Data Analyst
Born in the segregated South, her positive attitude led to pushing through many peaks and valleys within her career and personal life.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
PV (fictional initials to preserve her privacy) was born into a loving family in a small town in the southern U.S.
The mother of PV was a schoolteacher at various education levels over time, ranging from junior high to special education, to elementary.
PV’s father had served in the U.S. Army before his premature death (heart attack from an unknown cause) while still in his 40s. In her father’s absence, PV was treated lovingly by her mother’s second husband (PV’s stepfather) who was attentive (bringing many small gifts to PV as a child, then driving her back and forth to college) while around home, though his work often caused him to be out of town.
While PV was technically an ‘only’ child, she never lived that way because the adults – PV’s mother, grandmother, aunt and step-father always welcomed an ‘extended’ family of cousins and neighborhood children.
Grandma earned money cooking for non-family. An uncle was a janitor. All the adults within this extended family became role models for PV – hard working, pushing themselves through life with positive attitudes, never complaining.
EDUCATION – IN SCHOOL AND IN LIFE
As a student in her local high school, PV worked hard at her academic courses, especially enjoying math and science. A teacher recommended testing PV for possible advanced placement in math; as a result, she skipped some basic courses during grades 9 through 12.
Evidently higher education was an important goal within PV’s family since her mother had completed college after PV was born, toward the mother’s goal to be a public-school teacher. Thus, whether to attend college was not an option for PV, whose adult family members told her that she must continue her education and that they would pay for it through the first four years.
PV’s pattern of testing out of basic math courses continued in college, where she finally had an academic set-back, failing both calculus and statistics because she had inadequate courses to prepare for those advanced mathematical issues. Though devasted by the reality of failure, PV called upon her basic positivity, re-enrolled in those courses and asked for tutoring help. Finding no tutors available, the professor, who appreciated PV’s determination to proceed, personally tutored PV. He was so impressed with her resulting mastery of the course materials that he appointed PV to be his teaching assistant.
Thus, was born – unintentionally – PV’s first professional network which, at various points of her career – would open new doors of career opportunities after she continued to earn professional admiration for her intellect, creativity, sensitivity to co-workers and positive determination to push projects to successful resolution.
FAMILY INFLUENCE HELPS MOVING THROUGH PEAKS AND VALLEYS OF LIFE AND CAREER
As a child observing the hard working, positive attitudes of her family’s adults, PV absorbed and adopted both their (A) work ethic – thus achieving some peaks from earned praise for her career performance- and (B) mental determination (‘will’) to push herself through any negative events – valleys. .
PV did not, however, plan to follow her family adults’ respective career paths into teaching (long hours for modest pay) or the military (had it caused her father’s ill health?) or working within product distribution (boring?) or any job paying only minimal wages.
Looking back from her perspective as an older adult, PV is somewhat embarrassed to recall that her early age 20s goal was to earn lots of money to afford a nice home and a Corvette (sleek looking, high-performance Chevrolet). Understandable goals, considering her age at the time but PV now has a more mature view of what constitutes success in her life and professional career.
FIRST JOBS ARE NOT A BINDING CAREER COMMITMENT
During PV’s senior year in college, businesses came to the campus to interview impending graduates. PV was offered a job as a ‘data tech’ within the FBI but that job would have required work at night so she declined, instead accepting an offer from a major manufacturer of electrical equipment, within their engineering division. Working during the day would permit PV to pursue a Master’s degree in either pure mathematics or the emerging field of computer science.
One of PV’s early assignments was to review the company engineers’ math calculations for an advanced radar system. PV was glad to be paid but wasn’t enjoying the work of pure mathematics.
By now married, PV opted to follow her husband’s work-related relocation to Japan, where she basked in the mostly leisure activities of a housewife. All was ‘good’ until it wasn’t – PV was bored, vowing to return to the business-world as soon as her husband would be transferred back to ‘the states’ (USA).
CHALLENGE – DISCRIMINATION
As PV came to realize while an emerging adult, caring and respect by her hometown’s residents often had boundaries of acceptance based on race – unlike her home environment. Ironically, the Black sixty percent (60%) majority of the town’s population was a racial minority (12%) within the overall U.S. population but virtually no Blacks were hired to work in any of the local, White-owned businesses. Black adults and children were not permitted to use the town’s public library.
The only exception to the local discriminatory hiring practices involved two Jewish-owned stores, whose proprietors were already well acquainted with – and quietly opposed to – discrimination based on race or religion of any prospective employee.
Looking back from her adult perspective, PV recalls that as a child, she was initially unaware of any hometown tension over racial discrimination because within her extended family, the adults had promoted a welcoming culture. But about age 14, PV became aware of racial segregation when the librarian at the town’s “Public Library” told PV that she could not use any of the books and asked PV to leave. PV’s abrupt discovery of racial discrimination coincided with the gradual, national awakening within the U.S. population to the unfairness of racial discrimination during the 1950s – following Blacks and Whites serving within the U.S. military during World War 2 and the Korean War while dying in combat regardless of their skin color.
During PV’s career journeys, she was, on multiple occasions, confronted by racial discrimination, ranging from not receiving job offers despite her obvious qualifications, to having her successful work reassigned by a supervisor who was “uncomfortable” working with her, to having White secretaries refuse to type her reports. When PV felt the need to object, her protests were always civil – an early echo of a more famous minority female declaring to a national audience, “When they go low, we go high!”
CHOOSING A CAREER PATH – PEAKS AND VALLEYS OFTEN FOLLOW
(Editor: PV’s career journey includes more peaks and valleys than most people will experience but it’s worth reading to appreciate the persistent optimism employed to push ahead. So, fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride!)
Following PV’s return to the states, she started looking into job prospects within data analysis labs in areas where her husband had been transferred to work. She received no job offers, which PV attributed to either being a racial minority or because her husband was in the military and might be transferred at any time, taking her with him.
VALLEY
Eventually PV was offered a job as a part-time, temporary data technician with no side benefits (e.g. health insurance, paid sick days and vacation) though her education and experience qualified her for a more responsible and better paying assignment. Here, PV’s salary was half of what she had earned at the equipment manufacturer (a valley) but the good news: the day job would allow PV to continue her education toward a Master’s degree in computer science.
(Editor: A Master’s degree was not then necessary to qualify for a programming position; a Bachelor’s of Science (BS) would have been sufficient for an entry-level position.)
PV believed that earning a Master’s degree would provide a competitive advantage when she later competed for high-level positions. Meanwhile, PV enjoyed reviewing research papers prepared for publication. While this data center lab had no computers, PV’s supervisor, pleased with her work so far, offered to help her find a position working with computers as soon as such a position was available.
PEAK
When the lab opened its data center, PV’s supervisor transferred her to the data center, just as he said he would. Thus, for a second time, PV’s intellect, creativity, people skills and positive attitude earned her volunteer career help from a new mentor.
When PV’s husband was transferred for his work to another city, PV told her supervisor that she needed to quit her present job and apply to work near her new home location. But the supervisor, caring for PV’s professional future, suggested an alternative plan: instead of her quitting, he would arrange to transfer PV so her employment history would avoid a record of quitting but instead, continue along a more positive line of promotion.
Now for the third time, a volunteer mentor was helpful to PV because she had earned his appreciation for her business skills.
When the transfer proceeded, PV enrolled in a Master’s program toward earning her degree in computer science, which eventually involved completing some course work at another university.
VALLEY
While PV’s career was experiencing another peak, her personal life was in a valley during an emotionally unsettling divorce. So, PV did what she always did during a valley: pushed herself through it by focusing on a positive. Having already established a pattern of balancing daytime work with evening education classes, PV concentrated on continuing to work toward her Master’s degree. Admittedly, it was an ‘escape mechanism’ but it worked!
(Editor’s note: PV’s career story is about to follow a path which some might consider due to ‘luck’ but within this Career Stories Library, we define ‘luck’ as: experience and motivation meet opportunity)
PEAK
One day a senior analyst (higher job title but not necessarily smarter) asked PV if she could design a computer based system to track complex data which the federal agency could utilize to improve its reporting to Congress. PV said she would “give it a try.”
(Editor: Business supervisors don’t randomly ask employees to undertake novel projects without first having observed a relatively new employee’s work performance for awhile, including proficiency with current equipment and procedures plus critical thinking skills.)
It should not surprise the reader of this career story that PV’s newly created data management system was successful! Indeed, so successful that it resulted in PV being lured to a promotion within a different division of the same government agency to both maintain the system she had created and teach others how to use it. A career peak!
VALLEY
As previously noted within PV’s personal and career journey, a peak may soon be followed by a valley. This pattern continued, as a different senior analyst decided – without any reason announced to PV – to transfer the well-functioning data system to a different co-worker. When PV declined to voluntarily transfer her job responsibilities to a co-worker, she asked her supervisor about the reason for the change. The supervisor’s response: “I’m not comfortable working with you.”
“Hmm,” thought PV to herself. “My designed system is working very well; everyone involved with it is pleased with its ease and accuracy. That same Division Director had consistently told me and rated my performance as ‘Exceptional’ so, I suspect the reason for the transfer is somehow based on racial or gender discrimination.”
There were only two women in this division; the other female was the secretary. PV asked herself: Was the transfer because PV was female? Was it because she was quiet and not part of the ‘old (White) boy’ network? Or was it something else? PV admitted – to herself – that events like these caused her to question her abilities to succeed.
PV concluded her self-analysis by deciding that her job performance can’t seem to change her supervisor’s attitude so one of her options was to move to a different employment setting. Which she did.
At the time PV decided to move her employment away from management which was admittedly uncomfortable with having her working within that department, current federal government employees seeking to move from one agency to another, were required to apply to a new agency rather than simply transferring from one agency to another, as happens in private industry when moving within the same company from one department to another.
PEAK
By now, PV’s career successes were themselves great recommendations to any new employer so she was promptly hired by a different government agency to head a team involved in data analysis for reporting to Congress. Based on the government ranking of employment titles, PV’s new position was a step up, as it involved supervising others – a first for PV – plus an enhanced government civilian employee rank and a salary increase. A true peak!
(Editor: ‘Gentle reader’ – a term from British novels – you know what is likely next for PV; if you guessed a valley, give yourself a gold star).
VALLEY
After PV established herself with continuing good work performance within her new agency, she took a vacation. While away from the office, her supervisor moved PV’s job responsibilities to herself, apparently hoping to take credit for the ongoing success of the system created and expanded by PV. However, an agency “customer”- another federal employee – who led the largest and most mission-critical division in this federal agency, was very angry about the change. He had been glad to benefit from all the improvements and efficiencies introduced by PV. Within this government agency, customers were important to the agency’s funding income, so agency heads had to respect customer comments and try to keep them happy.
Editor: Keeping people safe and saving lives through various, sometimes debatable, means, is the mission of many federal agencies, such as defense, air traffic control, federal highway, rail and food and drug administrations. Often the mission of the agency places it in conflict with the politics of some of its customers such as the tobacco, food and pharmaceutical industries as well as some private citizens who disagree with the mandatory approval and enforcement methods used by agencies to achieve their mission to protect the public.
The response of PV’s supervisor to the customer’s complaint about losing the opportunity to continue to work with PV, was that the supervisor claimed the transfer of job duties away from PV was solely PV’s idea. When PV learned of that response, PV – influenced by both (a) her parents’ consistent message to always tell the truth and (b) the example of U.S. civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, of “speaking truth to power,” wrote a letter to the customer, denying that PV had proposed or agreed to the idea for the supervisor taking over.
The supervisor then directed PV to retract her letter and take full responsibility for the decision, which PV refused to do.
PV called her mother to explain the situation and ask for advice, believing she was about to lose her job. As usual, her mother advised PV to remain positive and things would work out for the best.
PV was not fired or demoted but realized that she could no longer trust the supervisor and continue to work in a respected way within that agency.
Continuing to believe that working as a federal government employee in data management systems which she well understood, could be a very satisfying career with friendly and supportive co-workers, PV applied to several other federal agencies for positions within data analysis and management.
By now, PV’s on-the-job reviews were such an accumulation of positive comments that any negative references by a few supervisors would be easily recognized as only personality clashes unrelated to work performance.
(Editor: Some supervisors become well known for various forms of abusing those they supervise and thus their opinions are not influential.)
PEAK
Soon after inquiring about job openings at other federal agencies, PV was hired to direct an important government data center, where she remained happily employed for the next nine years, doing interesting work, surrounded by respectful co-workers. A peak, for sure.
As often happens in any business – both private industry and public government – good work attracts attention and new offers. PV, focused on daily excelling, hard work, writing well and getting along with others, next earned a promotion from a political employee to be his deputy. PV’s new job duties would be quite different, though her data analysis skills would still be useful: interacting with the public, the ‘press’ (newspapers, magazines, tv) and Congressional representatives.
VALLEY
Promotions often involve job duties beyond the normal 9 to 5 weekday pattern. PV now found herself involved in various political events both nights and weekends. These schedule conflicts and the resulting loss of restful downtime led to physical illness, in turn causing PV to (temporarily, she hoped) drop out of her doctorate program for public administration.
(Editor: Perhaps a small valley? But we all now know what follows valleys for PV: peaks, caused not by mere luck but by her continued positive pushes through adversity.)
PEAK
As soon as PV’s health improved, she accepted an offer to use her data analysis skills plus her recent experience of interacting with the public, the press and government contractors, to join yet another government agency, where PV received a promotion in both government job ranking and salary increase. PV continued to do her job well while becoming more visible to government outsiders due to being featured as a rare minority success story within newspaper and magazine articles.
Everything was going well………..until it wasn’t.
VALLEY
(Editor: In private business, where the ‘bottom line’ is judged by profits and not the personality of the workforce, job performance reviews are usually based more on actual work results than personality assessments. In government, personalities often seem to play a more important role since governments are less focused on the profitability of their services.)
One day, a senior political officer asked PV to – as PV describes the event – “essentially betray a high government official (‘HGO’ – not an official title) then working for a member of the President’s ‘Cabinet.’
HGO had oversight responsibility for worldwide Department of Defense communications systems. Per the mutually trusting working relationship between PV and HGO, PV was tasked with writing and circulating “policy position papers” (PPPs) including how our military leaders handled funding those systems.
Contrary to the existing procedure of U.S. military leadership directing the military funding procedures, the politician asked PV to prepare a new PPP changing funding direction from the military to civilian leadership. PV immediately recognized that such a transfer would contradict existing policy which she had no authority to change by herself and further, that ‘civilian leadership’ would inevitably involve politicians whose motivations might differ significantly from military leadership.
PV again recalled her parents’ practice and discussion about constant integrity. Accordingly, despite the politician offering various promotions (higher job rank with related salary increases) PV declined to issue such a PPP.
What to do? Believing the politician would somehow interfere with her future government work, PV decided to retire from government service and restore some balance with her personal life, recently involving a new marriage.
(Editor: While traveling at fully paid business or government expense including airfare, hotels and dining, making speeches to usually adoring crowds and hob-knobbing with ‘movers and shakers’ might seem a glamorous lifestyle for awhile, the reality of frequently waking up in hotels, trying to recall the name of today’s city while being away from family, can wear down even young career climbers.)
PV and her husband used their combined financial savings to enjoy having no schedule or deadlines while traveling to explore the country and reconnect with friends.
(Editor – Often, high-energy people tire of complete withdrawal from pursuing business success and decide to return, re-energized – to the fast-paced world of public or private business.)
PRIVATE INDUSTRY ALSO HAS CAREER PEAKS AND VALLEYS
PEAK
Now healthy, well rested and looking forward to returning to a faster pace of life, PV inquired about several employment opportunities and chose an employment offer with the combination of interesting work within her skills set plus fair compensation. Her position within this non-government business involved interacting with many co-workers to develop marketing (sales) strategies to identify groups to focus on as potential customers and how to tailor the company’s advertising accordingly.
Utilizing her most recent government experience, PV brought creative ideas and critical thinking to her co-workers while comfortable speaking to large groups at periodic conferences.
VALLEY
All was well until it wasn’t……… when her employer changed its business model, which left PV’s future with the company in a cloud of uncertainty.
CHALLENGE – START-UP BUSINESSES OFFER BOTH RISK AND REWARD
(Editor: A true ‘start-up’ business is created by one or more risk-taking adults who hope to earn money by selling a new product or an existing product in a new way. The ‘product’ can be either a physical object or an intangible idea / process. The risk is that the new business has no track record of success and may not be successful, either quickly or ever. The potential reward is that the new business will be dramatically successful so early investors and workers will be paid extravagantly.)
PEAK
Based upon PV’s computerized data analysis successes within several government agencies and one private industry, PV received an offer to join a start-up company as a vice president. She hoped the profits projected by the recruiter would prove accurate while she enjoyed the challenges of creating a computerized, data analysis for the new business.
VALLEY
All was well……until it wasn’t when PV was not paid the agreed salary promised. Upon brief investigation, the president of the start-up company had not raised enough money to pay business expenses until income at least matched expenses. PV quickly concluded that her only option – since she wanted to continue working – was to promptly search for different employment.
NON-PROFIT BUSINESSES OFFER RISKS AND REWARDS
(Editor: Businesses are essentially two types: (1) For-profit organizations whose goal is to create income more than expenses (net profits). Profits are then distributed by management to the owners of the business and sometimes shared with employees. Typically, for-profit businesses offer their customers a physical object or an intangible idea in exchange for payment. (2) Non-profit organizations provide a service while receiving income to pay its expenses (e.g. salaries, rent, utilities, advertising) using payments from customers or charitable supporters.
Government is designed to be a form of non-profit business – providing services to the public in exchange for taxes paid by the public including private businesses.)
PEAK
Now with both government and private, for-profit business experience, PV was open to accepting a job offer from a non-profit business. Interacting with fewer co-workers was still enjoyable as PV continued to use her knowledge of computer science and analytical thinking along with writing and experience gained from working with outsiders including the press and government representatives.
VALLEY
All was going well …………until it wasn’t, after the president of the company departed the non-profit, succeeded by a new president who brought in her previous company’s management team and appointed new division supervisors. Due to PV’s continued good job performance reviews, she was offered a transfer to a new division within the same company. But she was not interested in the type of work she would be assigned. So, with sufficient retirement savings and related income prospects already in hand, PV made the decision to (finally!) retire from her working career.
CAREER SATISFACTION
Looking back from the perspective of retirement after decades of work within government, private for-profit and non-profit organizations, PV concludes that she most enjoyed the combination of interesting and challenging work involving complex data management issues, critical thinking and supportive co-workers.
She is justifiably proud of mastering complex mathematical principles, applying sophisticated technology and most important, always standing up for her core values of integrity while staying positive through all peaks and valleys.
(Editor: By now, gentle reader, you may have concluded that in almost any career with employment ranging from government to private business, there are risks and rewards involving both peaks and valleys. Through anyone’s career journey, keeping a positive attitude is essential for eventual career satisfaction.)
