How I Became a BI CONSULTANT Adam Finer - Learn BI Online

 

How I Became a BI CONSULTANT

Adam Finer - Learn BI Online

How I Became a BI Consultant: My Journey

This blog post is sponsored by Coursera.

Hello and welcome to Learn BI Online with me, Adam Finer. In this post, I will be sharing the story of how I became a BI consultant and the skills and tools that led me to where I am today. Whether you are considering a career in business intelligence or simply looking for inspiration, I hope this post will be helpful to you. Let's dive in!

The Beginning: Market Research and Coding

I started my career in market research, working as a telephone interviewer and later setting up my own business doing coding. This coding involved turning verbatim text answers to survey questions into numeric data for analysis. I then moved on to data processing and survey analysis, where I wrote code to transform raw survey data into cross tabulations.

Although market research was not the most exciting field for me, I had always been a creative person and pursued music alongside my job. I even released an album in 2006. However, I eventually realized that my job was not fulfilling and decided to make a change.

A New Chapter: Moving to the South of France

In 2009, I made the bold decision to quit my job and move to the south of France. My parents were already living there, and I saw this as an opportunity for a fresh start. I rented an apartment in a nearby town and began exploring new creative pursuits.

However, after two years, I ran out of money and needed to find a source of income quickly. Despite not wanting to work with data anymore, I came across a job opportunity at a tech startup in Montpellier. This startup was developing a cloud-based self-service BI tool called BIM.

The Middle: Finding my Passion in BI

Initially hired for a sales role, I quickly realized that my skills were better suited for using the BI tool to analyze data and build interactive dashboards. I expressed my interest in this area to the founders, and they gave me the opportunity to transition into a technical services consultant role.

As a technical services consultant, I onboarded new clients, trained them in using the BI tool, and handled technical questions. This marked the beginning of my career in business intelligence.

Within this role, I had the opportunity to wear multiple hats. I ran a training program for new clients, worked as a solutions consultant, and also became a project manager and consultant for clients who wanted us to implement BI projects on their behalf.

Although I initially had limited experience in project management, I was sent on a project management course that transformed the way I worked. The skills and knowledge I gained from this course have been invaluable throughout my career.

The End: Where I Am Today

Since my early days as a BI consultant, I have continued to grow and develop in this field. I have worked with clients of all sizes and industries, gaining a global perspective on the growth of business intelligence.

Now, as a BI consultant with my own YouTube channel, I am passionate about helping others do more with data. I share tutorials, tips, and insights on my channel to empower individuals and organizations to harness the power of business intelligence.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me. Stay tuned for more content on Learn BI Online!

Study Hack: How I Became a BI Consultant and YouTube Creator

As a consultant, I highly recommend studying project management for anyone working on the client side. And speaking of project management, let me introduce you to the Google Project Management Professional Certificate. This program, offered by Google, is designed to teach you all the essential skills you need to be job-ready in just six months, even if you have no prior experience. It includes over 140 hours of instruction and practice-based assessments to simulate real-world project management scenarios. By completing this program, you can also prepare for certifications like the Certified Associate in Project Management.

In this program, you will gain a deep understanding of project documentation, agile project management, strategic communication, problem solving, and stakeholder management. The best part is that it's online and self-paced, allowing you to dedicate just 10 hours a week to complete it. Start your journey to a career in project management today by enrolling in a seven-day free trial of the Google Project Management Professional Certificate. Simply click on the link in the description to sign up.

My Journey to Becoming a BI Consultant

A few years ago, our company went through an exciting acquisition. We were approached by Zendesk, a company in the US, who loved our tools so much that they offered us $45 million for it. We were thrilled and thought everything would remain the same, just with bigger clients. However, after the acquisition, it became clear that Zendesk had no interest in developing the professional services side of our business. I decided to leave and become a BI consultant.

While I was leaving Zendesk, they offered me an all-expenses-paid trip to their head office in San Francisco, hoping to keep my expertise. After three months, I realized it wasn't the right fit for me and returned to France.

With six years of experience in the industry, I started my own BI consultancy called Vitamin BI. Alongside my consulting work, I decided to try out YouTube as a way to share my knowledge and passion for BI. Initially, my videos received very few views, but over time, they gained traction and helped me professionally as well. They brought me new clients who were looking for a BI professional to assist them with their projects.

Learn BI Online

After four years of running my YouTube channel, I rebranded it as Learn BI Online. I also created a website, learnbi.online, to provide additional resources and content. Furthermore, I developed an online training program called the BI Career Starter Program, designed to turn individuals into certified BI analysts in just 12 weeks.

If you're interested in becoming certified in project management or starting a career in BI, be sure to check out the Google Project Management Professional Certificate and the BI Career Starter Program. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you soon for another video!