Big data? You want to be at the center of it. Jaden Prottsman made the move into analytics and got a shot at owning an emerging area.
Pivot from spreadsheets to storyteller
Learning Tableau propelled Jaden Prottsman into an emerging area: Data. Working with the data visualization software gave the analyst the tools to communicate, persuade, and lead. It also made him take another look at graduate studies—Iowa’s part-time master’s in Business Analytics could put him in the fast lane to even stronger data skills.
Just a few classes into the degree, Prottsman is confident that he’s more marketable than ever—he could snag another job tomorrow. But he doesn’t have to search. The skills he’s acquiring are opening doors in his own company.
“There’s an opportunity in our organization, a need for analytics and analysis,” Prottsman said. “I can help myself out so I can help improve things around here.”
Here are a few reasons Prottsman felt like he’d found his dream degree with the master’s in Business Analytics:
Working at an amazing company? Stay there.
You don’t have to pursue a new job to find the latest skills and training. With an analytics degree, you’ll capture all the tools you need to handle the “big data” trend. Prottsman plans to take issues at work into the classroom as case studies to explore solutions with expert professors.
“It was a chance for me to fulfill that part of my brain that always had this desire to do more, while having something that directly applied to my day-to-day work. We just learned about network optimization in class, and one of the main things I’m doing at work is a network optimization project.”
Communicate better with leaders…or technical staff.
Analytics isn’t about working with numbers; it’s about decision making and improving your business. Becoming a leader in his organization’s analytics area improved his ability to solve problems, whether he’s working with advanced data analysts or execs.
“I’m more in tune with conversations that take place,” he said. “We have math and statistics majors, and they speak in a language that used to make my eyes cross. Now I can come back and engage with them and I understand it.”
Put time back in your hands.
The new tools Prottsman is using empower him to do his job faster and better. He calls Tableau “Excel on steroids.” He’s going from manual calculations to high-speed, high-powered tools that work for him.
“In undergrad you learn all this stuff and wonder, how will I apply it? That’s what I love about this and what’s totally different from undergrad. There are things I can take back to my desk and say: ‘This makes sense. This is a real world application.'”