's really emotional.

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It was, it was emotional for me.

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I'm an emotional guy.

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I teach music.

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What can I say?

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But it really, it just requires so much

effort and so much investment, and there's

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so many factors that are unpredictable.

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These kids, they bring in their

own baggage and problems to the

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door, and it's so often you have to

check yours and just be a caregiver

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Uh, much more than a teacher.

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And I taught through the pandemic.

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I, uh, I only got, like, a year and a half

of, you know, in-person instruction before

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I was teaching with a mask for two years.

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Um, and for me, it's always

been about mentorship and

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connection, uh, with, with people.

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And so, uh, the mask kinda

took that away for me for that

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kind of level of connection.

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So, uh, that's when I left

to go get my master's.

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But, um, when I went to go teach--

When I go- went back to go teach

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middle school, I just found that it

was a totally different landscape.

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I found that I wasn't really able to

teach the way that I wanted to teach

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or teach, um, primarily, um, because

in that role, I definitely was m-

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m- majorly a caregiver and a, and a

therapist and a babysitter and a, uh…

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Yeah.

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Th- thi- But I wanted to teach choir,

and so I kinda felt like in a way that

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was not available to me, um, anymore,

or at least where I was and Yeah, I, I

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was getting, I started having nightmares

about this, going into work and waking

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up as late as possible and going home and

not saying a single word, and was just

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really struggling at the time that I was

looking to pivot ca- uh, pivot careers.

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I had just gotten to a really low point.

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I mean, probably some- one of the lowest

points I'd been in, uh, was just be-

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this because of teaching and just because

of all the, all of the things going on.

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I mean, I was dealing with lots

of violence in my classroom.

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I was dealing with lots of,

uh, some really troubling home

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lives with students, and that…

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What it, it is a beautifully compassionate

job, um, but it is incredibly taxing.

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And so I think I had reached, I, I had

reached my limit with what I could handle.

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Do not blame you one bit, and I think

everyone who's listening, one, loves

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teachers, and we're thankful for you

teachers, but also recognizes how sucky

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of a job it is and how hard it is.

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My mom's a teacher and, uh, you know,

we're, we're recording this kind of,

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uh, during the, during the summertime,

and my mo- I was like, "Mom, when

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do you have to go back to school?"

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Well, she's like…

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And she's like, "The official

day is this, but I'm gonna go

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back a week early to prepare."

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I'm like, "Mom, you're just

working a week for free for, to,

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like, you don't get paid for that.

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You're just doing it out of

the goodness of your heart.

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Mom, I love you.

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You're a good person, but no one should

have to work a week for free, especially,

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you know, teachers in America."

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But alas, that's the, the system we're in.

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Okay, so you're like, "I, I

gotta get out of teaching.

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This is, this is too much, you

know, taxing on, on my wellbeing.

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This is, this is very difficult.

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I wanna try something new."

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How did you decide on data?

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Like at what point were you like,

"Oh, I wanna become a data analyst"?

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Okay, it's actually wild because

I wasn't considering it at all.

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I didn't even know it existed.

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Um, but what I was doing was going

out and trying to find community.

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Um, I was just out and

I joined some choirs.

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I was singing in this group called

the Louisville Chamber Choir, and

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I had made some friends, and had

started like speaking into the ether

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that I was like ready to change,

ready to s- do something different.

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And, um, a woman by the name of

Erin Sheena comes to me from across

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the room and is like, "Hello.

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I know we have like friends in

common and we've been singing

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together in this group."

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And she…

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I kind of asked her what she did and I was

like, "That sounds like what I wanna do.

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Can we get like coffee and talk

about what you do for work?"

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And so Erin and I, we got, we had

like a, we had a get together.

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We kiki'd and we talked about…

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'Cause she had changed from

music therapy to this job and I

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was like, "How did you do that?

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Uh, point me in the right direction

'cause I need a change," and I knew I

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wanted to work in something with money.

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I knew that I enjoyed, um,

like working in Excel, and I

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thought coding was interesting.

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As, as she was explaining it to

me, it sounded really intriguing.

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So yeah, she pointed me in the

direction of the DAA and I, uh-

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Yeah, I, I really, I put my all

into it and really didn't look back.

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Um, so I watched the YouTube videos

and listened to the podcast and, um,

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knew that I would give, give it a shot.

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Okay, this…

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There's so many cool things here that

I, I need everyone in the audience to,

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to pay attention to and r- and remember.

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So if you've been a listener to the

podcast for a while, you'll know

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that Erin Sheena, we've interviewed

Erin on the podcast before.

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: 00:14:11

Uh, it was a few years ago,

though, so some of you guys

301

: 00:14:13

who are OGs might remember.

302

: 00:14:15

Mm-hmm.

303

: 00:14:15

I did a, a, a rerun of her episode

maybe about a year ago, so some of

304

: 00:14:19

you guys have probably heard it.

305

: 00:14:20

But yeah, she was a music therapist,

uh, like Mason said, and she joined my

306

: 00:14:24

accelerator program, was able to pivot,

uh, to a, a pretty similar role, uh,

307

: 00:14:29

to Mason's role, we'll get to that in

a bit, um, and become a data analyst.

308

: 00:14:33

Okay, so you, so you met Erin, and

she was like, "I'm a data analyst.

309

: 00:14:36

I used to be a music therapist.

310

: 00:14:37

Music therapist was really, you know,

taxing and a very difficult job,

311

: 00:14:40

and I was able to pivot into data."

312

: 00:14:42

And you're like, "That sounds fun.

313

: 00:14:43

I like Excel.

314

: 00:14:43

I'm interested in coding."

315

: 00:14:44

Did you like puzzles, like, growing up?

316

: 00:14:46

Like, did you always like numbers, or was,

like, math something you didn't enjoy?

317

: 00:14:51

Oh, yeah.

318

: 00:14:51

I mean, full disclosure, I did

get my minor in math- Ah, okay.

319

: 00:14:55

That's good to know … in my undergrad.

320

: 00:14:57

My mother was a math teacher.

321

: 00:14:59

And, um, I mean, really, music and math do

have lots of overlap, um, intellectually.

322

: 00:15:06

So I, uh, I've alwa- yeah, I love puzzles.

323

: 00:15:08

I love games.

324

: 00:15:09

I'm a big board gamer.

325

: 00:15:10

I'm a big video game nerd anyway, and so I

find things like that really interesting.

326

: 00:15:14

But yeah, I, uh, independently

was applying for jobs and, and

327

: 00:15:18

Erin ended up being my reference.

328

: 00:15:20

You know, our desks, by the way,

are, like, right next to one another.

329

: 00:15:23

I saw her yesterday.

330

: 00:15:24

We see each other all the time, but

she was really my, my in at Humana,

331

: 00:15:29

and is one of my dearest friends

and, um, I kind of followed her

332

: 00:15:32

path in, step by step, to be honest.

333

: 00:15:35

Like, I listened to that

podcast episode with her and was

334

: 00:15:37

like, "Yeah, I wanna do that."

335

: 00:15:39

And so I probably listened to it, like,

four times until I made it happen, so.

336

: 00:15:42

And that's, that's my, my next

question exactly, is, like,

337

: 00:15:45

how did you make this happen?

338

: 00:15:46

So you're, you're at this, like, uh,

singing event, and you meet Erin, and

339

: 00:15:50

she explains, "Yeah, I was piv- able

to pivot from music to, to data."

340

: 00:15:53

You go get a coffee chat, you know,

you explain what you wanna do, and

341

: 00:15:57

she's like, "This is how I did it.

342

: 00:15:58

You know, I joined Avery Smith's

Data Analytics Accelerator,

343

: 00:16:00

was able to pivot out."

344

: 00:16:01

And you're like, "Okay, I'm

just gonna follow that."

345

: 00:16:02

So you, you end up joining the

accelerator, and, uh, how long-

346

: 00:16:06

Mm-hmm … did the whole process take

from, like, deciding you want to become

347

: 00:16:09

a data analyst to your first job offer?

348

: 00:16:12

Okay.

349

: 00:16:12

So before this interview, I went

and I g- I grabbed my diary.

350

: 00:16:16

And so I found this journal entry

that I wrote after I got my job, okay?

351

: 00:16:22

And it says, "On October 25th," this

is: 2024

352

: 00:16:27

the Data Analytics Accelerator.

353

: 00:16:29

I learned Excel, Tableau, and SQL.

354

: 00:16:32

On December 4th, I accepted a job

as a financial analyst at Humana."

355

: 00:16:37

So it really was like- 35, 40 days.

356

: 00:16:41

It was a whirlwind of a time, um,

but it happened really, really fast.

357

: 00:16:46

And, uh, the job offer was $75,000,

work from home four days a week,

358

: 00:16:51

which was, like, already more than I

was making as a teacher, by the way.

359

: 00:16:54

Um, and a lot-- and better benefits, so.

360

: 00:16:57

You were in.

361

: 00:16:58

Yeah.

362

: 00:16:59

That's it.

363

: 00:17:00

Um, so I- when I started the program,

I, uh, I'm an all-in kind of person, and

364

: 00:17:08

so I was like, "Okay, I'm doing this."

365

: 00:17:11

I made-- I, I think I finished

the first module in a day.

366

: 00:17:15

You know, I woke up at 8:00 a.m.,

367

: 00:17:16

and I was like, "I'm doing this."

368

: 00:17:18

And every little strong arm

emoji, I was like, "I'm doing it.

369

: 00:17:21

I'm doing it."

370

: 00:17:21

I made my LinkedIn.

371

: 00:17:22

I had all my photos fig- figured out, and

then, um, I was just like 100% gung-ho.

372

: 00:17:29

I was listening to the

podcast on my way to school.

373

: 00:17:31

I was listening to it on

the way out of school.

374

: 00:17:33

I was listening to it in my,

uh, in my, what is it called?

375

: 00:17:37

Planning period.

376

: 00:17:38

Wow, sad that I've already

forgotten what that was.

377

: 00:17:40

Um, and I even-- I also had, like,

27 Sick days that had just been

378

: 00:17:49

accrued, I was cashing those in.

379

: 00:17:52

I was like, you know, I- if I'm

gonna leave this job, which I

380

: 00:17:55

did, I'm gonna forfeit all of

those sick days, which I did.

381

: 00:17:59

I ended up forfeiting the rest of

them 'cause I left my, left my job.

382

: 00:18:02

So I was using all the sick

days as, like, project time.

383

: 00:18:05

So I had my portfolio

with, like, in Excel.

384

: 00:18:10

I probably did the first five or

six modules in two weeks, in a

385

: 00:18:14

week or two weeks, and I applied…

386

: 00:18:17

See, I also pulled up my job

tracker, 'cause I u- I used that

387

: 00:18:20

job tracker that you posted.

388

: 00:18:22

I applied for my first job October 31st.

389

: 00:18:25

So within a week I was applying for jobs.

390

: 00:18:28

Okay.

391

: 00:18:29

That's crazy.

392

: 00:18:29

How many jobs did you apply for total?

393

: 00:18:32

Okay.

394

: 00:18:32

So the…

395

: 00:18:32

Of, of the ones that I put on the

tracker, which probably wasn't all, 80.

396

: 00:18:36

I applied for 80.

397

: 00:18:37

Yeah, that's a good number.

398

: 00:18:38

Um, yeah.

399

: 00:18:40

I, I, I think I was probably pushing

100, 'cause I did have a low point

400

: 00:18:45

where I was going through all of

the, like, LinkedIn quick applies.

401

: 00:18:48

I mean, obviously I didn't

get any of those jobs.

402

: 00:18:51

Um, but I think an important part,

or important point was the job that

403

: 00:18:56

I ended up landing was the 24th job

that I applied for, and I didn't hear

404

: 00:19:02

anything about that for several weeks.

405

: 00:19:04

Um, I had already applied for many,

many other jobs by the time they

406

: 00:19:07

finally got back around to me, and then

I fi- I accepted it on December 4th.

407

: 00:19:12

So it was about a month of interviews-

Wow … and stuff before the job.

408

: 00:19:18

So many cool things there.

409

: 00:19:19

So, like, in six weeks you were

able to be like, "I wanna be a data

410

: 00:19:22

analyst," to having an o- a job offer.

411

: 00:19:25

Uh, that's amazing.

412

: 00:19:26

Congratulations.

413

: 00:19:27

That is so cool.

414

: 00:19:29

Thanks.

415

: 00:19:29

Um, and, and that 24th, so it

was the 24th job you applied.

416

: 00:19:33

For first, so first off, I wanna say,

like, you, if your first job that you

417

: 00:19:36

applied for was, like, almost on Halloween

it sounded like, that means it was, like,

418

: 00:19:40

a week into the- Mm-hmm … accelerator.

419

: 00:19:41

And I think that's such a good

point, that so many people…

420

: 00:19:44

Like, you had only heard about data

analytics for, like, maybe a m- maybe,

421

: 00:19:49

like, three weeks, a month before

applying to your first data analyst job.

422

: 00:19:53

And I can't even tell you- Mm-hmm … um,

how many people wait years before

423

: 00:19:57

applying to the job, 'cause they never

feel like they're gonna be ready.

424

: 00:20:00

So, like, what was your thought

process of, like, "You know what?

425

: 00:20:03

Screw it, I'm just gonna apply to jobs."

426

: 00:20:04

Like, h- how did you feel ready?

427

: 00:20:07

Oh, I have a healthy amount of delusion.

428

: 00:20:09

I- and I think that is a very important

thing to bring into your life.

429

: 00:20:13

Just a little bit of I

can do anything energy.

430

: 00:20:16

Um, and, and actually I would have

like, I would have a little…

431

: 00:20:20

Before I have, would have an interview

to like talk about this thing that I had

432

: 00:20:24

never done before, um, I would just like

have some mirror moments with myself

433

: 00:20:28

where I would just like make eye contact

and say, you know, "I'm a data analyst.

434

: 00:20:32

I can do this."

435

: 00:20:33

You know, "I have what it

takes to like, get this job."

436

: 00:20:37

So honestly, it was kind of

like a mindfulness practice in a

437

: 00:20:40

way, um, while it was happening.

438

: 00:20:42

And I was doing lots of yoga and drinking

lots of tea and just trying to remain calm

439

: 00:20:46

because, you know, my job was so chaotic.

440

: 00:20:50

Um, it was so chaotic and I really,

um, was coping with that in a

441

: 00:20:56

way by, uh, by spending all of my

energy trying to make this happen.

442

: 00:21:00

Um, but yeah, I, I think a

healthy amount of delusion can

443

: 00:21:03

serve someone pr- pretty well.

444

: 00:21:05

I mean, 'cause on my,

on my resume, I put…

445

: 00:21:08

I would tailor the title.

446

: 00:21:11

I would just put Mason Rice, data

analyst or business analyst or financial

447

: 00:21:15

analyst, whatever the job posting

was, and put it on there and add my…

448

: 00:21:20

You know, and I kept my, uh, teaching

experience on my resume, but I put my

449

: 00:21:24

data analytics stuff at the very top and

all of my portfolio and stuff and skills

450

: 00:21:28

at the top and tried to like push the

s- the teaching stuff down a little bit.

451

: 00:21:31

But, um, but yeah

452

: 00:21:35

That's, I mean, I love that,

having a healthy delusion.

453

: 00:21:38

I think that's, that's a great thing.

454

: 00:21:39

And, and one thing, one thing I try

to talk about in the program is,

455

: 00:21:44

like, one, I don't think anyone's

ever ready to become a data analyst,

456

: 00:21:47

especially 'cause it's always changing.

457

: 00:21:49

A- and two, it's like if you don't think

you're ready to be a, a data analyst or

458

: 00:21:54

apply to data analytics jobs yet, well,

can you at least fake it till you make it?

459

: 00:21:57

'Cause I promise you, like- Period

… like, you're more ready than you realize.

460

: 00:22:02

And a lot of the times when, you know,

you're getting rejected, you know,

461

: 00:22:06

'cause that happens, 'cause, like, what?

462

: 00:22:07

There's, I don't know how many interviews

you got out of, out of those 80 or 100

463

: 00:22:10

that you applied for, but, like, over,

over 75% of them, 80% of them, you

464

: 00:22:16

probably got ghosted or rejected, right?

465

: 00:22:18

And- Oh, yeah … and I think that s-

people think that means, "Oh, I suck.

466

: 00:22:22

I suck as a data analyst."

467

: 00:22:24

And it's like, no, you're normal.

468

: 00:22:26

That's how it is when

you're applying for jobs.

469

: 00:22:27

It's like, it's like, for instance,

a Hall of Fame baseball player, if

470

: 00:22:31

they hit the ball one out of three

times, they're a Hall of Famer, right?

471

: 00:22:34

And it's not like, "Oh, I missed

it two out of three times.

472

: 00:22:37

I suck."

473

: 00:22:37

It's like, no, that's par for the course.

474

: 00:22:39

That's, like, what we're supposed to do.

475

: 00:22:41

And I think some people get

s- so discouraged with that.

476

: 00:22:43

Um, so how were you able to stay

optimistic when you weren't hearing

477

: 00:22:46

back or when you got rejected?

478

: 00:22:49

Well, for me, I think I, I kinda

knew what I was up against in a way.

479

: 00:22:52

Like, when I applied for my job,

there were probably 300 applicants

480

: 00:22:55

on the first day, you know?

481

: 00:22:57

And every time a role gets

posted at Humana, that's

482

: 00:22:59

kind of the story, you know?

483

: 00:23:00

There's always all of these applicants.

484

: 00:23:03

So my strategy was always, you know,

what can I do, what, what can I do

485

: 00:23:07

that's gonna make myself stand out?

486

: 00:23:09

Um, the number one thing was apply

for hybrid jobs in Louisville.

487

: 00:23:12

I mean, I was exclusively applying

for hybrid jobs in Louisville

488

: 00:23:16

because I knew that my…

489

: 00:23:17

If I could just get my foot in the door

and get an interview, I could, I could

490

: 00:23:21

land it because I could talk my way to it.

491

: 00:23:25

Uh I would make, I would somehow

be able to convince those people,

492

: 00:23:28

or at least, like, to have a, to

start making connections in a way.

493

: 00:23:32

Um, so- Applying for hybrid

jobs, uh, also just knowing that

494

: 00:23:39

applying and then moving on.

495

: 00:23:41

Like, if I never hear…

496

: 00:23:42

I don't expect to hear from most- for

most of these jobs that I'm applying

497

: 00:23:45

for, so I'm gonna give them, like,

the time that the job speaks to me.

498

: 00:23:50

You know, if I'm not that

excited about the job, uh, I'll,

499

: 00:23:53

I'll fill out the application.

500

: 00:23:54

But if I'm really excited about it or

it seems like I could really have a

501

: 00:23:57

shot, I'll spend a lot of time on this.

502

: 00:23:59

Um, but I kind of had, like,

drafted my elevator pitch.

503

: 00:24:03

I had drafted my answers to,

like, common questions and just

504

: 00:24:07

learned what applications were

looking for, what they were asking

505

: 00:24:11

for, and it made it a lot easier.

506

: 00:24:13

And yeah, I d- I definitely didn't

take any personal offense by not

507

: 00:24:16

getting a job because at some point,

you know, they never see your face.

508

: 00:24:20

You know, they never get to speak to you

until you're in an interview, and so it's

509

: 00:24:24

like if you say no, you're missing out.

510

: 00:24:29

Dude, that, that is a great attitude.

511

: 00:24:31

Um, how else did you stand out?

512

: 00:24:32

So one of the things that you mentioned

earlier was you were able to secure a

513

: 00:24:37

referral for this application, and that

was Erin- Okay … um, who had joined,

514

: 00:24:42

you know, my accelerator program,

came and did data analysis at Humana.

515

: 00:24:45

You found this opening at Humana, you

apply for it, and she was a referral.

516

: 00:24:48

Did…

517

: 00:24:48

Was that helpful in the interview process?

518

: 00:24:50

Like, was…

519

: 00:24:51

How did that process go down?

520

: 00:24:54

Oh yeah, absolutely, because my boss had

a desk right next to Aaron, you know?

521

: 00:24:59

Um, I mean, I would say that it's probably

the primary reason I got an interview, um,

522

: 00:25:05

because Aaron was willing to vouch for me.

523

: 00:25:08

Um, but once it was the interview, you

know, it was really up to me, um, to talk

524

: 00:25:12

about my projects 'cause they, they were

specifically asking about my projects,

525

: 00:25:16

my, the experience that I had at Sequel.

526

: 00:25:19

Um, I had a, I had a few technical

questions in there, you know, about join

527

: 00:25:23

types and, uh, what the most complicated

thing in Excel I had ever done was.

528

: 00:25:29

Um, oh, and this is totally off topic,

but my Excel project was on iFood.

529

: 00:25:34

Is it still the iFood-

Yep … Excel project?

530

: 00:25:36

Yeah.

531

: 00:25:36

I got that in a tr- I got that

as a trivia question last week.

532

: 00:25:39

Like, what is a Brazilian, like,

food delivery, uh, company?

533

: 00:25:42

And I was all on that.

534

: 00:25:44

Um- That's awesome.

535

: 00:25:45

So I thought about you

just, like, two weeks ago.

536

: 00:25:47

Oh, good.

537

: 00:25:49

Um, but yeah, I, at that point,

like, to stand out, I was just

538

: 00:25:53

gonna lead into my humanity.

539

: 00:25:56

I was like, I was just gonna try to show

them who I was more than what I could do.

540

: 00:26:01

Um, like I, every opportunity I had to

talk about my friends and my family and my

541

: 00:26:07

loved ones and things that I loved, I did.

542

: 00:26:10

I really tried to lean in to

just being a hard worker, um,

543

: 00:26:15

loving collaborating with people.

544

: 00:26:18

Um, I talked about my master's

mentor from my conducting degree.

545

: 00:26:21

I talked about my favorite principal

'cause u- 'cause all of those questions

546

: 00:26:26

like, uh, for the two interviews

that I did, the two different

547

: 00:26:30

companies, they both asked me, like,

"Who's your favorite boss been?"

548

: 00:26:33

And that was my opportunity

to talk about my experience.

549

: 00:26:36

Like, I'm gonna talk about my mentor.

550

: 00:26:38

I'm gonna talk about my principal.

551

: 00:26:39

Um, or what, like, all of the questions

that they're gonna ask you from like a

552

: 00:26:44

per- personal standpoint, you can use

your experience, uh, to talk about.

553

: 00:26:48

And a lot of those things are gonna

554

: 00:26:52

tell the story of who you are more

than, like, what you're able to

555

: 00:26:56

do in Excel, 'cause they can teach

you what they want you to know.

556

: 00:26:59

Because it, I, well, I would say

starting at any new company is always

557

: 00:27:02

gonna be a learning curve anyway.

558

: 00:27:04

I mean, I had a million different

acronyms to learn at Humana just because

559

: 00:27:08

I'm not part of that culture, and I had

to learn-- I mean, I've learned things

560

: 00:27:12

about finance, I've learned things

about healthcare, but I didn't know

561

: 00:27:15

any of that going in, and that's okay.

562

: 00:27:17

Like, I think at the end of the day,

what m- what at least the people on

563

: 00:27:22

my team were looking for was somebody

who was willing to learn, someone

564

: 00:27:25

who would be a good person they

could get along with, um, and that

565

: 00:27:29

brought, uh, at least a, a willingness

to give it a shot, um- To a table.

566

: 00:27:37

Uh, I, Mason, I just think you, you

brought up so many good points there.

567

: 00:27:41

Um, and, and one thing I

think you're really good at…

568

: 00:27:44

So, like, guys, undoubtedly Mason's

a, a smart person, a capable person.

569

: 00:27:50

Um, like, good, good technically.

570

: 00:27:53

Um, can understand data and make

it easy, communicate it well.

571

: 00:27:57

But, uh, if you, if you listen closely

to this story, like, you're really gonna

572

: 00:28:02

find that he landed this job because of

his social skills and, and his networking.

573

: 00:28:07

It's like Mason was brave enough to,

you know, he was new to a city, and

574

: 00:28:12

to go to these awkward events where

you don't know anyone, and you're

575

: 00:28:16

like, "Hi, I'm new to this city.

576

: 00:28:18

Uh, like, nice to meet you."

577

: 00:28:19

Like, you, you were social enough

and, and brave enough to go to those

578

: 00:28:23

things and meet people like Aaron.

579

: 00:28:25

And then you were brave enough

to know, "Hey, Aaron, do you

580

: 00:28:27

mind if we go get coffee so I can

learn more about your career?"

581

: 00:28:30

Uh, and then, you know, you're able to

say, "Hey, Aaron, can I use those a- as

582

: 00:28:34

a referral for this job application?"

583

: 00:28:36

And I think so many people are, are scared

of that, are just not willing to do it.

584

: 00:28:40

Or, or maybe it's just they don't see

the value in it because it's, it's

585

: 00:28:44

kinda like planting a seed, right?

586

: 00:28:47

It's like you don't

see the benefit- Mm-hmm

587

: 00:28:49

the immediate benefit of

doing these social things.

588

: 00:28:52

'Cause a lotta times social things or

networking doesn't actually lead to

589

: 00:28:56

anything valuable ever, or it's, you

know, many weeks or months or years before

590

: 00:29:01

it actually is something in- valuable.

591

: 00:29:02

And I think people get so addicted

to the dopamine of, I just learned,

592

: 00:29:07

you know, something new in SQL.

593

: 00:29:09

I hit execute on the SQL query, and I

got the results- Yes … immediately.

594

: 00:29:14

And they're like, ooh, dopamine hit.

595

: 00:29:15

Mm.

596

: 00:29:16

I'm, I'm making progress.

597

: 00:29:17

And, and I think some- p- people

get so addicted to learning

598

: 00:29:20

skills is how I land a data job.

599

: 00:29:23

And it's really, they're getting

distracted is learning skills

600

: 00:29:26

is how I get a, a dopamine hit.

601

: 00:29:28

It's like there's no correlation-

Mm … between how skilled you are at

602

: 00:29:32

SQL and how quickly, uh, you land a job.

603

: 00:29:33

'Cause, like, I mean, you, you, like you

said, you dove in headfirst, you did the

604

: 00:29:37

modules, you, you did the SQL modules.

605

: 00:29:39

But it's like you couldn't have been

that good at SQL after six weeks of

606

: 00:29:43

learning what SQL even meant, right?

607

: 00:29:45

Compared to someone who's

been doing it for a year.

608

: 00:29:47

But you were able to land a job in those

six weeks because you followed the full

609

: 00:29:50

SPN method of learning some skills.

610

: 00:29:52

Like, there was a bare minimum

amount of skills you had to have.

611

: 00:29:54

You had a project with SQL in your

portfolio, and then your networking.

612

: 00:29:59

Like, really it was all

three of them landed a job.

613

: 00:30:01

And I think some people get so addicted

to the, the skills part of it that

614

: 00:30:05

they kinda forget the other two.

615

: 00:30:06

Like, do you agree with me

that, like- Oh, yeah Absolutely.

616

: 00:30:11

I mean, I think you're touching on

something that's affecting our entire

617

: 00:30:13

culture, uh, generally, is that,

you know, we have a dopamine hit

618

: 00:30:17

in our pocket, like, all the time.

619

: 00:30:19

And so it's kind of like we're

chasing that all the time.

620

: 00:30:21

But the humanity and the person to

person has really been my whole career.

621

: 00:30:26

I mean, the through line of my tr-

trajectory in all of my jobs has just

622

: 00:30:31

been connecting with people, getting

to know people, working with people.

623

: 00:30:35

How do I get this group of people

to do what I'm asking them to do?

624

: 00:30:39

And now, how can I use this group

of people that I know to help me

625

: 00:30:45

get to the place I wanna go next?

626

: 00:30:47

Um, I completely agree.

627

: 00:30:48

And yeah After like the first two

weeks on my job, I was like, "Yeah,

628

: 00:30:54

no, I actually don't know anything."

629

: 00:30:55

I was like, "I don't know what I'm…

630

: 00:30:56

There's so many things that I don't know."

631

: 00:30:59

You know, I was handed my-- I inherited

some codes and my first job was just

632

: 00:31:03

like, "Okay, go learn the code."

633

: 00:31:06

I didn't know how to

comment things in SQL.

634

: 00:31:09

I didn't know that you could like hit the

little green button up at the top of SQL

635

: 00:31:12

Server and like take a line of code out.

636

: 00:31:15

I didn't know that you could run

like little chunks of code at once.

637

: 00:31:18

I didn't know like really

how to join anything.

638

: 00:31:22

I knew what the joins were 'cause I

knew what those little Venn diagrams

639

: 00:31:25

were enough to say like, "Yeah, a

left join keeps the first table."

640

: 00:31:30

But, uh, I didn't know the practical

application of that or what questions

641

: 00:31:33

were really trying to solve.

642

: 00:31:35

I just knew the skill.

643

: 00:31:37

Um, and so yeah, I think all the other

stuff comes and, um, you know, and I

644

: 00:31:43

was okay with it coming on the job.

645

: 00:31:47

And, you know, I, I, I was very

straightforward, uh, after I, after

646

: 00:31:51

I got the job to say, "Look, I'm

gonna make mistakes, you know.

647

: 00:31:55

I anticipate that.

648

: 00:31:56

Just be patient with me.

649

: 00:31:58

I'll figure it out.

650

: 00:31:58

You know, I, I am best

friends with Google.

651

: 00:32:01

I, I am best friends with, uh, my coworker

up, up the cubicle, and, uh, I'll ask

652

: 00:32:09

her, you know, if I, if I need some help."

653

: 00:32:11

And, and I, I was able to

figure it out as time went on.

654

: 00:32:15

Um, and I'm still…

655

: 00:32:16

I mean, to this day, I'm still

figuring stuff out, you know.

656

: 00:32:19

Like I have…

657

: 00:32:21

Th- there are codes that I have lived

with for a year and a half now, and I

658

: 00:32:24

look at it and I think, "Is this really,

is this really what I've been using?

659

: 00:32:28

You know?

660

: 00:32:29

Uh, or maybe I should do something

about this part at some point."

661

: 00:32:32

Um, but you know, also when I took this

job, they had documentation that told

662

: 00:32:38

me step by step what I needed to do.

663

: 00:32:40

You know?

664

: 00:32:40

They had it l- they had the

job written on paper for me.

665

: 00:32:44

So every time, every time it came

around to I, where, when I needed to

666

: 00:32:49

make my reports or whatever, I would

go down the checklist, do number

667

: 00:32:52

one, do number two, do number three.

668

: 00:32:54

And by the th- fourth or fifth time

of doing that, I was like, "Okay, I

669

: 00:32:57

kinda know what the checklist is."

670

: 00:32:58

And I'm now like looking at how to

validate this data and how to make,

671

: 00:33:02

make sure that it's exactly what we

want it to be, and maybe ask some more

672

: 00:33:06

intelligent questions than just doing the

job, uh, which is what I think they…

673

: 00:33:11

Is, is where, you know, I, I've

been headed in my journey now.

674

: 00:33:14

Um, but yeah.

675

: 00:33:16

And I, I think it's just being open

to having, having those relationships,

676

: 00:33:22

being okay with failing a little bit,

being okay-- And not even failing,

677

: 00:33:25

just making mistakes, um, and being

okay with Not knowing and just take,

678

: 00:33:33

I honestly, I, I'm all for taking

the leap and just going for it.

679

: 00:33:36

It, it can be messy.

680

: 00:33:37

I've certainly had some messy moments,

but, um, yeah, I still have a job

681

: 00:33:42

doing the thing that I wanted to do.

682

: 00:33:43

And you're getting paid to learn.

683

: 00:33:44

Like, that's, that's the whole goal

is, like, we try to get you, uh…

684

: 00:33:48

We teach you the, all you need to know

to land your first job, and then you can

685

: 00:33:51

go get paid to learn the rest on the job.

686

: 00:33:53

Because that's the best way to learn

anyways, because that way you're

687

: 00:33:56

maximizing your time, you're maximizing

your wallet, and honestly, like,

688

: 00:34:00

it's just the best place to learn

because you'll actually use everything

689

: 00:34:03

you're learning at work versus

you probably won't use everything

690

: 00:34:06

you learn in a school environment.

691

: 00:34:07

So, um, I love that.

692

: 00:34:09

One of the things you mentioned is, like,

you were, you were working, um, while

693

: 00:34:14

you were trying to, you know, pivot to

data analytics, and you, and you talked a

694

: 00:34:16

little bit about listening to the podcast.

695

: 00:34:19

I don't know if that's, like,

the publi- public data career

696

: 00:34:20

podcast or the member-only podcast

that you're listening to- Mm

697

: 00:34:24

on your commute to work.

698

: 00:34:25

Right.

699

: 00:34:25

You talked about utilizing, you

know, your holidays, your sick

700

: 00:34:27

days, those types of things.

701

: 00:34:29

Um, what else were you, like, kind of

studying, getting these job applications?

702

: 00:34:32

And was it early mornings for you?

703

: 00:34:33

Was it late nights?

704

: 00:34:34

Was it kind of all over the place?

705

: 00:34:37

Uh, it was mostly in the evenings,

um, because I mean, my school would

706

: 00:34:40

start at 7:20 AM, so I, I would

wake up at 6:30, which is late

707

: 00:34:45

to be waking up to go to work.

708

: 00:34:47

Um, and I was listening to

the members only podcast and

709

: 00:34:50

the public podcast as well.

710

: 00:34:53

But I was thinking about it all day at

school and trying to like, you know,

711

: 00:34:56

plan what's my, what's my goal for today?

712

: 00:34:59

If I can get through this SQL module

in the next two days, um, 'cause I

713

: 00:35:03

guess my goal was to at least have

five projects, two S- I wanted the

714

: 00:35:07

two SQL projects, I wanted the Tableau

and the Excel project for sure.

715

: 00:35:11

Um, and then go from there.

716

: 00:35:12

But yeah, I was using the evenings mostly.

717

: 00:35:15

Um, and the weekends.

718

: 00:35:16

I mean, I blocked off my

Saturdays and Sundays as well.

719

: 00:35:19

Uh, was calling in, um, to like miss

choir rehearsal a couple times 'cause I,

720

: 00:35:25

at that point I was just still a singer

and, um, I was using every free minute

721

: 00:35:30

I could to just, to make it happen.

722

: 00:35:32

But yeah, I mean, I really can't

stress enough, like if you don't

723

: 00:35:35

use your sick days, you lose them.

724

: 00:35:37

So just use them.

725

: 00:35:38

Uh, that was probably the biggest

thing for me, was just taking

726

: 00:35:42

the time off, um, to, to devote.

727

: 00:35:47

We, we should also mention that, um,

you know, you're talking about the

728

: 00:35:50

time to do all of this, that, um,

if I'm correct, you still haven't

729

: 00:35:53

finished the program completely.

730

: 00:35:55

Which, which I freaking love because

my, my, my point here is like,

731

: 00:36:00

my job is to land you a data job.

732

: 00:36:02

I don't care about you, you

know, finishing the program.

733

: 00:36:05

The…

734

: 00:36:05

If you finish the program

when you land a data job.

735

: 00:36:07

Um, so like you're, you, you have a

certificate, like we, we celebrate

736

: 00:36:11

you like, because you got a data job.

737

: 00:36:13

You did, you did the hard part.

738

: 00:36:15

Um, and I, I just wanna make that clear

because I think it's important that, you

739

: 00:36:19

know, people realize, you know, we're,

we're all learning data for job purposes.

740

: 00:36:24

We're not learning it for funsies.

741

: 00:36:25

We're learning it to, to have a job.

742

: 00:36:27

And you've, like you said, you've

done, you know, all of the, all

743

: 00:36:30

of the SQL, and I think you've

done all of the Tableau as well.

744

: 00:36:32

So like- Mm-hmm … you did everything

you were supposed to land that job.

745

: 00:36:35

You learned everything on the job

and, uh, I think that's fantastic.

746

: 00:36:39

I wanna talk about moving forward from

you, because by the time this episode

747

: 00:36:43

comes out- Sure … it'll probably be

public knowledge that you're, you're

748

: 00:36:46

taking a, a different job, kind of like

more of a, a dream passion job for you.

749

: 00:36:51

Um, you wanna tell us a

little bit about that?

750

: 00:36:54

Yeah, absolutely.

751

: 00:36:56

So here we are yet again

with another career pivot.

752

: 00:36:59

Um, but I am actually stepping into

the role of artistic director for

753

: 00:37:04

our local LGBTQ+ chorus, Voices of

Kentuckiana, here in Louisville.

754

: 00:37:09

Um, it's been in the works

for a while, uh, but I will be

755

: 00:37:12

going back into music full-time.

756

: 00:37:14

Um, so I, I, I'm also gonna be, um,

teaching choir temporarily at Bellarmine

757

: 00:37:19

University and working as a pianist

at the University of Louisville.

758

: 00:37:23

So, um, while I've been, you know,

working at Humana, I've also been

759

: 00:37:27

continuing to invest in music and invest

in my network here in Louisville, and

760

: 00:37:32

those have kinda come around and, uh,

now I'm stepping into this dream job.

761

: 00:37:37

I mean, I'm gonna get to conduct a chorus

of, like, 110 adults, um, who perform all

762

: 00:37:43

year long, um, music of all types, and

an advanced chorus of, like, 28 singers.

763

: 00:37:49

Um, it's, it's kinda, it's, it's the kinda

job that people retire into, you know?

764

: 00:37:55

It's like this is the job that

is just comfortable and fun and

765

: 00:37:59

mission-driven and, um, it's in the

nonprofit sector as well, so I've got

766

: 00:38:03

a lot of 501[c][3]3 and grant funding

paperwork that I'm gonna have to learn.

767

: 00:38:08

Um, but, um, it really is a great, uh

convergence of all the skills that I've

768

: 00:38:14

gained over my time, um, both at Humana

and teaching, teaching chorus as well.

769

: 00:38:20

Um, yeah, I, I'm like so thrilled

that this is happening in my

770

: 00:38:24

life, and it's really kind of

cosmically an unbelievable thing.

771

: 00:38:29

So yeah, I'm excited.

772

: 00:38:30

That's amazing.

773

: 00:38:31

Um, I think, I think it's important to,

to always reflect that, like, for…

774

: 00:38:38

I, I love data.

775

: 00:38:39

I think data's very interesting, but if

you told me that I could, like, have a

776

: 00:38:43

comfortable life doing sports stuff or

Pokemon stuff, I'd probably choose those

777

: 00:38:48

things uh, o- o- over data as well.

778

: 00:38:50

It's not like data's my

p- like, I love data.

779

: 00:38:53

Data's really fun, but it's not

like if all things were equal in,

780

: 00:38:56

in my life, like, if I could like…

781

: 00:38:58

For instance, uh, I have a, a, a

friend right now that just moved

782

: 00:39:02

over to Europe to play soccer.

783

: 00:39:05

Um, they're not making very much

money- Oh, wow … and, like, I

784

: 00:39:07

couldn't support my family doing that.

785

: 00:39:09

But, like, I'm super jealous.

786

: 00:39:10

Like, I wish I could just go, you

know, play professional soccer, you

787

: 00:39:13

know, somewhere, somewhere else.

788

: 00:39:14

So I think, I think it's awesome, like,

you're, you're following, uh, like,

789

: 00:39:18

what your, what your true passions work.

790

: 00:39:20

Like, I just think that's, that's great.

791

: 00:39:23

Um, and, and one thing I wanted, I

wanna talk about was, like, you worked

792

: 00:39:27

for, uh, a really big company, a really

big company in the US, like a behemoth

793

: 00:39:32

of a company, and I did as well.

794

: 00:39:34

I worked for, for ExxonMobil, which

is, like, one of the top 10 biggest

795

: 00:39:38

companies in the United States.

796

: 00:39:40

Um, and there's something to be

said about, like, corporate work,

797

: 00:39:47

no matter what you do, sometimes

can be a little soul-sucking.

798

: 00:39:51

When I was at Exxon, there was times

where I felt like I was, like, this

799

: 00:39:56

tiny, tiny gear that, like, just keeps

spinning no matter what in, like, this

800

: 00:40:00

huge, like, wall of different gears.

801

: 00:40:04

And often it felt like even if

I stopped spinning the gear,

802

: 00:40:07

everything kept moving on and that

my work felt a little meaningless.

803

: 00:40:11

Um, do you wanna just talk about,

like, what it was like to work

804

: 00:40:13

for a big company and maybe how it

differed from working from, like,

805

: 00:40:17

for instance, a choir or a school?

806

: 00:40:20

Yeah.

807

: 00:40:20

I mean, I think you hit the

nail on the head already.

808

: 00:40:23

Um, you know, a job is a job, is

a job, is a job, and it's always

809

: 00:40:26

gonna come with pros and cons.

810

: 00:40:28

And I found that moving from

teaching to this large corporation

811

: 00:40:34

was quite a culture shock.

812

: 00:40:36

Um, I really struggled.

813

: 00:40:38

I, I have struggled with that the

whole time I've been at Humana.

814

: 00:40:41

Um, and Humana overall, and my, my team

in general, they have a great culture.

815

: 00:40:46

Everybody gets along really well.

816

: 00:40:47

It's a very, very positive environment.

817

: 00:40:49

However, there is just a, an element

of superficiality that comes with

818

: 00:40:55

working in a large corporation.

819

: 00:40:58

Um, lots of like, "We're

doing what's best.

820

: 00:41:01

We're doing what's best for our members.

821

: 00:41:03

We're doing what's best for our

people, for the world, for…"

822

: 00:41:07

And sometimes it's really

hard to buy into that.

823

: 00:41:09

Um, sometimes I've really struggled

feeling like my work actually mattered,

824

: 00:41:14

um, that my voice was being heard, um,

that I, even if it would matter if I left.

825

: 00:41:22

Um, at, at the end of the

day, I don't think it i- I

826

: 00:41:25

think, I don't think it does.

827

: 00:41:26

Um, I think that's just been

something that I've struggled with.

828

: 00:41:29

Like I, like you said, I, I'm

kind of just a cog in the wheel.

829

: 00:41:32

I'm definitely a low man on

the totem pole in that company.

830

: 00:41:36

Um, you know, I Find it difficult

sometimes to connect with people who

831

: 00:41:42

are higher up on the ladder than me,

'cause they're playing an entirely

832

: 00:41:45

different game than I wanna play.

833

: 00:41:48

Um, yeah, just to, just to actually

watch people play the corporate social

834

: 00:41:52

ladder game is really exhausting.

835

: 00:41:55

Uh, it's really kind of scary.

836

: 00:41:58

Um, you know, I could…

837

: 00:42:00

And, and, and this is not speaking

to everybody at the company for

838

: 00:42:03

sure, um, 'cause there are gems

that work in that, uh, building.

839

: 00:42:08

But, uh, but yeah, sometimes

it's really challenging.

840

: 00:42:11

It's really challenging to watch

people put themselves through, like,

841

: 00:42:14

a whole rigamarole and pretend that

things are really exciting and that

842

: 00:42:19

transformation, the transformation

that our company's going through

843

: 00:42:23

is so cool when, like, thousands of

people are being laid off, you know?

844

: 00:42:26

So it's just kind of a really

strange culture at times.

845

: 00:42:31

Um, so I mean, that's why I find it

really important to, like, connect with

846

: 00:42:34

people who are on your level and just

kinda commiserate with what's going

847

: 00:42:37

on and try to find the people who you

can really, like, be yourself with.

848

: 00:42:40

Um, 'cause it's not always everybody.

849

: 00:42:42

I mean, that's why it's so cool that

you're, you're taking on the, you

850

: 00:42:46

know, this dr- new kinda dream job

'cause it's like you're definitely

851

: 00:42:49

gonna feel the impact you're making.

852

: 00:42:50

And before I worked for, for ExxonMobil,

I worked for a really small, uh,

853

: 00:42:55

biotech company where I was, like, the

10th person hired, and it was, like,

854

: 00:42:58

the exact opposite there, almost to a

fault, where it was like everything I do

855

: 00:43:02

really matters, and if I, like, and if

I mess up, like, the company feels it.

856

: 00:43:07

Uh, so there's…

857

: 00:43:08

And, and that, that sucked in some

ways because it was, like, very,

858

: 00:43:12

it was almost more high pressure.

859

: 00:43:14

Um, but I definitely felt

my work was more meaningful.

860

: 00:43:16

So I guess this is just to say

there's, there's pros and cons of

861

: 00:43:19

big companies and small companies

and, you know, try to figure, figure

862

: 00:43:23

out what's, what's right for you.

863

: 00:43:24

Um, Mason and I both decided we like kind

of a smaller company, uh, standpoint.

864

: 00:43:29

Um, but just something to be

thinking about on your job hunt.

865

: 00:43:32

Okay, Mason, what would you say to maybe

someone that's a teacher right now, um,

866

: 00:43:37

who's listening, or maybe someone who's

just an aspiring data analyst and they're

867

: 00:43:40

like, they've been, like, struggling.

868

: 00:43:42

Like, maybe they've been stuck in tutorial

hell or maybe they've been, you know,

869

: 00:43:45

grinding- Mm … all these tutorials

but not really making any true progress.

870

: 00:43:49

What would you, what

advice would you give them?

871

: 00:43:53

I would say just make

sure that you prioritize.

872

: 00:43:56

You know, if, if finishing those

tutorials is something that

873

: 00:43:59

you wanna do, make it happen.

874

: 00:44:01

Um, I kind of fi- found that I was letting

my exhaustion from teaching get in the

875

: 00:44:06

way, and it's easy to be exhausted.

876

: 00:44:09

But, um, I think if you need to take some

time for yourself to like-- or just take

877

: 00:44:14

a time for a break, you should do that.

878

: 00:44:16

Um, you should take some time off.

879

: 00:44:18

You should invest in yourself, uh,

because at the end of the day, like,

880

: 00:44:22

you're gonna be the one looking out

for you, and really you're the only

881

: 00:44:25

one that knows what's best for you.

882

: 00:44:27

And, um, you know, when I, when I

think about, you know, transitioning

883

: 00:44:31

my career, like I thought that moving

to Humana was gonna be what's best for

884

: 00:44:36

me, and it was, and then it wasn't, and

now I'm moving on to something else.

885

: 00:44:40

And so I feel like life is just a big

series of decisions, so make some.

886

: 00:44:47

That's it.

887

: 00:44:47

Uh, if you were to talk to someone

who's maybe like been listening to this

888

: 00:44:51

podcast quite a bit, been listening, been

looking at joining the Data Analytics

889

: 00:44:55

Accelerator, but hasn't pulled the trigger

yet, what advice would you give them?

890

: 00:44:58

Like, would you feel like it was

worth it for you in your journey?

891

: 00:45:03

Um, I would say

892

: 00:45:09

If you want it, keep going for it.

893

: 00:45:11

And don't be afraid to change it up.

894

: 00:45:13

Don't be afraid to change tactics.

895

: 00:45:16

You know, uh, the amount of times that

I tweaked my resume, the amount of times

896

: 00:45:20

that I ran it through that Skill Syncer,

um, to see if it would pass the AI test,

897

: 00:45:26

um, the amount of times that I tried to

change wordings to make myself seem more

898

: 00:45:29

fun or more financial or more logistical

or whatever, um, I just kept throwing

899

: 00:45:35

stuff at the wall until it worked.

900

: 00:45:36

Uh, and I would just say keep

changing, and, a- and if s- if it's

901

: 00:45:40

not working right now, change it.

902

: 00:45:42

Change, change what you're doing

and, and try something else.

903

: 00:45:45

Um, I- it's definitely possible,

um, to break in to the field.

904

: 00:45:50

Um, it's, it's hard just because, and

it's mostly gonna be about who you know,

905

: 00:45:55

so, like, apply for hybrid jobs and

stuff and, and go network with people.

906

: 00:45:58

But, um, keep doing it.

907

: 00:46:00

Just keep doing it.

908

: 00:46:00

And honestly just…

909

: 00:46:01

But also invest in the

things that give you joy.

910

: 00:46:04

Um, go out and join a dodgeball team or

a kickball team or go sing in a choir.

911

: 00:46:10

Come sing in my choir.

912

: 00:46:11

Um, like, just go out and do

something fun because you may

913

: 00:46:15

meet the person that's gonna, you

know, help you find something new.

914

: 00:46:19

It might not even be data.

915

: 00:46:20

It may be something you don't

even know about yet, you know?

916

: 00:46:23

Um, so just go out and meet

people and I, 'cause I think

917

: 00:46:25

people are the best part of life.

918

: 00:46:26

So invest in your people

and go find new ones.

919

: 00:46:29

Amazing advice, Mason.

920

: 00:46:30

Your, uh, your zeal for life is

infectious, and I hope everyone listening

921

: 00:46:35

today, uh, takes even just a sliver

of, of your energy and your mentality.

922

: 00:46:39

Guys, if you wanna change your data

career, it's 100% possible Thank

923

: 00:46:42

you We have a bunch of links in the

description down below that can help you

924

: 00:46:45

get started, including we'll have a, a

link to, uh, Mason's LinkedIn profile.

925

: 00:46:49

You guys can kinda check out his story

and connect with him on LinkedIn.

926

: 00:46:53

Mason, thank you so much

for joining The Data Career

927

: 00:46:55

Podcast and sharing your story.

928

: 00:46:56

I think it's gonna

inspire a lot of people.

929

: 00:46:59

Thank you.

930

: 00:47:00

Thank you for having me.

931

: 00:47:00

I mean, again, this is

truly crazy incredible.

932

: 00:47:03

Um, yeah, reach out to me on LinkedIn

if you want, uh, any advice or whatever.

933

: 00:47:08

I'll do my best.

934

: 00:47:09

I honestly, I haven't

been on there in months.

935

: 00:47:11

But you should also follow,

um, our chorus at voicesky.org,

936

: 00:47:16

um, on Instagram and Facebook

as well, Voices of Kentuckiana.

937

: 00:47:20

Um, that's where I'm gonna be moving, so,

uh, you can keep up with, with me there.