Going into a career that doesn't feel adjacent to my English major isn't a failure of the major— it is a major benefit.
When did you graduate from BYU?
Data quality analyst at a tech start-up in the energy efficiency industry. I help company employees systematically and in individual cases to clean our data and trust the insights we draw from it.
What is your job/position? And how would you describe what you do in that job/position?
Data quality analyst at a tech start-up in the energy efficiency industry. I help company employees systematically and in individual cases to clean our data and trust the insights we draw from it.
Describe the path that you took from your BYU English degree to your current career, highlighting the important realizations and turning points that paved the path for you.
I worked as an editor for a year after graduating from BYU and then on and off while being a stay-at-home mom for six years. I love reading and writing, but I didn't feel like editing was what I wanted to be doing full time. Being a stay-at-home parent was hard for me emotionally, and when my brother suggested I take the Google Data Analytics certificate on Coursera and then helped me to get an internship at a company he'd worked for, I found I really enjoyed it.
What are the specific skills that you cultivated as an English major that you now use in your professional life? And how do you use those skills in ways that set you apart from your colleagues?
So many of my critical thinking, editing, diplomacy skills are important for the work I do as a data quality analyst. Details are really important in coding, and so is being able to explain something technical to someone who is unfamiliar with it.
What are some of the surprising ways in which your English degree has helped you in your life?
I loved getting my English degree, being exposed to different ideas, great books, deep ways of thinking.
What do you wish you had known as an English major? Is there any advice you'd like to share with current students?
I wish I had known that going into a career that doesn't feel adjacent to my English major isn't a failure of the major---it is a major benefit. The skills I learned are useful in many contexts. I also wish I'd known more about programming! I thought I wasn't a math or science person, but it turns out the skills I valued as an English major can make someone a really great analyst.
Contact:
rachel.olson.armstrong@gmail.com