Jan 9, 2025
My journey into Analytics wasn’t a straight line —it was a winding road with detours through veterinary dreams, Vocal Jazz, and sleepless nights debugging Java code.
Let me take you through how I went from fainting at the sight of blood to thriving in the world of data insights.
The Early Days: From Vet Dreams to STEM Realities
Like many kids, I thought I’d grow up to save animals as a veterinarian. While researching for a school science project, I read an article about a veterinarian in my textbook and decided to interview her. She shared the realities of her job, including the emotional challenge of having to put animals down. A few weeks later, I was having a conversation with my friend in the library. She was describing a bad accident that happened to her brother, and as she mentioned the blood, I fainted mid-sentence. That incident made me realize that any dreams of pursuing a career in the medical field would not work because I had a vasovagal response to the sight or even the description of blood
This left me back at square one in terms of my future—lost and confused. I realized that I was good in the STEM fields. I was, however, deathly afraid of English or writing (ironic given this article) because I would write something, overanalyze it, and rewrite it repeatedly. My writing often ended up sounding like a list of facts and was incredibly boring. Even I felt sorry for my teachers who had to read my work—I could make a love story sound like a technical document.
I spent a lot of money applying to over six schools in Canada (where I was living at the time). My applications included programs in Science, Software Engineering, and Computer Science.
Eventually, when I received responses from the universities, I was accepted to McMaster University, the University of Waterloo, and the University of Ottawa. I was really enthusiastic about pursuing McMaster. However, my boyfriend (now my husband) was studying engineering at Waterloo, and the co-op program there offered the opportunity to pay for almost all of my education (which my mother loved).
Given my indifference to the exact path I wanted to take, I chose the University of Waterloo program. Initially, I was waitlisted for Computer Science due to the program’s high demand and was placed in Mathematical Science instead. A few weeks before the program began, I received the news that I had been accepted into the Computer Science program.
University: Finding the Right Fit
Starting university in Computer Science, having only completed one course in Programming (the language being Turing at that), during high school, was a huge challenge. Many of my classmates had years of experience with Java or C++ programming and brought that wealth of knowledge with them to university. To say I was overwhelmed and at the bottom of a steep learning curve would be an understatement. I found Mathematics courses came easy to me, but when it came to my Java programming course, getting my code to compile and debugging it could take anywhere from a few hours to many sleepless nights. By third year, I had become practically nocturnal, living in the labs, eating from vending machines, and going to sleep just as my neighbor’s alarm clock was ringing her awake. Right upto Junior Year, my academic semesters were grueling without much success to show for it.
However, in stark contrast to my academic life, was when every other semester, I got to work in the real world as part of the co-op program. Every four months, I would land an opportunity at a new company, and try out a different role. I started as a programmer working for an e-commerce company, then worked as a tester, held a couple of roles in tech support, and finally took on a role as a technical writer. Unlike my academic grades, I appeared to perform exceptionally well in my jobs always grading at or near an Outstanding.
It seemed that my neurotic nature made me feel like I constantly needed to add value or risk being fired. In hindsight, I should have realized I was essentially cheap labor for these organizations. One of my co-op roles, as a tester for a startup, ended abruptly when the company went belly up mid-term. The trauma of being jobless in my parents’ home during the dead of a Northeast winter only amplified my neurotic tendencies. Despite this, I always received good assessments for my co-op terms. However, I didn’t seem to enjoy anything I was doing. All my co-op terms helped me figure out what I didn’t want to do.
By third year, I was having daily nightmares from the stress of sleepless nights and the lack of passion for anything I was doing. At this point, I was taking more Computer Science courses and no Math courses, the latter of which I had previously enjoyed. Right before we had to sign up for the Operating Systems course, I decided I needed a change. My friends in the program tried to convince me to stay and even offered to help carry me to the finish line. However, this still didn’t convince me. Personally, I wanted my university journey to be about learning, not just checking a box for completion.
I went through a few rounds of trying different Math-oriented programs. I shifted to Actuarial Science, which I found extremely boring. Finally, I realized I loved Pure Math, Calculus, and anything related to Linear Optimization. I switched to Mathematical Science, which allowed me to specialize in Pure Math, Combinatorics, Optimization, and Computer Science. I had enough credits to show a minor in Computer Science if I chose Math as my sole major, but I preferred the combination of both fields and not extending my university years, so I went forward with Mathematical Science. Ironically, this was the program they had initially offered me when I was waitlisted for Computer Science. Guess I should have listened to the Universe.
My fourth year in Mathematical Science was heavenly. I could plan my day, go to the gym, and actually enjoyed all my courses. I also took fun electives in Religion, Dance, and Theatre. By this point, I was seriously considering pursuing something in the arts. I had musical interests, having taken piano lessons as a child and vocal lessons as a teenager. I thought that maybe after graduating, I could look at programs in Musical Theatre or something related to the arts. I felt confident in this direction, as my five co-op terms in the corporate world had solidified my belief that it wasn’t the right path for me.
Exploring Creative Arts
When I graduated, I had already started applying to schools for the arts. I applied to Sheridan College for their Musical Theatre program but didn’t get accepted. Instead, I was offered a one-year Performing Arts program, which I decided to pursue. For an entire year, I dedicated myself to singing, dancing, and acting. I absolutely loved it and got to meet a very different group of individuals compared to my cohort at the University of Waterloo. These folks were extroverted, loud, and, like me, unsure of what they wanted to do when they ‘grew up.’ I had the chance to meet professional actors, attend plays, and immerse myself in a creative environment—it was a lot of fun.
After that year, I decided to further pursue musical theatre or music and auditioned at various schools. I was accepted into two Musical Theatre programs as well as the Vocal Jazz program at Humber College. I chose the Vocal Jazz program. At the time, I was living at home, broke, and constantly hearing from my mother that I should consider something more practical than the arts i.e. something that could pay the bills.
I eventually realized that I couldn’t handle the life of a starving artist indefinitely. I liked knowing when my next paycheck was coming and wanted to have children someday. My vocal program head was an incredible musician, but she and her spouse, who was also in music, didn’t have children—music was her entire life. That wasn’t me. I wanted a family with children and a house to put them in. After four months in the program, I made the incredibly difficult decision to quit. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I would regret it later.
In parallel, I was working two part-time jobs: one as a guest services associate at the mall, where I would wrap gifts for shoppers, and another managing cell phones and Blackberries (yes, I know I’m aging myself) at McKinsey & Company.
The McKinsey Breakthrough
After quitting, I decided to focus my energy on my job at McKinsey & Company. I performed well enough for them to offer me a full-time role in the IT department as a Technical Services Coordinator. My responsibilities included managing vendor relationships for cellphones and Blackberries and coordinating the setup of technology for our consulting staff.
I really enjoyed working at McKinsey, especially since I was based in downtown Toronto, which was exciting and vibrant. While I still wasn’t passionate about the work itself, doing a good job and making my customers happy was fulfilling. During this time, I started taking advantage of the learning opportunities McKinsey offered. I attended several Microsoft Excel and Access courses, thinking these skills might open up future opportunities.
Now, to how I got into analytics. Every year, the Managing Director at McKinsey hosted a holiday party at his home. On my way to the party, I was in a cab with one of my colleagues. He mentioned that the Analytical Support team was struggling to find someone for their team. They had recently hired a brilliant person who, unfortunately, couldn’t handle the need to solution quickly and think on his feet. I mentioned to my colleague that I had a Math degree and that the role sounded interesting. Unknown to me, he told my Director about our conversation, and she reached out to me about the position.
I expressed my interest and went through the interview process, which included an Excel and Access test. The courses I had taken previously really helped me, and I got the role. This opportunity opened the door to my passion. Our team supported consulting staff globally, primarily Business Analysts and Associates. My job involved taking calls and guiding them on specific Excel or Access functionalities. I never knew what problem would arise when I picked up the phone, but I found that I could quickly assess the issue and propose a solution. This ability came naturally to me, and I spent my free time learning even more.
It felt like I was playing a video game rather than working! That’s when I realized I wanted to pursue more in this field. I will always be grateful to McKinsey and to my colleague who helped me get to where I am today.
Why Analytics?
Analytics gives me the thrill of uncovering hidden patterns and driving meaningful decisions. It’s like being a detective, except my clues are hidden in spreadsheets and dashboards. Since my experience at McKinsey, I have had the opportunity to expand my skills and use tools such as SQL Server, Power BI, Tableau, Alteryx, and programming languages like Python and R. Regardless of the tool, the quest to understand the data remains the same!
Takeaway
Whether you’re struggling to find your path or pivoting mid-career, remember: the journey is part of the discovery. Analytics wasn’t my first love, but it’s where I found my passion—and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s proof that sometimes, life’s best stories start with a detour.
Bytes Of Data Insights 