Where Do I Get Skills? (Data Manager)

[CAM]

OK, something a little different from the usual set of skills needed here, more manipulating data then administering servers. Whilst I have some skills in this area they aren't exactly complete since I'm a data manager instead of network techie and I'm not involved in server-side stuff as I don't have server access.

 

One problem I have is when I look at jobs both inside and outside the education sector. I use SIMS at the school and this is handy if I want to move to one of the many other SIMS schools, but it makes looking outside the box harder. No SQL access means I have no way of gaining practical experience in this area, I have yet to find a solution that makes sense to pull the data out of SIMS to screw about with in SQL without doing so just for the sake of it since it should be pulled directly from the database.

 

Another problem is a lot of data jobs want someone who understand business analysis. Again, working in a school puts me in a box here since much of the data leg work involves collecting student grades and putting them in a nice spreadsheet for SLT to analyse. It's neither business related nor much in the way of analysis myself, at least doesn't feel it.

 

So yeah, feeling a bit boxed in at the moment in this area. Not sure how transferrable my skills are (unlike tech skills) or just selling myself short? What about others working in school data?

[X-13]

Again, working in a school puts me in a box here since much of the data leg work involves collecting student grades and putting them in a nice spreadsheet for SLT to analyse.

 

I'm sure the same thing happens in business...

 

Management don't want raw data, even if it shows exactly what they want.

 

Gotta make it spiffy for the shareholders. [Or governors/SLT/parents/whoever]

 

 

just selling myself short?

 

You're a strong, independent Eevee who don't need no Pokemon trainer.

Edited February 2, 2015 by X-13

[Seb1780]

I came into education as a Data Manager from a background of scientific and IT jobs. The skills I had outside education were transferable into education so I see no reason why that should not be applicable the other way too.

 

I do far more than "gather the grades and make spreadsheets"; our SLT do not analysis the data, I do, then report my findings. I look at trends over time; I focus on specific groups; I look at the impact changes to the rules make; I go to BETT and write a report on what's happening and where we should be going. This is "business analysis" - looking at what's going on and *understanding* how that affects your business/school.

 

I don't do SQL, everything is done in SIMS or as a csv to Excel. I marvel at some of the things people talk about on here; how they have used their expertise to create automatic systems that populate home-made applications with data from MIS's. I sometimes wish I could do that, if only so I could resolve one or two niggling issues. But I don't *need* to do that to do my job because there are people out there who make or sell such solutions. What I need to do is identify the issues, provide data to support the case and identify the solutions. A little IT knowledge helps in this respect but I'm no expert on current technology (Netware anyone?).

 

My role, which started only 2.5 years ago, is a lot different to the role the previous incumbent did. His forte was producing good looking reports to send home to the parents, we still do that but now I spend as much time looking through the data those reports generate and providing SLT with their own version of the report. I can see this aspect of a Data Managers role becoming more important in the future.

 

I'm guessing your role could be similar, I expect we do a lot of the same tasks and I expect we face a lot of the same issues.

 

TL;DR - Your skills are transferable, you do "business analysis", data is increasingly recognized as important.

[CAM]

I tend to collect it from teachers into marksheets then export it to our data analysis software or a spreadsheet model. SLT then look at it and I merge it to send home. Does that count?

 

I've done some pretty crazy advanced stuff like importing an XML file into Excel but never used it because SIMS likes to mangle them and makes them hard to read.

[Seb1780]

I tend to collect it from teachers into marksheets then export it to our data analysis software or a spreadsheet model. SLT then look at it and I merge it to send home. Does that count?

 

Of course it counts - you're collating raw data, verifying it, analyzing it then producing summary reports for senior management. You also provide a key link between the school, the parents and the wider community.

 

I've done some pretty crazy advanced stuff like importing an XML file into Excel but never used it because SIMS likes to mangle them and makes them hard to read.

 

Advanced Excel skills are always in demand! I interviewed for an assistant here and put in the ad that Excel skills needed to be excellent and they would be tested. I set a test involving date formatting, lookups and pivot tables - only one person came close to completing the test.

[LosOjos]

There's also the NDMA if you can convince your school to pay for it.

 

You may well already know everything it covers, but I have found that getting qualifications on the job has seriously helped me in interviews; it shows that you take what you do seriously, even if it's mostly irrelevant to the new job.

 

Also, if you do get interviews, don't undersell yourself. In your OP, you talk a lot about what you can't do; focus on what you can do and what you're willing to learn.

 

(I have interviewed for a couple of roles and work ethic/attitude is always a big scorer; I'd employ someone keen and hard working over someone with every qualification in the world but no willing any day!)

 

If you want to gain some SQL experience, either try doing some more advanced analysis in Access (you can import CSVs easily from SIMS in to an Access table then run SQL queries on them - I find this really useful when tying together multiple SIMS reports and you can achieve reports that simply cannot be done in SIMS alone simply by tying multiple reports together on a common point such as the student ID), or get yourself some web space (or a local server) and build a basic blog system. Sure it's reinventing the wheel and I wouldn't bother for a 'proper' website, but the best way to learn is by doing IMO.

Edited February 2, 2015 by LosOjos
added link

[CAM]

Advanced Excel skills are always in demand! I interviewed for an assistant here and put in the ad that Excel skills needed to be excellent and they would be tested. I set a test involving date formatting, lookups and pivot tables - only one person came close to completing the test.

Be interested to see that...

 

There's also the NDMA if you can convince your school to pay for it.

 

You may well already know everything it covers, but I have found that getting qualifications on the job has seriously helped me in interviews; it shows that you take what you do seriously, even if it's mostly irrelevant to the new job.

What does it involve? Haven't had any new qualifications since my degree.

 

Also, if you do get interviews, don't undersell yourself. In your OP, you talk a lot about what you can't do; focus on what you can do and what you're willing to learn.

 

(I have interviewed for a couple of roles and work ethic/attitude is always a big scorer; I'd employ someone keen and hard working over someone with every qualification in the world but no willing any day!)

I've fallen down that trap before. Mostly it's the browsing stage looking at an advert then going "Uh huh, maybe not got enough knowledge for that."

 

If you want to gain some SQL experience, either try doing some more advanced analysis in Access (you can import CSVs easily from SIMS in to an Access table then run SQL queries on them - I find this really useful when tying together multiple SIMS reports and you can achieve reports that simply cannot be done in SIMS alone simply by tying multiple reports together on a common point such as the student ID), or get yourself some web space (or a local server) and build a basic blog system. Sure it's reinventing the wheel and I wouldn't bother for a 'proper' website, but the best way to learn is by doing IMO.

I do need to strip my blog and start again...maybe with something less incoherent and rambling.

[LosOjos]

What does it involve? Haven't had any new qualifications since my degree.

 

There's some info in the flyer, but I can't tell you any more yet, I'm waiting for my welcome pack http://www.ssatuk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/NDMA.pdf

 

I've fallen down that trap before. Mostly it's the browsing stage looking at an advert then going "Uh huh, maybe not got enough knowledge for that."

 

It's easily done and I'm sure we all have but ask yourself this; before you were a data manager, what did you know about data management? I'm willing to bet not a lot, but if you're willing to learn you quickly find ways to apply and adapt your skillset to any job; this is what you must get across at interview

 

I do need to strip my blog and start again...maybe with something less incoherent and rambling.

 

Lol yeah blogging is something I keep having to remind myself to do; I have two separate blogs and don't update either nearly enough (one is for a local newspaper, I keep expecting them to cut me off!). I'd be wary about developing my own blogging system for live use right off the bat though; there are some excellent pre-made systems which have a team of people patching up security holes, but it's a good project to learn PHP/MySQL IMO (or whatever other stack interests you; C#/SQL is popular in business and you can set this up on a home server with free versions of SQL Server and Visual Studio)

[psydii]

Give Happy Computers a call. They have a three day excel schools data analysis course (not advertised on the website) developed by a guy with many years of experience with the analysis required by school SLT teams, more importantly for your the company's speciality is not the education sector, so it might be a link to open future doors.

 

You might also want to look at what PowerQuery can do for you, and perhaps Office365 PowerBI as well.

[CAM]

Of course it counts - you're collating raw data, verifying it, analyzing it then producing summary reports for senior management. You also provide a key link between the school, the parents and the wider community.

 

 

 

Advanced Excel skills are always in demand! I interviewed for an assistant here and put in the ad that Excel skills needed to be excellent and they would be tested. I set a test involving date formatting, lookups and pivot tables - only one person came close to completing the test.

 

Thanks for the insight, got a PERCENTRANK.INC( ) formula on my data now.