Landing a Job as a Supply Chain Data Specialist with DataCamp

One year ago, Reggie Piet started learning on DataCamp to enhance his data skills and get a job as a data analyst. Today, Reggie works as a Supply Chain Data Specialist at Aldi, one of the largest retail chains in the world.

Last month, he reached the top 50 most prolific learners across all DataCamp for Business learners. Uncover Reggie's path to success, from how he learned on DataCamp, to the technologies he mastered to pass technical interviews, his learning strategies, and his advice on learning on DataCamp alongside a busy work schedule.

Reggie’s Journey into Data Analytics

Reggie graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2015 with a major in computer science. After starting his first job as an IT Analyst, Reggie realized that his true passion was for data rather than software engineering. At college, however, only the foundations of SQL were taught, focusing more on table transformations than data exploration. He identified the need to upgrade his SQL skills and deepen his knowledge of industry tools like Tableau and Power BI.

“If I want to move up in the world, I kind of want to learn the dirtier stuff within data science, not just working on an Excel spreadsheet.”

Reggie first started his learning with Codecademy. However, these courses mostly focused on coding skills for software engineers rather than on tools for data practitioners.

As part of his job as an IT Analyst, he also got to learn Salesforce. However, after completing interactive courses and exercises with Salesforce Online University, he realized that none of the learnings could be applied in real business scenarios. He wanted a hands-on learning platform that focused on data science skills, where he could see how things work within the industry and make him feel like he is already doing the job.

“Tableau and Power BI started appearing on every job application I looked at, and I thought I should learn these.”

Learning Tableau, Power BI, SQL, and Python with DataCamp

Reggie chose DataCamp for its specialized focus on data science and hands-on learning approach to Power BI and Tableau.

“DataCamp seems to be the only platform delivering hands-on training, not just videos you watch and articles you read. Going mainly through the Tableau and Power BI career tracks helped me advance my career.”

Before applying for a job, Reggie wanted to feel confident in what he did, and he prioritized learning on DataCamp. Within 10 months, Reggie completed the Data Analyst in Power BI, Data Analyst in Tableau, and Data Analyst in SQL career tracks, took a bunch of Python-focused courses & projects, and tracked his skill level with assessments.

He loved applying the skills with DataCamp Projects and eventually completed all the available 11 dedicated to SQL.

Landing the Dream Job at Aldi

Armed with the skills acquired from DataCamp, Reggie applied for a Data Analytics role and successfully passed the technical interview.

Two and a half months ago, he started as a Supply Chain Data Specialist at Aldi. As part of his role, he handles various data analysis and reporting tasks. He oversees products featured in sale papers and ensures their availability across different store divisions.

“I work with Microsoft SQL Server database to extract the data with SQL, Python, and Excel and then build comprehensive reports using Tableau.”

While the tasks may seem straightforward, effective data management is crucial for smooth supply chain operations at Aldi. Reggie’s uses data analytics to optimize inventory and ensure timely product availability in stores.

How Reggie Finds Time for DataCamp at Work

For Reggie, juggling continuous learning with a full-time job seems straightforward.

When he joined Aldi, his manager asked Reggie to sign up for DataCamp as part of his onboarding. Reggie was surprised and happy that he was already 10 months ahead of it.

So at Aldi, Reggie has dedicated time to learn new technologies, such as Python and Machine Learning. Having a broad awareness of what's available and understanding the fundamentals, Reggie can effectively navigate the challenges that come his way.

“I’ve realized this isn't all just memorization. It's more fundamentally knowing theory and concepts behind data science.”

Advice for Fellow Learners Who Are Getting Started

Last month, Reggie reached the Top 50 of the DataCamp leaderboard among working professionals, and here are six tips that helped him stay so committed and consistent:

1. Learn SQL first to get an understanding of the core data work.
2. Create a spreadsheet with a list of DataCamp Courses, Projects, and Assignments—estimate your time to complete them, and allocate time for learning every day.
3. Use DataCamp skill tracks to give your extra learning structure.
4. Have a browser tab with DataCamp always open, and quickly complete exercises when you have a spare minute.
5. Take advantage of the allocated learning time at your company.
6. Integrate learning within leisure activities. Reggie was able to complete DataCamp’s practice exercises while watching Netflix. He would pause the Netflix show to watch a course video, then unpause the show and continue completing practice exercises. Reggie notes that it could work not for everyone, but for him, it was an ideal combination.

“After a while, it got to a point where if there was a day that I didn't do it or couldn’t, I felt like I needed to be productive and got back to DataCamp.”

Conclusion

Reggie's story illustrates the power of continuous learning and its impact on one's career trajectory. DataCamp helped Reggie acquire key Tableau, Power BI, and SQL skills to a level where he thrived during the technical analyst interview, enabling him to land his dream job as a Supply Chain Data Specialist at Aldi.

Learning has become an addiction, and Reggie is happy that he has allocated time as part of his job at Aldi to continue learning Python and Machine Learning material.

Want to gain industry-recognized skills and land a top data scientist or analyst job? Start one of the DataCamp curated skill tracks now!