As a new grad, I interviewed for one of those “management development programs.” I really wanted the job because it sounded cool to travel different departments and even across the world. It sounded like a great way to get a well-rounded and exciting look at business.
I made it to the final interview but didn’t get the job. To this organization’s credit, I was given feedback about my performance when asked for it.
I was told that I was too focused on and excited about writing than on working with data and reports.
“But I like writing!” I remember thinking. “And all those takes from the business elite tell you how important writing is.” After all, “management trainees” would want to have the same skills as actual managers… right? (I was so naive about the corporate grind back then, with no one to set me straight.)
When professionals emphasize how important it is to be able to write, they mean write emails. Or Slack messages. Or carry on basic, intelligible workplace discussions. They do not mean the ability to write engaging long-form content.
I hate to break it to my younger self, and to everyone who enjoys it: writing is not as valuable in business as they make it out to be… or, at least, not for data analysts, and not in the way it’s made out to be.
Why data?
My dirty secret is that I got into data because I enjoy writing so much. I figured that the faster I got at cleaning and analyzing data, the more time I would have left over to “get out of the building.”
I still think it’s a huge problem that most data analysts work with sets of data that are totally detached from reality for them. They’ve never seen the products, or spoken with the customers. Quantitative data absolutely has business value, but (gasp!) so does qualitative.
And the ability to write and think discursively is tremendously important for this equally valid way of knowing.
I hope for a time when the average corporate department doesn’t think in terms of “data” versus “opinions” but instead of “research,” where weekly reports and field work each play a role.
We’re not there yet, at least not in the places I’ve worked.
So what do you do now?
If you’re in data and enjoy writing, the best career paths for you aren’t going to be the conventional ones. That may be disconcerting, but these paths are actually more lucrative. Here’s what you do?
Create content
If you are in data and like to write, then… write! Start a blog and share what you know.
Drop any impulse of perfectionism or self-conciousness and just do it. To be honest, very few people will be looking at your stuff when you’re starting out, anyway (More on that in a second.).
I can say that starting a blog is the single-best thing I did for my career, but you know what? Most people in the field still don’t see the value. It’s seen as a harmless hobby at best, and a prodigal vanity project at worst — after all, why give away knowledge so wantonly?
This inability to sense the value of a blog underlies your next step in making it as a literary analyst.
Learn some business
Most data analysts are content to belly up to a body of knowledge, consume it, and rent their abilities to an employer. There’s not a lot of creativity in this career route, but it’s a linear progression to higher pay, cooler-sounding titles, etc.
You as writer probably want to create as part of your profession. You may be surprised to learn this isn’t the case for most of your peers, who are just fine with being content consumers (no pun intended).
The great thing about being a content producer is you are able to build equity in your own authority, rather than renting your technical ability to employers.
It takes work to build authority, and the process is not linear. But it is a process, and it is a business. So learn some things about content marketing and brand positioning. Turns out that these fields do require a command of language, so you’ll fit right in.
These are topics that the average data analyst has barely even heard of. But you will master them, and be that rare data analyst with a brand distinct from their employer’s. And, hey! You did it all from writing.
Go your own way
I guess if you get to the upper echelons of an organization, the ability to write and communicate really is important. But it seems pretty unlikely to get there from a junior analyst position, even if you’re in a management development program.
If you really enjoy writing, and you’re a data analyst, you’ll have to make some adjustments to your career path.
It may include a lot of teaching, as the ability to express ideas clearly is valuable there. It may mean spending time learning video editing or writing blog posts when peers are bulking up on technical acumen.
Your passion for content creation may feel out-of-place or like a time-wasting nuisance. But as you shift your mentality to that of content producer, and grow your business aptitude, your brand will grow, and the rewards will follow.
What questions do you have about combining your interests in writing and analytics? How have you made them click, or how would you like to? Let me know in the comments.
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