Launching My Career from a Placement Year

A warm welcome to start my career 

I joined Methods Analytics back in 2016 as a placement student as part of my Maths degree at Sheffield Hallam University. It was my first job, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I saw MA as an opportunity to learn and develop, whilst applying what I’d learnt at university, with the hope to return after completing my degree.

Methods Analytics gave me the warmest welcome with a vibrant office full of people willing to share knowledge and collaborate. That ethos was apparent throughout the business, and during my placement year I was exposed to a lot of people within the company and given the opportunity to learn. This was a large reason why I wanted to return following my degree, as Methods Analytics showed me the intent to continue to develop myself further in my career.

Return of the Mac

I re-joined as a data analyst, and continued learning SQL and Tableau, applying these skills across a myriad of healthcare projects, supplying charts, reports or building databases and Tableau dashboards to service them. Working with clients to help them achieve better outcomes has always been the main driver for me, with the collaboration with clients providing the most satisfying results.

In the coming years, I continued to diversify my skillset, exploring Python and Data Science in other sectors such as Defence, building a machine learning classification tool, as well as building PowerBI reports. Throughout my experiences at Methods Analytics, there has always been a drive for people to learn from within and develop in the path they want to take. This has enabled me to experience a vast array of types of projects, with different roles and responsibilities and various project teams across the business. Most recently, my projects have been focused on data discoveries and data governance, another two areas which have been enjoyable and a new way to apply all of the knowledge I have already garnered at Methods Analytics. Along with this experience in new projects and areas, my job role has changed to reflect as such, in early 2021 I was promoted to consultant at MA.

Why I’m still with MA

Reflecting on the last 4 years of working at Methods Analytics has reminded me of why I work here, and what I enjoy most. I work at Methods Analytics because at the core of the company is the desire to make a positive impact, while also developing their staff from the inside. I am grateful to Methods Analytics for all of the learning opportunities they have provided me, and the trust they have in me to get the job done. I enjoy being able to work at a company with such talented and enthusiastic individuals, collaborating with each other to deliver challenging projects, all focused on positive change.

Words of advice

My advice to someone looking for a job at a consultancy firm, would be to take chances, be proactive and develop your skillset from the various exposures you may get. I have been lucky to experience a range of different roles, types of project across sectors and have embraced all of these.

James Holland, Consultant