Jessica Upton is a former EPC Data Fellow and has just landed her dream job. She tells us how the EPC opporunity has jump started her career.
As I move forward into my professional career, I find myself continually drawing upon my fellowship at the Engineering Professors’ Council. The range of skills and experience I built during that time have proved valuable not only to my education but to the successful application and interview process for the data analytics position I recently secured.
Having the freedom to explore my avenues of personal interest also increased my confidence in my own voice and the value of my opinion in the professional sphere. More specifically, my literature review and the Excel spreadsheet I created on the Athena SWAN Award enabled me to participate in a project to design the qualitative research model of a gendered experience of the engineering industry. This experience proved both unique and invaluable as I entered the job market.
One of the many reasons my data fellowship was at the heart of my job applications and subsequent interviews was the variety of skills it allowed me to explore and develop. As well as building my qualitative research skills, I was also able to increase my skills in quantitative analysis using R. I was provided with a large dataset on foundation years over a three-year period and was given the freedom to clean, analyse and present conclusions using my personal judgement. This allowed me to put into practice the skills I had gained in my degree in a professional context, and since I was able to present my findings, it also broadened the skills I could draw upon during job interviews.
My fellowship did not stop at desk work. In December 2023, I assisted in the Access and Admissions Forum, where I listened to a range of inspiring speakers and was able to network with industry professionals from other higher education institutions. Having this range of experiences allowed me to demonstrate an active development in my practical data analytics skills, as well as my social skills. I believe it’s this combination that enabled me to stand out as a candidate when I entered the job market.
After graduation, I was daunted by the prospect of securing a job. The narrative surrounding graduates entering the world of work was discouraging, but being able to speak about the variety of skills and experiences I accumulated during my data fellowship at the EPC gave me a huge boost in confidence. Ultimately, I believe this was the reason I was able to secure a position in data analytics in one of the world’s largest media and marketing companies.
