Data Analyst - Sinja Hantschmann
- Alice
- Nov 28, 2024
- 4 min read
Meet Sinja: she’s a recent graduate who is now working as a data analyst in Germany. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did - Sinja’s excitement about her career is contagious.
Let's see if her love for logic and numbers spreads to you too, because I definitely think I caught some of that! And the great thing is, Sinja says that data analysis is totally doable if you have an interest in it and put in the work.
Choosing the Master’s Program
Sinja’s academic journey began in Berlin, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in educational science. An Erasmus program first brought her to Norway, and she enjoyed Scandinavia so much that she decided to enroll in the University of Gothenburg’s Master's in IT and Learning, excited to gain technical skills to complement her pedagogical background.
As the master’s leaned more toward conceptual frameworks than technical training, Sinja took the initiative to find extra courses that suited her interests. Through the University Admissions portal, courses were available in programming, databases, and data analytics.
Side note: It’s possible to enroll in external classes alongside the mandatory ones, even with other Swedish universities (e.g. Chalmers and Stockholm University), but please discuss this option with your study counselor first!
Master’s Thesis Insights
If the thesis weren't scary enough, Sinja actually balanced a full-time job in Germany and the thesis project at the same time! She did so under the guidance of her amazing thesis supervisor, Johan, whom she highly values and credits with keeping her motivated. Johan’s support and excitement truly helped her through that challenging time of writing while focusing on her job! 😇 💪
Her topic explored self-regulated learning in the context of AI, which she decided on through a combination of personal interest and current trends. If possible, she highly suggests choosing a thesis topic that aligns with your desired future career – sounds so easy, right? 🥲
And if you are particularly interested in a specific job or company, use the thesis to your advantage to connect with them!
“I just realized it was opening so many doors, and usually people are very happy to talk about their interests when they are able to take the time!”
Her Typical Workday
Today, Sinja works as a data analyst in HR for a data-driven company. She describes her typical day as normal - spent by her laptop! It revolves around analyzing and visualizing people data: employee hiring rates, training hours, leadership development, and more. The connection with the IT and Learning master’s may not be so evident, but she is also involved with measurement of different aspects relating to learning. She’s currently working on a dashboard that aims to clearly display budgeting information to managers so they can effectively plan employee training.
“I love that! I love to look into [data], pull together more information, and deep dive into what people are doing… without them even understanding!”
3 Hard Skills That Matter
Sinja emphasizes the importance of technical skills in her field, particularly:
Her advice? If you’re considering a career in data analytics, start building your skill set now, and try to learn as much as possible. Showing even basic hard skills on your CV can make a difference.
Sinja also emphasizes the growing opportunities in data analytics:
“This field is growing so much. If you like analytics, data, and programming, I would really recommend working in this field. Looking into data is going to be more important in the future than it already is.”
Reflections and Advice
We then asked her to offer a piece of advice to the following audiences relating to the Master’s in IT and Learning:
Prospective Students
Consider where your interests lie. If you are expecting a program that offers technical expertise, this may not be for you. However, you can always take advantage of the flexibility in Sweden to explore courses outside your program, and tailor these to your interests, as this option truly “gives you power over what you want to study.”
Current Students
Take any courses that interest you, as many as you can. There are so many exciting things to learn! Use your thesis as an opportunity to connect with companies or explore a topic that aligns with your career goals. Keep talking to professionals and alumni, networking opens doors!
Recent Graduates
Keep learning – this is just the beginning of your journey! Try to find a company, institution, or PhD program where you can feel comfortable, but also continue to grow and develop.
Inspiration for Future Graduates
Sinja’s enthusiasm definitely rubbed off on us and I hope it shone through in this post! Hearing her story, highlighted with laughs and cheerful advice, even made me start exploring data analytics, looking into freestanding courses I can take next semester. I don't have much experience with data analysis, and I'm not particularly in love with numbers...
So naturally I asked Sinja how challenging it is to get started:
“[Data analytics] is totally doable,” she assures. “If you have an understanding for numbers, you like logical and analytical stuff.”
If you're interested in starting right away, I found a Data Analyst certification from Data Camp - this learning platform is teacher recommended! I started their Introduction to Python course and think it's well explained and engaging.
Sinja’s journey highlights the possibilities that open up when you take charge of your own learning and lean into what excites you.
Fun fact: Alkemisten was Sinja's favorite place in Gothenburg to meet friends and study!
If you haven't been, definitely check it out, and try their banana bread and homemade nutella - heavenly!
Keep Xploring!
Alice
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