112: This Math Teacher Became a Data Analyst in 50 Days w/ Alex Sanchez

[00:00:00] Welcome back to another episode of the Data Career Podcast.

[00:00:03] We are in for a special treat today because we have Alex Sanchez, who's

[00:00:07] going to be telling his story of how he went from a high school math teacher

[00:00:12] to landing his first data analyst job with 7-Eleven in less than or around 50 days.

[00:00:17] Welcome to the Data Career Podcast, the podcast that helps aspiring data

[00:00:21] professionals land their next data job.

[00:00:24] Here's your host, Avery Smith.

[00:00:27] So Alex, welcome to the podcast.

[00:00:28] Thank you for having me.

[00:00:30] Super excited to be here.

[00:00:32] Yeah, super excited too, to have you here.

[00:00:34] So you started, you know, we're recording this on May 27th, 2024, and you started

[00:00:41] the year, January 1st as a math teacher.

[00:00:44] Now you're working as a data analyst for 7-Eleven.

[00:00:46] So a lot can happen very quickly.

[00:00:48] Did you expect this kind of big change happening this year?

[00:00:52] No, I didn't think it would happen this quickly.

[00:00:55] So I knew I wanted to get out of teaching, like at the beginning of the year when I

[00:01:02] had my meeting with my principal, I told him, I was like, Hey, this is my last year

[00:01:07] of teaching and he's like, what?

[00:01:10] I was like, yeah.

[00:01:10] What are you going to do?

[00:01:12] I'm going to go into become a data analyst.

[00:01:15] He's like, Oh cool.

[00:01:15] Where?

[00:01:16] Like, I don't know.

[00:01:17] But I heard this guy named Avery Smith and he says I can do it.

[00:01:21] So that's what I'm gonna do.

[00:01:23] Well, well, that's, that's perfect.

[00:01:24] So let's actually start with a little bit what you do right now.

[00:01:29] So you're currently working at 7-Eleven and that's like the, I guess it's a

[00:01:33] convenience store, a gas station, which is awesome.

[00:01:36] They have like the famous Slurpees that you can go get.

[00:01:39] What do you do as a data analyst for 7-Eleven?

[00:01:42] So they brought me in to, because there's, they have this big project going on where

[00:01:46] they're, they bought a bunch of Speedway stores, so another gas station and we're

[00:01:50] just converting them into 7-Elevens.

[00:01:54] So I came in as a MBS data infrastructure analyst, like that's the official title.

[00:02:01] But I remember you said like, they just have that to like put you in a certain

[00:02:04] place, but once you get in, you start with different things and so, but, but

[00:02:09] it's changed a lot since I started.

[00:02:12] So in the beginning I was, I was kind of on the broader side.

[00:02:17] I, they always told me I was going to be focused on items specifically, but I

[00:02:23] was like a part of this big team.

[00:02:25] So like a typical day back then would be, I show up at 8 in the morning.

[00:02:29] We have our standup at like 920 where the hiring, where the manager just like kind

[00:02:35] of tells us anything that, that is new for the day and then if we have any issues,

[00:02:39] that's when we bring them up.

[00:02:41] Then I would have like meetings, that was like in person and like one of the rooms,

[00:02:46] but all the other meetings are going to be, were on online.

[00:02:50] So just at our desk on meets and then, or teams I mean.

[00:02:55] And then, so I would have another meeting like at 10 with a different group, at 11

[00:02:59] another group, and then we take a lunch from 12 to two, we'd just take it whenever

[00:03:03] we wanted during that time and then we'd have an afternoon meeting.

[00:03:07] But most of those were just like, she was just like, just, just like absorb the

[00:03:12] knowledge, like you really don't know too much because you're, you're at the

[00:03:15] beginning, but just try to like, just I guess through osmosis maybe hit something.

[00:03:21] But that's how it started.

[00:03:23] Okay.

[00:03:24] That makes sense.

[00:03:24] I know when we had talked previously, because maybe I failed to mention you

[00:03:28] are a part of the Data Analytics Accelerator, went through the bootcamp.

[00:03:31] And I know you experienced this and a lot of other people experienced this too, where

[00:03:36] they, you feel like you have to be very, like you have to be very heavily

[00:03:42] contributing on day one of actually being at a company.

[00:03:46] And I know that's actually something you messaged when you got your offer letter,

[00:03:48] you signed and everything, you actually talked to your hiring manager and you said,

[00:03:52] okay, what can I do to make day one or week one a success?

[00:03:57] And they were like, don't worry about day one, don't worry about week one.

[00:04:01] You're going to have 90 days to try to just get acclimated, learn as much as you

[00:04:05] can, get a feel for what we're actually doing here, and then we can start, you

[00:04:08] know, we can talk about like how to be a good performer after 90 days.

[00:04:12] They kind of give you that, that window where it's like, okay, just in the

[00:04:15] beginning here, you're going to be training, you're going to be learning.

[00:04:18] It's even new for them, right?

[00:04:20] Because like you said, they're kind of taking on these new stores and who knows

[00:04:24] what their data is like and stuff like that.

[00:04:26] So you've had a chance to really like learn from them as you're going, right?

[00:04:30] Yeah, exactly.

[00:04:31] So, and that's one of the things I kind of want to talk to as well, as far as

[00:04:35] like, because I'm coming from being a teacher, right, so there are some

[00:04:40] transferable skills everybody talks about, like, oh, you communicate, you talk

[00:04:44] to 200 people a day and you make complex information simple, all those things.

[00:04:50] But what I didn't know was going to be a big transferable skill is adaptability.

[00:04:57] So like just change, right?

[00:04:58] So like the first week, since everything is new, like they're moving groups around,

[00:05:05] like we didn't even have a place, like a specific spot to be at.

[00:05:08] So my first year teacher, my first year teaching, I didn't have a classroom, so I

[00:05:13] had to like move around between three classrooms.

[00:05:16] That was pretty tough being a math teacher because you get like carry the

[00:05:18] calculators, all the notes and everything.

[00:05:21] So when I came here and they were doing that, like some of the other people might

[00:05:24] have been kind of like weird and like, oh, we don't have a spot.

[00:05:27] And I'm like, this is nothing like this is fine.

[00:05:30] So eventually after I remember maybe like a month, I finally was assigned to a

[00:05:37] different manager, like a different subgroup of the groups.

[00:05:41] And I was able to have like a senior analyst with me and these two other people.

[00:05:48] So like she took us under her wing and started like learning from her.

[00:05:53] So yeah, so it was good because like I had to do that in teaching as well.

[00:05:56] Like mid year, sometimes they'll change a whole class or classes.

[00:06:01] It'd be like, all right, I'll teach you in Algebra 1.

[00:06:03] Now we're going to switch you to Geometry, Algebra 2.

[00:06:06] And I'm like, what?

[00:06:07] Okay.

[00:06:08] So switching to this wasn't that big of a deal.

[00:06:12] And I remember talking to the other people that like stayed in the other group.

[00:06:15] They're like, oh my goodness, like how are you handling that?

[00:06:17] I was like, it's, this is just normal.

[00:06:19] Like it's a part of life.

[00:06:22] So it's something that we can do.

[00:06:25] And then once I started actually, that's when like the learning picked

[00:06:29] up a lot more because it was focused.

[00:06:32] So my, I guess you can call her my trainer, even though that's not her title.

[00:06:36] She, she kind of gave us a broad, because it, it's, it's super detailed.

[00:06:43] And I had heard it's complex, like 7-11's like the backhand and everything that they do.

[00:06:47] Like it, there's a steep curve to learn.

[00:06:50] But after that, like once you get it, just like with everything else, like

[00:06:53] you, you just start understanding it becomes easier.

[00:06:57] So I remember she would give us like specific, like a specific scenario or

[00:07:03] something, like if there's an issue with, with this type of item, like you, you look

[00:07:07] at this and then you look at that and then eventually you'll, you'll figure out

[00:07:11] like how to fix it.

[00:07:13] And I remember telling her with my teacher head, I was like, Hey, so, so we

[00:07:17] definitely need you to like tell us this, but then we also have to do it ourselves.

[00:07:23] So like, could I maybe do it like while we're on the call?

[00:07:27] And then like, if I need help, like you can just like help us.

[00:07:31] And she was like, yeah, that's fine.

[00:07:32] So then we started doing it that way.

[00:07:34] And I was like, you know, that student, I was like, I'll go first because I knew

[00:07:37] I, that's the only way I could learn it.

[00:07:39] So the more I did that, the more responsibilities they started giving me.

[00:07:43] And then I actually just met my new manager recently and, and she was like, Hey, so

[00:07:49] you're going to be the one in charge of this specific part of the project.

[00:07:53] Like it's towards the end.

[00:07:55] So like, you're the only one that's going to be part of this.

[00:07:59] So it's kind of cool because I went from in the beginning, they were like, we're

[00:08:02] going to give you a little bit of access so you don't mess everything up.

[00:08:05] So like you're in charge of this.

[00:08:07] So I'm pretty excited.

[00:08:09] That is really exciting.

[00:08:10] And it's only been what?

[00:08:11] Two months?

[00:08:12] Yeah.

[00:08:13] Yeah.

[00:08:14] A little over two months now.

[00:08:15] Yep.

[00:08:15] Very exciting.

[00:08:16] I think they'll find a lot of success with you cause, cause you're great.

[00:08:19] I want to go back and just quickly talk about, you know, you talked

[00:08:22] about these transferable skills and a lot of people who are listening to this

[00:08:24] podcast are trying to land their first data job and they think, man, I don't

[00:08:29] have any prior experience with data.

[00:08:31] And that might be true.

[00:08:32] But one of the coolest things about data is it's really industry agnostic.

[00:08:36] A lot of what you're doing is actually just solving problems with numbers.

[00:08:39] And a lot of the skills that you've been doing, you know, as a

[00:08:42] teacher is you're just solving problems.

[00:08:44] Like you mentioned adaptability and being able to, you know, jump from project

[00:08:47] to project or problem to problem.

[00:08:49] And like being a teacher during the pandemic, I don't know if there's

[00:08:51] anything that made anyone more, more adaptable and more flexible than that.

[00:08:56] So I think it's absolutely awesome that you're finding the ways that your

[00:08:59] previous work experience, you know, relates to your current job.

[00:09:02] And I think everyone can do that.

[00:09:04] And I want to ask you as well, like when you're at this job, you know,

[00:09:07] you mentioned there's, there's these meetings, you have this kind of meeting,

[00:09:09] you're meeting with different stakeholders, you know, learning more

[00:09:11] about what, what the data is being used for, you know, how you can make the data

[00:09:15] better, what are some of the tools that you're using to do that?

[00:09:18] Are you like working a lot in SQL?

[00:09:20] Are you in Excel?

[00:09:21] It's so interesting because, you know, all different data jobs use

[00:09:25] different skills or different tools, but what tools are you using specifically?

[00:09:29] So I mainly use Excel and Access.

[00:09:33] There's another software we use and I'm using it more now that I've, that

[00:09:37] I've, you know, gained more responsibilities.

[00:09:40] And then we're just about to start using, I don't even remember what it's called,

[00:09:44] but it's an Agile, I mean, that's how much like we're in the beginning of it.

[00:09:49] And even, even the senior analyst that I'm working with and the manager above

[00:09:53] there is like, like, we're going to learn this together and you're going to be a

[00:09:57] part of the, like creating these new processes, like these, this new system.

[00:10:02] So that got me excited because one, you know, I want the responsibility, but two,

[00:10:08] like this is going to be used forever now.

[00:10:09] Like whatever we figure out, like, like people along the line

[00:10:15] are going to be using this.

[00:10:16] That's kind of cool.

[00:10:17] And yeah, so, so I definitely used Excel when I was a teacher, right?

[00:10:20] Like we use data grades, the TEKS, they would come here in Texas.

[00:10:24] Like there's a bunch of data that we use on top of teaching.

[00:10:29] So when I'm over here and they tell me to do something, right.

[00:10:32] Like get this report, change the formatting, send it out to other groups.

[00:10:37] It's like, I used to do that on top of teaching.

[00:10:39] Like nobody ever thinks about, Hey, this teacher is, is working

[00:10:44] on all these spreadsheets.

[00:10:45] They just think like, oh, they're in front of these students.

[00:10:48] They grade.

[00:10:49] That's it.

[00:10:50] You know, it's like, so now I get to focus my entire time on just,

[00:10:54] so that's, yeah, that's pretty cool.

[00:10:55] Yeah, that's great.

[00:10:56] I think that's awesome.

[00:10:57] And I'm so excited that they're trusting you more and I'm sure you're going

[00:11:01] to, to give them a lot of dividends.

[00:11:03] I want to ask a little bit more about like what type of

[00:11:06] problems are you solving?

[00:11:07] So I mentioned, or I heard the word report there.

[00:11:10] So you're probably making reports or editing reports or cleaning reports

[00:11:14] and moving them from one party to another.

[00:11:16] Can you talk to a little bit more about like what some of your

[00:11:18] daily tasks would look like?

[00:11:19] Are you cleaning data?

[00:11:20] You know, are you making graphs?

[00:11:22] So the main things we're doing, we'll get data from like one of the vendors,

[00:11:28] right, and they'll be like, these items aren't, like they're not scanning

[00:11:33] there's some issue, like we can't order them basically.

[00:11:36] So we'll get a bunch of that data.

[00:11:38] And then what I'm learning now, which is the, the senior analyst that she was

[00:11:45] the one that would do it and have it all set up for us and then give it to us

[00:11:47] and then train us and be like, all right, you're looking at these reports.

[00:11:50] Hey, but this database and access, and then we'll have some access to some

[00:11:56] of the other vendors, others not.

[00:11:59] That's what I mean.

[00:11:59] Like it all depends on different things.

[00:12:02] So then we, we would in the beginning, we would just look and analyze the data

[00:12:06] and try to figure out how to solve it.

[00:12:08] Now I'm getting to the point where she's like, all right.

[00:12:10] And we, she actually just did this Friday.

[00:12:11] She's like, all right, well, I'm not in the office and we just got the report.

[00:12:16] This report, like I kind of showed you how to do it the other time and we'll

[00:12:19] record all the, the trainings so that I can look back and look at them again.

[00:12:23] In case I forgot or missed something.

[00:12:26] It's like, could you do it?

[00:12:27] And I was like, yeah, I mean, I'll give it a try for sure.

[00:12:30] So then I spent a day doing it.

[00:12:32] And so what I basically did is yes, I cleaned it and then I have to format a

[00:12:37] certain way because not only do I use it to fix things, I have, I'm going to have

[00:12:41] to send that to multiple groups within 7-Eleven.

[00:12:44] So great.

[00:12:45] So it's a lot of like making sure that the vendor's data matches quality

[00:12:51] assurance, you know, making sure formatting looks right and that the reports are

[00:12:55] clean, that the data reflects what actually is happening in real life.

[00:12:59] And you're using Excel and Access to do that.

[00:13:01] If you're not familiar with Access, it's basically like an old version of

[00:13:06] SQL that was, Microsoft did, but it's very similar to SQL where it's a database

[00:13:11] and there's a language very similar to SQL that allows you to do very

[00:13:15] similar things that you wouldn't SQL.

[00:13:16] So those are the tool tools that you're using.

[00:13:18] You got some meetings and you're communicating.

[00:13:21] That's absolutely fantastic.

[00:13:23] Anything else we should know about, you know, what your current job is, what

[00:13:26] you're doing and maybe what surprised you, you didn't necessarily expect.

[00:13:30] So what surprised me the most was, and I put this in a post on LinkedIn.

[00:13:36] It was, it was the pace.

[00:13:37] So from teaching, like I would show up at, you know, 730.

[00:13:43] It didn't matter what time I showed up.

[00:13:44] Like I started, you know, I was either getting ready for the day tutoring

[00:13:48] kids or grading or something.

[00:13:51] And then once that bell rang like nonstop until I left, which, you know, I

[00:13:59] don't know what time that would be.

[00:14:00] It depends on the day.

[00:14:01] And I used to coach as well for eight years as a baseball coach.

[00:14:05] And so those, those nights were very long.

[00:14:08] So now, especially in the very beginning, when I showed up, it was just kind of

[00:14:13] like, I would get, I would get at eight in the morning, the beginning and

[00:14:17] I wouldn't leave till 430, but like, I would have a whole hour to, if I had

[00:14:25] something to do, I needed to do it.

[00:14:26] I could get it done there or go to the restroom whenever I wanted

[00:14:29] it or go get water, coffee.

[00:14:32] Like that was alien to me.

[00:14:34] I did it.

[00:14:36] My body literally didn't know what to do with itself at the first couple of days.

[00:14:41] So a lot of teachers that have gone through, you know, through our program

[00:14:45] or who've landed jobs say something pretty similar where they're like,

[00:14:50] oh my gosh, I can go to the bathroom.

[00:14:51] I know you mentioned I can go from lunch from 12 to two.

[00:14:54] I know a lot of teachers, a lot of nurses don't even take lunch.

[00:14:57] You know, they got too much going on.

[00:14:59] So the data analyst world definitely has that flexible scheduling.

[00:15:04] There's very few things that like have to be done immediately.

[00:15:07] Your deadlines are not like within the next hour usually, or

[00:15:11] even within the next day.

[00:15:12] You're usually looking at deadlines like maybe every week or every

[00:15:15] month or something like that.

[00:15:17] So that's definitely probably a change of pace.

[00:15:20] Okay.

[00:15:20] That's great.

[00:15:21] Anything else that maybe surprised you or you'd want to mention about

[00:15:25] what you currently do?

[00:15:26] I think what you said as far as the deadlines, because as teachers, your

[00:15:30] deadlines are, I mean, immediately, like you're constantly having to

[00:15:36] control the classroom or anything with the students is right then and there.

[00:15:43] Like that's not changing.

[00:15:44] But then you also have like your grades or if you have any reports you have to

[00:15:48] fill out or all those things are usually and even if they do give you sometimes

[00:15:54] they're like, all right, here's in three weeks, but like you're getting three of

[00:15:57] those a day, like it adds up and like it really isn't in three weeks, you know?

[00:16:02] Like it's, it's, I need it now.

[00:16:04] And here it's like, I remember what was it?

[00:16:10] It was something that has to do right then.

[00:16:13] And usually I get things done quickly.

[00:16:15] Right.

[00:16:15] So if they give me something, I'm like, I'm in it, I'm doing it.

[00:16:18] And once I finished, then I'll take my lunch.

[00:16:20] You know, I still haven't been able to change that in my teacher brain.

[00:16:24] I was like, I got, I gotta get it done.

[00:16:26] So there was one thing that I, I didn't get it done.

[00:16:28] It was just too much.

[00:16:29] And then we had our meeting in the afternoon where it was just like to see if I had any

[00:16:34] questions or needed to go over anything.

[00:16:36] And I was like, Hey, so I don't think I'm going to be able to finish this today.

[00:16:39] And she was like, Oh no.

[00:16:41] And I think it was Thursday.

[00:16:42] It's like, no, as long as you like, if we get it done by next Wednesday, I was like

[00:16:45] next Wednesday, I was like, yeah.

[00:16:47] And I was like, Oh, well I'll get it done like for sure by Tuesday.

[00:16:51] And then I ended up finishing it on Monday and I sent it to her.

[00:16:53] And she's like, look at you go.

[00:16:55] Like you finished it already?

[00:16:56] I was like, yeah.

[00:16:57] And she's like, all right, well, let's, I'll teach you a new thing

[00:16:59] and then we'll just keep going.

[00:17:01] So yeah, that's the pace I think was the biggest change.

[00:17:05] That's so great.

[00:17:06] I want to transition and talk a little bit more about how you ended

[00:17:09] up landing this, this really cool job.

[00:17:11] So, you know, we talked about what you're doing as a data analyst at 711.

[00:17:15] We talked a little bit about life as a high school math teacher.

[00:17:18] Let's talk about that transition period.

[00:17:20] So you were able to land a job within 50 days of starting the data

[00:17:25] analytics accelerator bootcamp, which is awesome claps to everyone

[00:17:28] listening for Alex here.

[00:17:31] What do you think like was the key to, to land a job so quickly?

[00:17:36] So the key is to join data analytics accelerator and do every single thing

[00:17:42] Avery says, and I'm being honest, whenever somebody messages me on

[00:17:45] LinkedIn, like, Hey, how did you do it?

[00:17:46] That's the number one question.

[00:17:47] I'm like, Hey, go watch this one hour webinar.

[00:17:51] He tells you everything you need to do.

[00:17:54] It gives you the roadmap and then join because like, I tried to do it beforehand.

[00:18:01] Like just with what you said, as far as the, like what skill to

[00:18:04] learn and things like that, but I just, I just couldn't do it.

[00:18:08] And then once I joined, I saw like how much more there was to it.

[00:18:12] Like you break everything down.

[00:18:13] So like you're, we call it chunking and teaching.

[00:18:17] Like you break it down into such little steps that like you can't help and not.

[00:18:22] You know what I'm saying?

[00:18:23] Like you, like you have to do it.

[00:18:24] You're like, all right, I'll, I have to create a LinkedIn.

[00:18:27] Bam.

[00:18:28] I have to change my header.

[00:18:29] Bam.

[00:18:31] So whenever you break it down like that, it just makes it so

[00:18:33] much easier to get through.

[00:18:36] The other thing is like, I've noticed some people because not

[00:18:43] everything in the program is easy.

[00:18:45] I mean, if it was easier, everybody would do it.

[00:18:47] So what I tell them is that you have to put yourself out there.

[00:18:50] Like, that's what I mean by do everything because you're going

[00:18:53] to have to create a projects.

[00:18:54] You're going to have to do a writeup.

[00:18:55] You're going to have to post one of the posts you recommend

[00:18:59] to do a video, the Tableau one.

[00:19:01] And, and it's like, as a teacher, we do that already.

[00:19:04] Like I've had to record myself so much.

[00:19:06] I still get nervous.

[00:19:07] Like, it's not easy for me.

[00:19:09] And that's another thing people are like, Oh, well, you're a teacher.

[00:19:12] I just, I just spoke with Jessica.

[00:19:14] She just joined your, your, the program.

[00:19:17] And she was like, but you're a teacher.

[00:19:18] Like, like I'm not a teacher.

[00:19:19] I don't, I don't know how to just like, it's not about that.

[00:19:22] It's like, like everyone can do it.

[00:19:25] And once you get that in your mindset, then it just becomes a lot easier.

[00:19:31] So there is some putting yourself out there that, that has to occur.

[00:19:36] And that, that is very difficult.

[00:19:37] Even, even for people, even like me, who is, you know, I've

[00:19:40] been doing it for a long time.

[00:19:41] And never a hundred percent, I would say it gets easy.

[00:19:44] It does get easier.

[00:19:45] But putting yourself out there is obviously really scary.

[00:19:48] Like you said, having good LinkedIn presence, if you can like post and

[00:19:52] comment on LinkedIn, even better, you're just expanding your net of luck

[00:19:56] and you're expanding your opportunities that might come your way.

[00:20:00] But even just like on job applications, I think applying to jobs is scary for a

[00:20:05] lot of people because they don't want to be rejected and you know, no

[00:20:08] one ever wants to be rejected.

[00:20:10] One of the things that we talk about in the program, and I try to harp on quite

[00:20:14] a bit is this activity, this brain activity where you just ask, well, what's

[00:20:18] the worst thing that can happen?

[00:20:20] And I found that a lot of things that we fear in life, if you actually

[00:20:24] ask, well, what's the worst thing that actually can happen?

[00:20:27] Usually it's not that bad.

[00:20:28] Like for example, it's like if I apply to this job and I get rejected,

[00:20:31] what's the worst thing that happens?

[00:20:34] I mean, really the only way that my life changes is I spent five

[00:20:37] minutes applying to this job.

[00:20:39] Everything else is kind of the same.

[00:20:41] Same with posting on LinkedIn.

[00:20:42] What's the worst thing if I post on LinkedIn?

[00:20:44] Well, someone might think I'm stupid.

[00:20:47] Well, who is the someone?

[00:20:48] Just like a random person in like Arkansas.

[00:20:51] Like does that really affect your life if they think you're stupid?

[00:20:54] Like your life can be exactly the same.

[00:20:56] So I do think that's one of the things that you did really well is like, you

[00:21:00] were like, okay, I'm going to, you know, I'm going to make the, like you said,

[00:21:03] like we do a video, a little video recording presentation of one of our

[00:21:07] projects, our second project, I think.

[00:21:09] And you're like, you know what?

[00:21:10] This is kind of weird as a teacher.

[00:21:11] You're maybe a little bit more used to it, but I'm going to talk to a camera

[00:21:14] by myself and post it online and tell people to go watch it.

[00:21:17] That's weird.

[00:21:18] People might think, you know, I'm ugly.

[00:21:20] People might think I'm not talking right.

[00:21:21] People think, might think my analysis is weird, but I'm going to do it anyways.

[00:21:25] And usually the upside from doing those types of things is much,

[00:21:29] much larger than downside.

[00:21:30] It's like, if you ask what's the worst thing that can happen, not much.

[00:21:33] What's the best thing that can happen?

[00:21:34] Someone can hire me and change my life.

[00:21:36] Like there's, there's actually quite a bit of reward with not that all, all

[00:21:39] that much of a risk at the end of the day.

[00:21:41] And I think you did that very well.

[00:21:42] You are comfortable with these activities that maybe not everyone is.

[00:21:46] Right.

[00:21:47] And I wouldn't say comfortable because I recorded that one like 20 times,

[00:21:52] but, but that's what I'm saying.

[00:21:53] Like it's, it, you, whenever you post and you see it, like people are like,

[00:21:58] Oh my goodness.

[00:21:59] Like he, he must be so confident.

[00:22:01] So like he, he does this all the time and it's like, no, you just, you just got to do it.

[00:22:07] You just, you just have to do it.

[00:22:08] But another thing was the whole social media presence thing.

[00:22:12] Cause I don't have any social media like at all before LinkedIn.

[00:22:15] Like I, they made me make a Facebook when I was in college for a

[00:22:18] grade in one of the courses, but like I never used it.

[00:22:21] And so I don't use, I don't use any social media.

[00:22:24] So I've had people ask me about that and they're like, Oh, like you must

[00:22:27] have had a ton of experience.

[00:22:28] And I was like, no, like I learned it from my bootcamp.

[00:22:31] Like, like there's a way to, to format it and then make it your own.

[00:22:36] Like everyone has their own voice.

[00:22:37] And one thing, one thing I focus on as far as my posts, it's just like, what's my journey?

[00:22:45] What am I going through at that point?

[00:22:47] And then just try to show it.

[00:22:50] We have a short of attention span.

[00:22:53] So like I tried to make it as with as little as words as possible, like what

[00:22:58] I'm feeling and I'm, people are relating to it so.

[00:23:02] You did a great job with that.

[00:23:04] We talk about how to post on LinkedIn in the program.

[00:23:07] I think it's useful.

[00:23:08] A lot of people even in the program ignore it because they're, they're,

[00:23:11] they're afraid or they're not sure what to post.

[00:23:13] Even though I give them, I literally give them what 15 or 30, like

[00:23:18] post this, write about this, write about that.

[00:23:20] And what you said, it's like, I just talk about what I'm feeling.

[00:23:22] I know one of your posts went pretty, pretty semi-viral.

[00:23:25] You just said, I got my first data interview today.

[00:23:27] I think that ends up getting, I don't know, like hundreds of reactions and

[00:23:32] comments and, you know, that, that just explodes to, you know, thousands

[00:23:36] of views, so on and so forth.

[00:23:37] But it can, it can really make a difference in the end.

[00:23:40] So I love what you said.

[00:23:41] I just talk about what I feel.

[00:23:42] And I try to say, I try to think of LinkedIn not as social media.

[00:23:46] I realize it is.

[00:23:47] I try to think of it as like my professional, like profile to the world.

[00:23:52] But yeah, that's probably social media.

[00:23:53] But one of the things that, one of my, one of my favorites, entrepreneurs,

[00:23:57] Gary Vaynerchuk, Gary Vee talks about is when you're posting on social

[00:24:01] media, he says, document don't create.

[00:24:04] So there's no need for you to like go and create something.

[00:24:06] You don't need to be a quote unquote creator or like an influencer.

[00:24:09] Just like document what's going on in your life.

[00:24:12] Like I learned this today in Excel.

[00:24:15] That's a post.

[00:24:16] I made my first Tableau dashboard.

[00:24:19] That's a great post.

[00:24:20] Like you don't have to be anything groundbreaking.

[00:24:23] You just have to kind of be saying your story and people relate.

[00:24:25] And that's what kind of gets people excited about, about your posts.

[00:24:28] So I do think you did a great job with that.

[00:24:30] Thank you.

[00:24:31] What was the other thing that was really key for you?

[00:24:34] The, the hidden job market.

[00:24:38] Like, that's the reason I got, you know, 7-Eleven.

[00:24:42] I, for those of you that don't know on LinkedIn, instead of looking for the job

[00:24:49] postings, you just look for the postings.

[00:24:51] Like you'll, you'll search analyst and then whatever city you're in, and then

[00:24:56] you'll, you'll filter it through posts and then recents, and then that way you

[00:25:02] can see a real human that posted it for the most part, or those are the ones

[00:25:06] you're looking for so you can contact them.

[00:25:08] And then you can also like look at jobs that most people don't see because

[00:25:14] everybody sees the job postings.

[00:25:15] So then I saw this one first was, I think I got an email from somewhere.

[00:25:23] I don't remember where maybe like a career builder, one of those.

[00:25:28] And then I went immediately to see like, all right, how many

[00:25:30] applications are there in LinkedIn?

[00:25:32] And they didn't have it.

[00:25:34] Like I had to search for it and then I finally found it.

[00:25:36] And there's only like three applicants.

[00:25:38] And I was like, Oh, sweet.

[00:25:40] So then I, once I applied, it was, it was, it ended up actually

[00:25:44] being through a staffing agency.

[00:25:46] So I had applied to another staffing agency to work at that staffing agency

[00:25:50] to be an HRAS analyst, but I didn't get that one.

[00:25:53] So then when I applied to this one, I was like, okay, I don't know specifically

[00:25:57] what this company is, but I know all the requirements, I meet all the requirements.

[00:26:03] There's not a ton of applications.

[00:26:05] It's on site, which is what I was focused on.

[00:26:07] I was looking for what job at postings that I have the best chance at, because

[00:26:13] I was just trying to get my first data analyst job as quickly as possible.

[00:26:18] And then like you say, you get paid to learn.

[00:26:21] So that was my goal.

[00:26:23] I was 100% on it.

[00:26:25] So then once I applied and then I looked into it, I saw it was a staffing agency

[00:26:29] and I was like, all right, I don't know if I'm applying to the staffing agency

[00:26:31] or is this another company?

[00:26:32] And then I get a call a couple of days later that was like, Hey, this is, you

[00:26:37] know, with the staffing agency, so why don't you know, this is what 7-11.

[00:26:40] I was like, oh, okay.

[00:26:42] And then I had that screen call.

[00:26:43] It was like five minutes.

[00:26:44] And they, we just kind of talked about my resume, which by that time I had been

[00:26:49] tailored specifically for that job.

[00:26:52] And you go through that in the program.

[00:26:54] And then, so yeah, they, they saw that I worked with data as a teacher,

[00:26:58] which I don't think, I don't think I would have gotten that call if I had

[00:27:01] my old resume, because I had a teacher resume, you know, so now we switched

[00:27:04] it to a data analyst resume.

[00:27:06] So that got me through the first hurdle.

[00:27:08] And then I went and I had a behavioral interview on zoom.

[00:27:12] It was over video and it was 30 minutes.

[00:27:15] That's when I posted that LinkedIn.

[00:27:18] It was like in the morning before school started.

[00:27:21] And I was just like, I'm nervous.

[00:27:23] I got my first ever data on a job interview and yeah, it blew up.

[00:27:27] I kept getting messages, messages.

[00:27:30] Like I, I had never happened before.

[00:27:32] I think the most messages I've had for that or comments was maybe 10.

[00:27:37] I don't remember.

[00:27:37] It wasn't a lot, but I hit 50 within like first 30 minutes and I couldn't

[00:27:44] keep up with like responding to them.

[00:27:45] And then finally somebody messaged me privately.

[00:27:47] It was like, Hey, you're getting a ton of messages.

[00:27:49] Just like, like it's great advice, but you gotta like calm down, take a breath,

[00:27:55] like focus on yourself and you got this.

[00:27:57] I had to kind of like turn off LinkedIn for a little bit so I could keep focusing

[00:28:01] on, because I didn't know what to expect for that, that interview.

[00:28:04] And, but yeah, I did, I did get a lot of good information, like positive affirmations.

[00:28:09] Like one of the things was somebody said, treat, they said nervousness or being

[00:28:15] yeah, nervousness and excitement are the same feeling.

[00:28:17] It's just a different perspective, something like that.

[00:28:20] And then to change it, you can just say like, Oh, I'm excited to, to meet this

[00:28:23] person, to have a quality conversation, to learn something.

[00:28:27] So whenever I started to like say those type of things, it kind of calmed me down.

[00:28:31] So yeah.

[00:28:33] And then after that I had the in-person interview at 7-Eleven with which

[00:28:39] who ended up being my hiring manager.

[00:28:41] And I mean, I could tell by the end that I was pretty sure I was going to get a

[00:28:47] good job because she was like, if you don't hear from us tomorrow, you need to call.

[00:28:51] And so it was, it was, it was pretty fast and furious because I started applying

[00:28:56] maybe like a week or two before that.

[00:29:03] Wow.

[00:29:04] That's awesome.

[00:29:04] It won't happen like that for everyone, but let's, let's talk about some of

[00:29:08] the things that Alex was doing well.

[00:29:10] Like we said, he, you know, he had LinkedIn.

[00:29:13] His LinkedIn was polished.

[00:29:14] That's actually the first thing we do in a DAA, which people think is crazy

[00:29:17] sometimes, but it's that important.

[00:29:18] So we polished LinkedIn, you were using it actively, posting, commenting.

[00:29:23] Like you said, you had an updated resume.

[00:29:25] We do that in module three.

[00:29:26] ATS friendly, has the data skills, the data analyst term all over it.

[00:29:30] And did you say this, this job came to your inbox first or

[00:29:33] did you see it on LinkedIn first?

[00:29:36] No, I got, I got an email.

[00:29:38] An email.

[00:29:39] Okay.

[00:29:39] Just from some like list you are on?

[00:29:43] Again, because I had just started applying and I was just, I just one day I had

[00:29:47] heard this on another podcast.

[00:29:48] It's like, it was like a mad, mad application.

[00:29:52] It's when you just start applying a lot because you're like, I'm ready.

[00:29:55] And I did, I just applied to a time and I got it for one of them.

[00:29:59] Sweet.

[00:30:00] That's awesome.

[00:30:00] And then you did well in the interview and then eventually got the job offer.

[00:30:07] Yep.

[00:30:07] Wow.

[00:30:08] That's super cool and super well-deserved.

[00:30:10] I think like you said that the resume, the networking, the LinkedIn,

[00:30:15] interpersonal skills in the interview.

[00:30:17] I think those are some of the reasons why you were able to land that so quickly.

[00:30:21] Also, another thing we should actually point out though, as we talk about

[00:30:24] this in the program is, obviously everyone wants to work remote and working

[00:30:29] remote is great and you can definitely land a remote data analyst job.

[00:30:32] But when you're applying to remote applications, you're competing with

[00:30:37] remote applicants, which automatically means you're competing with most of

[00:30:41] the country or most of the world or whoever, right?

[00:30:45] But you were actually looking in person, which obviously maybe isn't as much

[00:30:49] flexibility with a remote job, but a lot more flexibility than a teacher at the

[00:30:54] time, so that was an upgrade in the flexibility for you, but instead of

[00:30:57] competing against everyone in the world, you're only really competing

[00:31:00] against the people in your area.

[00:31:02] So that can kind of be used as a superpower, wouldn't you say?

[00:31:06] Yes, for sure.

[00:31:07] And that's one of the first things I tell people whenever I talk to them.

[00:31:10] It's like, make yourselves the best, like have the best chance and

[00:31:14] to be the best candidate and to do that.

[00:31:17] So I was focused on onsite.

[00:31:18] I was willing to take a little bit of a pay cut, which I did, and I was

[00:31:22] willing to drive up to an hour from my home, so that those three things just

[00:31:28] opened up a lot of positions that like I wouldn't have been able to get seven or

[00:31:31] eleven, I wouldn't be able to get this job if I took one of those away.

[00:31:35] I wouldn't have gotten there.

[00:31:36] So there's definitely some compromises, but the good news is one, you never

[00:31:41] know what's going to happen, especially when you use a staffing agency,

[00:31:44] things can change pretty quickly.

[00:31:46] So I even know before we started recording, you had mentioned that

[00:31:49] you're allowed to work from home a little bit more than you were previously.

[00:31:53] So you're trending in the right direction as they come to trust you more.

[00:31:56] And as you come to prove yourself, you kind of get some of those

[00:32:00] benefit of the doubt type things.

[00:32:01] So that's great.

[00:32:03] And then also, I mean, 7-Eleven is awesome, but it's not like you have to be

[00:32:06] there the rest of your career.

[00:32:08] Maybe you will, and maybe it's fantastic and you will, but maybe not.

[00:32:13] And so like, this is just like your entry into the data world.

[00:32:16] Who knows what the future has?

[00:32:17] What you do know is you have a data analyst job here and now you got your

[00:32:21] step, your first job, and that's like the hardest thing, everything from there is easier.

[00:32:26] Right.

[00:32:27] So another thing that I preach on is networking.

[00:32:33] So yeah, I was networking with LinkedIn.

[00:32:37] That was something new and it's gotten me a lot of visibility.

[00:32:41] But there's a funny story that two years ago, I was on a fishing trip with one of my

[00:32:48] childhood friends, Efren, and because his wife Maria had bought it for him and she

[00:32:53] invited us, me and my dad.

[00:32:54] So we were just there and she asked me, Hey Alex, you're going to be a teacher forever?

[00:32:58] And it was my first year that I was teaching my college pre-calculus course,

[00:33:02] which is what I always wanted to do.

[00:33:03] You know, like I started off teaching, I was for one and you know, the lower

[00:33:06] levels, which isn't as fun.

[00:33:08] And then, but I eventually, I was like, I want to teach the seniors or at least the

[00:33:13] students that I can help them get college credit.

[00:33:15] Like that's my goal.

[00:33:17] So I had just gotten that and I was excited.

[00:33:20] Like I loved it.

[00:33:21] I would work until 8 PM, like tutoring two, three kids.

[00:33:24] Like it didn't matter.

[00:33:24] Like I was just, I was just excited.

[00:33:27] And so I told her, I was like, I don't know, I'm really enjoying it.

[00:33:29] I got to the point where I want.

[00:33:31] And she was like, well, I'm just asking because we have an open spot.

[00:33:37] At my, she worked at a hospital, at my hospital that I think you would, you do

[00:33:41] great in.

[00:33:42] And I was like, oh, okay, cool.

[00:33:43] Like what is it?

[00:33:44] And then she started explaining that.

[00:33:45] I don't think I really understood what it was, but I was like, sure.

[00:33:48] Yeah, go ahead.

[00:33:49] And you can, I'm, I'm open to talk.

[00:33:52] So then I don't remember if I applied or if she just like referred me and I went

[00:33:56] and had the interview over zoom.

[00:33:59] Cause it was, you know, during COVID time.

[00:34:00] So everything was, was on zoom and then it went well.

[00:34:05] She, she really liked me and she was like, you know, Maria's said a lot of great

[00:34:09] things about you.

[00:34:10] And I think you'll do well here.

[00:34:12] You'll a lot of your teacher skills will transfer here because, you know, we deal

[00:34:17] with a lot of kids and you can open up those doors.

[00:34:20] I was like, all right, cool.

[00:34:22] So then she, I had another interview with, I guess the director maybe.

[00:34:26] And she really liked me as well, but hers was a little more, like she started

[00:34:30] asking me like specific, I still didn't know what it was by the way.

[00:34:33] Like she kind of told me it was, I would have to get data to figure out where, like,

[00:34:40] like if, like where there's a lot of drownings in the city and then that way we

[00:34:43] can figure out like what kind of programs we can do for that area, that type of stuff.

[00:34:47] So I was like, okay, that sounds depressing, but it sounds cool as far as like I get

[00:34:50] to work with data.

[00:34:52] And then she's like, well, do you use Excel?

[00:34:54] And I was like, yeah, I use Excel.

[00:34:56] It's like, okay, well, do you use pivot tables?

[00:34:57] And I was like, I don't know what a pivot table is.

[00:35:00] It's like, oh, what about a X, X logo or V logo?

[00:35:02] So I was like, I've never used that before.

[00:35:05] And so she like was teaching it to me.

[00:35:06] She's like, all right, I need you to learn this and this and this.

[00:35:08] And I was like, what about SQL?

[00:35:09] I was like, is that a movie?

[00:35:11] Like, I don't know what you're talking about.

[00:35:12] So she was like, all right, learn joins.

[00:35:14] And I was like, once you get to this point, then it's good.

[00:35:16] All right.

[00:35:17] But start learning that because that's what you're going to do.

[00:35:20] And Maria has told me that like you're going to be under her wing.

[00:35:23] So she'll, she'll train you up and we're good there.

[00:35:27] So that was in November.

[00:35:27] And I told her, I remember specifically being like, if you can't, I understand.

[00:35:31] But like, could I finish off the semester?

[00:35:33] Because I want to at least finish that first semester of the college course.

[00:35:38] And then after that I can leave.

[00:35:40] And she's like, oh, that's fine.

[00:35:41] We can wait until then.

[00:35:42] So then the next day or the next week I get a call from her and she's like,

[00:35:47] I have some bad news.

[00:35:48] I talked with HR and they said, you have to either have healthcare experience

[00:35:54] or some data analytics experience.

[00:35:57] And since you don't have either one, like we can't hire you.

[00:36:00] I was like, oh, but at the same time I was like, all right.

[00:36:04] I mean, I didn't even know about this.

[00:36:06] So I didn't think anything much.

[00:36:07] I didn't think about it at all.

[00:36:08] I was like, all right, I guess it wasn't meant to be.

[00:36:10] And then I, once I decided I wanted to get out of teaching, one of my friends

[00:36:15] who was a math teacher as well, he told me like, hey, you should go into software

[00:36:20] development like that.

[00:36:22] That's where I transitioned to.

[00:36:23] And I love it.

[00:36:24] All the perks that, you know, everybody knows.

[00:36:27] And I was like, oh, okay, sure.

[00:36:29] I'll try it out.

[00:36:30] So I, he didn't really give me like a plan.

[00:36:33] He was just like, pick a language, learn it, call me in six months.

[00:36:36] So that didn't really plan out well, cause I didn't know what to do.

[00:36:40] Right.

[00:36:40] It was just too, too broad.

[00:36:42] So after a while, I finally picked Python.

[00:36:44] So I started learning that, picked up a book, loved it.

[00:36:46] And I learned like a bunch of the skills and built some mini projects,

[00:36:50] things like that, but nothing, nothing crazy.

[00:36:53] So then I was like, by this time it was in the, this, this was last summer.

[00:36:57] So it was getting close to the school year.

[00:36:59] And I was like, I don't see, I still don't see how I'm going to get in.

[00:37:02] Like it, it didn't seem feasible.

[00:37:05] So then I was listening to another podcast over software development.

[00:37:10] And then I think I just searched teacher transitioning, something like that.

[00:37:15] And then that's when your podcast came up and I saw it was Courtney and Chris,

[00:37:21] Courtney Ballard and Chris French.

[00:37:23] I saw both of those.

[00:37:24] And I was like, this is me.

[00:37:27] Like everything they're saying is me.

[00:37:29] This is where I need to pivot to.

[00:37:32] So I started hearing all your, your episodes and learning

[00:37:35] and trying to learn myself.

[00:37:37] And then that's when it like occurred to me.

[00:37:40] I was like, wait, is this what I applied to two years ago?

[00:37:46] Wow.

[00:37:46] And then I talked to Maria and she's like, yeah, it's like, like a data analyst.

[00:37:50] This is what I'll try to get you in.

[00:37:51] I was like, why didn't you tell me?

[00:37:54] So it was crazy.

[00:37:56] Yeah.

[00:37:57] So networking works.

[00:37:58] That's when I knew I was like, for sure I have to network.

[00:38:01] I almost got my first job and I didn't even know what data analysis was.

[00:38:05] Yeah.

[00:38:06] It's crazy how like, how close you were to landing that first data analyst job,

[00:38:10] where you didn't even know what it was called.

[00:38:12] You didn't really have any of the skills, but you were that close

[00:38:14] just because of someone you knew.

[00:38:15] And so that's like the power of networking.

[00:38:18] And I always, you know, there's that whole adage.

[00:38:20] It's not, it's not what you know, it's who you know.

[00:38:22] And unfortunately that's true.

[00:38:23] And if you're like, I don't know anyone.

[00:38:25] First off, you might be surprised at what your neighbors do or, or what

[00:38:29] your cousin does and how they can help you.

[00:38:31] But second of all, it's not only who you know, but it's

[00:38:34] who you can know down the road.

[00:38:36] And so picking up networking skills is very valuable.

[00:38:39] That's absolutely amazing.

[00:38:40] You were like inches away from your first data job, kind

[00:38:43] of just stumbling into it.

[00:38:45] Wow.

[00:38:46] That's crazy.

[00:38:47] Okay.

[00:38:48] That's an awesome story.

[00:38:49] I love that.

[00:38:49] Any other general advice you'd give people who are looking to transition

[00:38:53] either from a teacher to data analytics or just anyone, you know,

[00:38:56] trying to break into the data field?

[00:38:58] So like we talked about before, you need to put yourself out there, right?

[00:39:04] You got to do what others won't.

[00:39:06] It's difficult, but like I said, at the beginning of the year,

[00:39:13] I told my principal, this is my last year.

[00:39:16] So I was telling everyone, every single person, it was kind of funny.

[00:39:20] Cause then other teachers would like see me in the hall and be like, is it true?

[00:39:24] I was like, what?

[00:39:25] That I'm leaving?

[00:39:25] Yeah.

[00:39:25] Tell everybody, like, I want everyone to know because one that's networking, right?

[00:39:30] Maybe somebody knows somebody that needs a data analyst and

[00:39:33] two, like it holds you accountable.

[00:39:36] So if I were to come back the year after that would have been

[00:39:38] like, I thought you were leaving.

[00:39:39] And I was like, yeah, no.

[00:39:40] So I got, that wasn't an option for me.

[00:39:43] So definitely I would tell everyone.

[00:39:45] And then the support that I got, like, I don't know what I was expecting.

[00:39:49] I don't know.

[00:39:49] Maybe some people were going to be like, are you sure?

[00:39:51] But no, everyone was, was super, super supportive.

[00:39:54] Like my friends, my family, my colleagues, my wife, like, like without

[00:39:59] my wife's sacrifice, cause she's also a teacher, so we have everything.

[00:40:03] Like we had it lined up where it's like summer vacation, like that just started.

[00:40:07] And normally I would be, you know, at home the whole summer, but

[00:40:12] now I get to work, I mean, I get to work from home some days, so that's good.

[00:40:15] But all the like sacrifices that she's made, it definitely could have

[00:40:20] done it without her, so thank you very much.

[00:40:22] Yeah.

[00:40:22] So once you join my, my big advice would be to join the DAA.

[00:40:31] One of the reasons I joined your specific one, because there's

[00:40:34] a ton of bootcamps, right?

[00:40:35] And I was skeptical about other bootcamps because I've

[00:40:37] heard they're super expensive.

[00:40:38] They don't even get you a job.

[00:40:40] They guarantee it, but they don't.

[00:40:42] I guess it's just, I've heard negatives of other bootcamps.

[00:40:45] So when I stumbled upon yours, I was like, okay, let me find out more.

[00:40:49] Let me see if I can try to do it.

[00:40:50] And then we had a networking event.

[00:40:52] When did you say that was, was that in November?

[00:40:54] January.

[00:40:55] And that was before you joined the program too.

[00:40:58] Right.

[00:40:58] So, so I, I remember I tried it myself.

[00:41:02] I wasn't able to do it.

[00:41:03] And then you had that networking event and I met people in the program or

[00:41:08] people and people trying to get in maybe, and everybody was just like super

[00:41:11] nice and then I spoke to you, which was wild, like we were in one of the groups

[00:41:16] and then you came in and you talked to somebody, give them advice and then

[00:41:19] you specifically called me out.

[00:41:20] And I was like, Hey Alejandro, like what brings you here?

[00:41:23] And I just said like, oh, you know, I'm a teacher transitioning and I

[00:41:26] wanted to know more about your bootcamp.

[00:41:27] And not only did you like talk to me a little bit, but like you found a

[00:41:31] couple of jobs for me to apply.

[00:41:33] Oh, that's right.

[00:41:33] From DFW.

[00:41:34] So I was like, this is wild.

[00:41:36] Like, like he just did this like that.

[00:41:39] And when I spoke to you, so that means you're a human, like you're a natural

[00:41:42] person because like we view y'all as like celebrities, because another one

[00:41:47] that I did after I joined you was Chris French's networking event.

[00:41:50] So there I got to meet Kelly Adams.

[00:41:53] And so they were just talking to each other and I was like, this is crazy

[00:41:57] because I've only seen them on like, you know, YouTube or, or just different things.

[00:42:02] And I asked them a question cause again, he was like, you gotta, you

[00:42:05] know, put your, your camera on.

[00:42:08] You gotta talk.

[00:42:09] That's how this networking works.

[00:42:11] So then I did, even though I didn't want to, I was super nervous, but I did it.

[00:42:15] And then I talked to him and he gave me some advice and that just gave me like,

[00:42:20] like, I can do it.

[00:42:21] Like they were able to do it.

[00:42:23] They're just regular people, just like me.

[00:42:26] I can do it as well.

[00:42:27] So then when I, I remember when I landed the job, he posted, he was like, Hey,

[00:42:31] congratulations, Alex.

[00:42:33] Like you just were at my networking event and now you're at the, you got a job.

[00:42:37] So like, it works.

[00:42:38] Like you just have to keep, keep putting yourself out there.

[00:42:42] So whenever I talk to people, which like for anybody listening, you can

[00:42:48] always send me a message right now.

[00:42:50] I have an hour commute.

[00:42:51] So I usually talk to about one or two people a week when people are

[00:42:56] just like, we need some advice.

[00:42:59] And the main thing I'm noticing is, is people are feel lost.

[00:43:03] They feel alone and they don't have a roadmap.

[00:43:07] So when I, when I talked to him, I was like, that's exactly where I was.

[00:43:10] And then I joined, I got this community and I, I just can't, I can't express how

[00:43:21] vital it is because I remember when I messaged before I joined, I messaged

[00:43:26] Melissa Kings and this other person.

[00:43:29] And they said, Avery's motivation.

[00:43:31] Like he, he, he's the one that keeps you, keeps us going.

[00:43:34] He's the heart.

[00:43:36] And, and yeah.

[00:43:37] And the community, whenever you have something like just message it in

[00:43:41] heartbeat or on LinkedIn or email, like, like there's just, there's so many

[00:43:46] resources, you're not alone.

[00:43:48] You can do this.

[00:43:50] You just need to be a part of it.

[00:43:52] First off.

[00:43:53] Thank you.

[00:43:53] I appreciate it.

[00:43:54] And yeah, I definitely think anything you're doing in life, it's always

[00:43:58] easier if you have two things, the direct path and people that do it with.

[00:44:02] And I honestly think a lot of people try to transition to data and you

[00:44:05] totally can without those two things.

[00:44:07] But those two things just make it easier.

[00:44:09] Just a community and a path that you know exactly if I follow

[00:44:13] this success is going to ensue.

[00:44:14] So whether, whether it's through the Data Analytics Color Bootcamp or

[00:44:18] whether it's through something else, like I don't really care.

[00:44:20] It's just like get those two things and you can, you can land an awesome job.

[00:44:25] Like Alex, Alex, anything else that you want to mention before we head off?

[00:44:29] No, I just want to thank you.

[00:44:31] I really appreciate everything that you do.

[00:44:34] Like, I don't, I don't think you understand like what a big impact, like

[00:44:38] what happens, like when we are talking like over here on the, on the side,

[00:44:43] uh, we're, we're super appreciative.

[00:44:46] And anyone out there that's thinking about joining, take the leap.

[00:44:51] Hit me up.

[00:44:51] If you need anything, I'll be here.

[00:44:55] I appreciate it, Alex.

[00:44:56] It means a lot.

[00:44:56] Thanks for coming on the podcast.

[00:44:57] We'll have Alex's info LinkedIn in the show notes down below.

[00:45:01] You guys can connect with him.

[00:45:02] Great person to follow his journey and also learn from

[00:45:05] his experience and wisdom.

[00:45:07] Alex, thank you for coming on the pod.

[00:45:09] Thank you very much.