Ever wondered how to turn your winter break into a career-building powerhouse? Join Isabella Barnabò ‘23, MA/MSBA’25, and CSE Career Captain, on her journey to enhance her professional skills during the winter break!
Building my analytics empire over winter break | Isabella Barnabò ‘23, MA/MSBA’25
For many of us, the semester is a whirlwind of assignments and deadlines, often leaving little room for those crucial yet non-urgent career tasks. While I’ve managed the basics – a CSE Approved Resume for example – I know there’s room to level up, especially as the future “Data Analytics Queen”. So buckle up as I spill my power plans.
– Isabella
Build a stellar data analytics portfolio
A robust technical portfolio is key in data analytics. This semester, I delved into an extensive data consultancy project, laying the perfect foundation for my portfolio. I’ll be dedicating my break to building and perfecting my portfolio, all while soaking up the warm Costa Rican sun.
Need some inspiration? Check out these resources:
- Of course the CSE Technical Portfolio Guide
- Coursera’s “How to Build a Data Analyst Portfolio: Tips for Success” offers great tips for showcasing your work on LinkedIn, GitHub, or Kaggle
- For a dose of inspiration, Will Hillier’s article “9 of the Best Data Analytics Portfolios on the Web” is fantastic. My personal favorites? Claudia ten Hoope and Yan Holtz
Tailor resumes for different industries
It’s a well-known fact: your resume and cover letter should be tailored to the position. With the break’s free time, I plan to create varied resumes – one emphasizing my academic projects, another highlighting my marketing experience, and a third aimed at consulting roles.
Brush up on Python skills
Next semester is all about Machine Learning, but this semester I’ve been immersed in R. To switch gears, I’ll be using Data Camp to brush up on Python – just an hour a day to get back in the Python groove.
Create a career checklist for spring
I know once classes kick off again, it’ll be easy to lose track of career planning. So, I’m setting up a career checklist now: defining my goals, planning how to achieve them, and integrating these into my spring semester schedule. This preparation will make it much easier for me to stay on track of my career goals without much work–which means less added stress during the semester, am I right?
Embrace the break with purpose
This winter break isn’t just a pause from academics; it’s an opportunity for growth and preparation. By focusing on enhancing my skills and planning ahead, I’m setting the stage for a successful and somewhat-stress-free semester.
Remember, it’s all about balancing work and play. So, get inspired and look forward to putting in time to work on yourself and your own empire.
See you all next semester!
As part of the CSE Winter Break Series, the CSE Career Captain Team will share their own personal strategies for advancing their career over the Brandeis International Business School winter break!
