How to change your career within the same IT organization? From Service Coordinator to Data Consultant

Let me say it loud and clear, the IT world is not only for programmers. The job title ‘IT specialist’ may mean thousand different things, and the tech industry itself brings countless opportunities for people with many different backgrounds.

Probably most young people who are about to graduate from high school face the very same challenge that will affect their whole lives, that is choosing a career path. Some knew exactly what they would like to become long before that moment. Others (including myself 😉) will discover where they belong and what gives them the most job satisfaction after years of trying different things.

In this article, I’ll tell you more about how I changed my career within the same tech company and finally found a place where I can realize my potential.

Making the first steps in IT

I have always liked drawing and painting. All creative tasks at school were my thing, and my innate sense of aesthetics was appreciated by many.

As the school years went by, I also managed to develop analytical skills. Together with a high level of empathy, they shaped my future career path. I wanted to work in a place where I could help people but also travel the world.

Sounds like a nice story, right? But what does that have to do with IT? Well, a lot!

Right after completing my master’s degree in biomedical engineering with a specialization in medical informatics, I started my first job as a Junior Service and Software Specialist in the medical sector. I was responsible for answering calls and helping clients who encountered problems with the system.

After some time of learning the trade, I became a Software Specialist. I had to verify problems and check whether they were system errors or if the user was simply unaware of some feature. When the second scenario happened, I was always happy to help and explain how to deal with the issue.

Apart from working on the helpline, I used to receive error reports to verify and find the source of the problem. That is where my analytical skills always came in handy. I could literally spend hours analyzing and comparing data with a smile on my face!

Time for Predica

Working on the helpline gave me a lot of satisfaction, and I wanted to develop my skills in that field further. When applying for my dream job at Predica, my previous experience and competencies helped me already at the recruitment stage. I soon became a Junior Support Specialist and took part in the onboarding sessions to learn more about the company.

What I lacked, though, was a deep understanding of Microsoft technologies. Luckily, I would gradually gain technical knowledge about using SharePoint and later Azure by investing my educational budget in training sessions and getting proper certification. Soon I gathered enough knowledge to help our clients who used those solutions.

In four years, I learned how to use many different technologies and acquired excellent communication and time management skills, which took me to my next role – Service Coordinator.

I became the administrator of the submission system and could control the helpline workflow for various clients. I was also able to introduce improvements to the systems already in place.

I used to help people to understand the system and show them the right direction and the value of working with that technology. The key qualities for someone doing that job included the right approach to the client, answering in time, and respecting the solution delivery deadlines.

Being a Service Coordinator is not a full-time job, which is why I continued to deal with helpline requests, worked with the project team on the scope of work, and developed my skills by participating in workshops and training sessions, for example, ITIL.

With time, came new challenges

I was engaged in projects across many different IT fields. By working closely with developers and project managers, I got a bigger picture of their responsibilities.

When working in the Application Services & Future Workplace domain, the largest technical area at Predica, I got involved in application design. Being part of the project team made it possible for me to have a say in the development process so that the software worked and looked the way the client needed it to be.

When carrying out that project, I realized I wanted to contribute more to the way the applications are designed or perceived by the customer and whether they are comfortable to work with and easy to use.

Thanks to my experience in technical support, I could better understand the client’s needs. What is more, I finally started to take advantage of my creative side.

My colleagues encouraged me to take my chance in another field, so I carried out my research and found out that Predica allows for a career change within the company.

I learned how to use a design tool called Figma and became a UI/UX Designer for mobile applications. In other words, I was responsible for how the application would look and work, and how it would be later recreated by a development team.

While working in this position, I could take advantage of my creative skills and specialized knowledge. Working closely with the project team, I designed a few interesting applications that our clients continue to use even today, which makes me feel really proud.

The role was rewarding and gave me a lot of job satisfaction, and yet, after some time, I started to feel that the more technical side of mine was suffering and that I did not use the technological knowledge I spent years gaining.

A turning point in my career

Being a real IT Girl, I missed working directly with technology. It was then that I discovered the Data area and PowerBI. It was like hitting the jackpot!

Predica offers many development opportunities, and I have found out that it is possible to combine my experience with design (so, using my creative side) with my technical knowledge and analytical skills. I have decided to leap at a chance and set about a new journey with PowerBI as my loyal companion. A journey that has no end.

As of now, I work as a Data Consultant. My job is to prepare reports for clients with visually appealing layouts, well-designed features, and easy-to-use functions.

I am responsible for creating new reports but also updating the older ones to make them look better and checking if the data will be easy, simple, and intuitive for our clients to analyze.

My job also includes building visualizations for reports and working with data. Such tasks develop my analytical skills and technical competencies and prepare me for the role of an expert in the field. At the same time, I am learning the DAX language and broadening my knowledge with every new project.

Apart from that, I can also come up with new ideas for better presenting the visualizations we prepare at Predica and help new people improve their designs. I also encourage them to look for new challenges and get out of their comfort zone. I prove every day that anyone can be a designer!

Sometimes my colleagues say that I have a pixel-perfect sight. However, having a good eye for detail is a must in this field.

Now, we’re looking for a graphic design tool for our Data Analytics team. We need to choose wisely as the visual representation of the reports prepared by PowerBI developers influences the client’s first impression and whether they will like the outcome or not. For that reason, I try to keep updated on the newest trends and pass the latest design ideas to the project team.

What about traveling?

You’re probably wondering what happened with my passion for traveling, which I mentioned at the beginning. Well, my private life took an unexpected turn, and I had a chance to leave Poland and fly to the USA last year. As a real globetrotter, I was thrilled, but at the same time, I wasn’t sure whether I could easily work in a different time zone and carry out my tasks.

It turned out that I needn’t have worried. After consulting my Team Leader and Project Owners that I cooperated with, I got the green light to carry on with my work on the other side of the globe!

Once I got there, I scheduled all my tasks in such a way that I could do part of my job when all my team was available and focus on PowerBI and report design at the time that suited me best. For me, having flexible hours is the biggest benefit of working at Predica.

Summary

It often happens that only after years can we finally discover what gives us the most job satisfaction. Thanks to Predica, I had the chance to operate in many different IT areas, learn new skills, and find what brings me the most joy.

In the end, I realized where I belong and where I can combine my passion for traveling with work, and I also feel that I can use all my skills to the fullest here.

My Leaders make sure that I get engaged in projects where I can use my potential and experience. I know that I can reach out to them whenever I need their help, and they are always happy to support me in my decisions with an open mind. I learned that there is always a good time for a change and a frank conversation.

If you also feel like changing something in your life, look at our current job offers here.