[ I AM ] Melissa Demcsak

For me to fully explain what I’ve been up to, I have to go back 3+ years to the fall of 2012.  Back then, I had been working a few level under the CFO at a large real estate conglomerate. I had successfully developed many data marts/model, custom ETLs, trained/managed, etc.   I proposed a predictive analytics project that would correlate economic indicators and real estate.  I basically got laughed out of the CFO’s office because he felt the project was of no value.  I knew at that precise moment, that there was nothing more for me to learn at that company and I needed to start looking for another job.

So, I purposely focused on volunteer opportunities that would allow me transition from Microsoft SQL Server/Business Intelligence to a more diverse skillset that included Analytics, Data Mining, Big Data and Predictive Analytics.  While I continued on with my current job and running the NJ SQL Server User Group, I added running the PASS Business Analytics Virtual Chapter, helping with the PASS Business Analytics Conference content, presenting on data career topics, learning Microsoft Power BI and even was the technical reviewer on a Power BI book. Early in 2014, I was nominated for a Microsoft SQL MVP, but yet again my efforts didn’t mark the mark for an MVP.  Looking back, I took it very hard and within 2 months, I resigned all my volunteer positions.

I also had begun to read a lot of career books and anything I could get my hands on that included the future of data careers.  Marshall Goldsmith’s book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There grabbed my attention. I began to realize that I had been focusing on being a top notch Microsoft SQL Server professional for many years and maybe, just maybe I needed a different approach.  I worked with a career coach who helped me strip down my career aspirations to 3 simple things:

#1: I need to work in a data role alongside really smart and geeky people.

#2: I love to work with heaps of raw data, refine/model for hours to deliver insights.

#3: I want to use my technical expertise, passion for data help organizations operate in more data driven ways.

In the spring of 2014, I was ready for my job search and announced to the people in my local network.  A previous co-worker and friend informed me that a new data management position in a data analytics/reporting area was about to be posted.  So as luck would have it, I entered the interview process and was hired in May, 2014.

The first full year of the new job was very unstructured, yet full of a wide range of learning opportunities that I hadn’t been exposed to.  I was engulfed in the learning of a new industry (Animal Pharma), was part of team that worked on the data integration/reporting of a new SaleForce.com launch, and then went on to assist with the downstream integration from the newly launched ERP (SAP).  I learned more in that first year than I had in the previous 5 years.  I’ve recently been part of many data strategy and visualization vendors.  For one of our initiatives, we chose Tableau Online to help deliver business value in a more agile manner.  Lately, I’ve become the accidental Tableau Administrator in addition my other data integration and liaison roles.  Life is Good!

Please vote for the PASS Board of Directors by 9/30 at 12pm PT

Voting is now open in the PASS Board of Directors 2013 elections. Three seats are up for election for the 2014-2015 term, including two regional seats: one representing EMEA and one representing the US/Canada; the third seat is an open seat with no regional restrictions. Ballots were sent to all PASS members on 9/26 with subject line “PASS Board of Directors 2013 Elections: Your Ballot” (members as of 6/13/13).

Voting closes on 9/30 at Noon Pacific Time. Happy Voting!

More details are available from http://www.sqlpass.org/Elections.aspx

I’m preparing a post with my response to the Sheryl Sandburg’s new book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.  But, I just remembered that I already started this conversation last year on SkillCrush.com.

http://skillcrush.com/2012/07/10/can-women-in-tech-have-it-all/

9/28: RedGate SQL in the City

10/23-10/25: http://strataconf.com/stratany2012?intcmp=il-strata-stny12-st12sc-widget

10/22-10/25: TDWI New York Seminar

BIG Data / Business Intelligence

Cloud

Data Management/MetaData

MS SQL Server

SharePoint

Have you ever gotten really good at something and grazed at the mountain top?  While it’s OK to recognize your own accomplishments, it’s not good to linger too long at the top of one particular mountain.  Some of the reasons why people graze (sounds gentler than become complacent) are related to work-family balance, medical issues, general stress or perhaps it just feels right at the time.

As a young working mother, my personal focus was on providing for my family financially, developing a career and raising our daughters so that they would be prepared for the world.  Once the first two were satisfied and remained in a state of maintenance, I was freed up to assure my daughters were well supported in their teen years.  At that time, I also got involved in technical communities at a local and nationally while developing organizational and leadership skills.  So, while I was moving forward professionally I was doing so cautiously with the emergency brake on.

I tried numerous tactics to lift the emergency brake which includes several areas of self-study to propel myself career wise.  But, it seems that even my best plans were foiled by self-sabotage and my great ability to lean towards other distractions (life happens).  I took lots of time and thought deeply about my passions and the parts of my job that I enjoy.  It all came down to this: I LOVE Data, Connecting Data and business’ and connecting People via Technical Communities.

I was excited that I had come to the conclusion of some plausible career paths. But, It appeared that my established strategies of writing goals, envisioning, attacking them with brute force and/or tying them to other people or commitments no longer worked.  I obviously needed a new set of tools to reach my full potential.  I reached out to friends and mentors for feedback and later decided that I needed a dynamic coach.

In my journey of finding a new set of tools to remove the brakes from my “OK Plateau”, I came across the following articles/videos/quotes that resonated with me.  I’m sharing these resources in the hopes that I help someone else or I receive some feedback that will propel me.

Break Through Your “OK Plateau” By Studying Yourself Failing ~ Joshua Foer

How to Re-Program Your Subconscious Mind to Get What You Want ~ Marie Forleo

Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders (TedWomen Dec 2010)

To Succeed, Forget Self-Esteem

#IgniteNYC: When Failing Is Cool http://nyconvergence.com/2012/09/ignitenyc-when-failing-is-cool-ignitenyc.html#prclt-R2ymbxU4

 When you become brave enough to be silent, the answers you seek will finally reveal themselves ~cherylrichardson.com

If you have this gut sucking gurgling urge to do something new that will shake your professional world at its core, you better be prepared.  Building a business, kicking off an entrepreneurial venture and changing career directions is not for the faint of heart!

Yes, of course there are some that appear to have some revolutionary idea and just appear to ‘rock it’ with minimal effort.

But, if you speak with these people and pull back the virtual ‘Wizard of Oz’ curtain, you’ll find that they are just like you, only they have employed a few more basic tools.

One of the things that people often omit from their bag of tools is a carefully selected personal board of directors (PBOD).  A board of directors is simply a diverse group of individuals that can be called upon to support your emotional and business needs.  Have you ever had a great product idea, started to act on it, got months into it and found yourself stressed and doubting your initial vision?  Well, this most likely isn’t a moment to pick up the phone and call your mother!!

I recently approached one of my exercise instructors that I have known for years.  She had recently announced she was leaving her current job at a local exercise franchise to start her own local franchise.  I congratulated her and told her how proud and excited I was of her for having the passion and confidence to start a business of her own.  I then asked her if she had familiarized herself with the local women owned business associations to get support.  She hadn’t and the conversation that followed wasn’t uplifting.  What was evident was that she had a deep passion and commitment level for the franchise that she had already invested 5+ years into.  What she wasn’t prepared for was the hostile response to this proposal at her current job and from owners of franchises in the surrounding areas.  She hadn’t defined a strong personal board of directors and as a result she felt alone, abandoned and even had thoughts of leaving the field all together.

I’m sure we all can relate to this situation and see it as pattern that may have happened in our own lives.  In an effort to create my own personal board of directors (in case I decide to do something really BIG), here’s my attempt at defining the cast of characters that will be at my table.

Personal Board of Directors Cast of Characters:

The World Traveler – She’s seen it all and her tolerance for stress in much higher than yours.

The Sage – The women that has known you from the beginning of time and knows when you are in a funk.  She knows when you aren’t following your heart.

“Cocktails”  – She’s the one who will open her home to you at a moment’s notice, explains the ‘maid’ hasn’t come this week, you don’t care and within minutes your babbling over a cocktail and the world is balanced again!

Energizer (think Bunny) – Have you ever met someone that instantly changes the energy level in the room and suddenly you feel energized?  You may want this person for your mentor.

The Headliner – She’s done it all in her field and ‘appears’ to be the most polished person in the room.  But, when you get to know her you uncover that she’s worked as hard as you have to.

Snarky (not Snooky) – She doesn’t hold ANYTHING back and is a HUGE walking OPINION on a stick.  Carefully plan time with this person and make sure to meet up with “Cocktails” or Energizer soon after.

Note: The cast has not been listed in any particular order.  I also have no plans of having them all sit with me at a table.  This would be disastrous and the table might implode!!

Note: Reposted from http://wp.me/p1TQAS-k on 6/28/12.