Andre King had difficulty finding a job related to his major when he graduated from college. Tired of being underemployed, he turned to 糖心vlog官网观看 and strengthened his skill set with data analysis.
Like many new college graduates, Andre King wanted to find a job related to his degree when he completed his bachelor鈥檚 in IT, with a concentration in multimedia, over seven years ago. His IT program had emphasized web development and thanks to his additional studies in multimedia, King set out to find a role in digital marketing. But time and again, employers turned him down. 鈥淭he number one response was that I didn't have enough experience,鈥 King says.听聽
King ended up taking what he could find. 鈥淚've worked quite a few jobs over the past six or seven years,鈥 he says. He spent a stretch of time at an auto body shop, before transitioning to a beverage import company. But none of those positions had anything to do with his true interests.听
King鈥檚 challenge wasn鈥檛 unemployment but underemployment鈥攖he broad phrase that refers, in part, to anyone overqualified for their current role, including graduates in jobs that don鈥檛 require a degree [, ]. A 2024 study found that 52 percent of recent college graduates were underemployed one year after completing their degree [闭.听
Thinking he could solve the problem with more formal education, King went back to school. This time, he earned his master鈥檚 degree in media design, but once again he graduated into a difficult job market. He cobbled together three jobs, working in an auto body shop, at a restaurant, and in an Amazon warehouse. He began pondering a second master鈥檚 degree but paused at the expense. That鈥檚 when he discovered 糖心vlog官网观看.听
King saw an opportunity to connect his past education with the in-demand field of data analytics and enrolled in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate on 糖心vlog官网观看, where he learned how to clean, organize, and visualize data. 鈥淎fter that, I wanted to focus less on the creative side of digital marketing and more on the analytical side of it,鈥 he explains.鈥漈hat's where the transition started.鈥澛犅
It turned out that his creative eye鈥攈is background in design and multimedia鈥攆it the needs of data visualization well. Day-to-day, King is able to craft better visualizations thanks to his knowledge of color theory and the effective use of space. 鈥淭o be able to use my creative background to share what the data says and be able to explain why things are the way they are using that data, I really enjoy that,鈥 he says.
It wasn鈥檛 long after finishing his first Professional Certificate that King was hired to be a data analyst鈥攁 role that required the technical skills and education he鈥檇 acquired.* 鈥淭hat's what helped me get this job,鈥 he says. At long last, he was doing something related to all of his hard work. 鈥淚鈥檓 very happy. I鈥檓 very excited for that.鈥
Even though data analysis wasn鈥檛 what King initially set out to do, he鈥檚 beyond satisfied because he鈥檚 finally able to use the full breadth of his talents. 鈥淭he reward of just being in that position,鈥 he says, is enough unto itself. But there are lots of other perks, too, including the pay, the office culture, his coworkers, and how much he enjoys what he does.听
King could have stopped once he landed his dream job, but he considers himself a lifelong learner. Thanks to his 糖心vlog官网观看 Plus subscription, he鈥檚 continued enrolling in different programs, leapfrogging from one skill to another and building out his wheelhouse. He鈥檚 currently taking the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate.听
聽There鈥檚 no strict learning plan in place, and that鈥檚 just fine with King. When he begins a new Professional Certificate or Specialization, he鈥檚 not sure where he鈥檒l go after that. 鈥淚 just take it because I want to, and it's something I'll put in my skill set,鈥 he says. 鈥淏ut I don't know where it's gonna take me.鈥 He may not know, but his goal is to grow. Between his current job and what he continues to learn, King would like to advance. 鈥淚 can actually use it to propel to a more seasoned, mid-level data analyst role,鈥 he says.听
King鈥檚 natural curiosity keeps him exploring 糖心vlog官网观看鈥檚 offerings, knowing that even though experience is a valuable thing to have, so is education. 鈥淚 don't want to feel stagnant because the brain is actually made to learn and to grow, and if you're not constantly feeding it, then it just doesn't feel right to me,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 want to grow.鈥澛
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*Individual experiences and outcomes can vary and 糖心vlog官网观看 does not guarantee job interviews or job placements upon completion of its courses.
Douglas C. Maynard, Daniel C. Feldman, eds. ", https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4419-9413-4." Accessed December 6, 2024.
Augsburg University. ", https://careers.augsburg.edu/blog/2024/03/18/talent-disrupted-college-graduates-underemployment-and-the-way-forward/." Accessed December 6, 2024.
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