Heather Darnell ⋅ Pinehurst, NC U.S. Army, Master Sergeant ⋅ 16 years served

Mr Brown,
If analytics is your area of focus, there are some quality opportunities to consider. The first that comes to mind is WWC Global, formerly Wittenberg Weiner Consulting, which is headquartered in Tampa and provides data and financial analytics services to the Dept of Defense. Another company that come to mind is Accenture, where I current work as a consultant. Accenture's military recruiting pipeline focuses on veterans and their spouse and the only hard requirement is a bachelor's degree with any major. The interview process will focus on "soft"' or "people" skills to determine if you are the type of person who can be in a client-facing role.

Speaking more generally, expanding your knowledge of Python, R, and similar languages will make you a strong candidate for an analytics role especially in the financial services industry (where I worked). Data visualization platforms, such as PowerBI and Tableau, are great skills to have if you want a job that takes data and makes it understandable to outside users.

Robert Spicer ⋅ Cleveland, OH Lubrizol ⋅ 31 years experience

The business world covers a huge number of career options. I recommend that you be very specific about what area of business you want a career in. Start by thinking about what type of work you see yourself enjoying. Then find out what knowledge and experience you need to get into that career. Share what you discover, then we can build from there. Be sure to think it all the way through. Good luck with the first steps.

Sam Hoffman ⋅ Roslyn Heights, NY NYC Dept of Education ⋅ 10 years experience

What is your technical expertise in? That would be a good industry to get into the administrative side of. Also, what specific position are you looking for? Your technical expertise may dictate that to some extent, especially while you are still in school

Susan Kastrinos ⋅ Winter Springs, FL IBM ⋅ 30 years experience

HI David,

The Project Management Institute has a web site which offers some free training, and you could investigate whether this path might appeal to you: https://www.pmi.org I am not endorsing anything. I am just tossing out ideas. :)

I found a site where you could explore software development at not cost. It appears you only pay if you want to receive a certification. There appear to be many tutorials.
https://www.w3schools.com/ Again, I am not endorsing anything. I am just poking around on the internet.

Robert Spicer ⋅ Cleveland, OH Lubrizol ⋅ 31 years experience

David, it sounds like you have a clear vision on where you want to end up. Interning is a great way to add some direct experience to the resume. I worked in the aerospace and chemical industry where all the interns were paid. I can't speak for other industries, but for me, I would never work for free unless there were absolutely no options. Besides, I think it tells you something about the company if they are not willing to pay people that work for them, even interns. When it comes to finding internships, or jobs for that matter, you have to play the odds and apply for as many postings as possible. Be sure to customize each application (resume & cover letter) for each application. Make the effort to stand out from the crowd. Never do the "mass mailing" approach to save time. Also, network! Get on "Indeed" and find people that are doing the kind of work you want to pursue. Make the connections and ask questions of them. Seek their advice. This process can be more productive than playing the application odds. Good luck. Just never stop working the process until you reach your goals.

David Brown ⋅ Naples, FL U.S. Navy, Petty Officer Second Class ⋅ 6 years served

Thank you for your response. I’ll look into those companies and see if there are any positions open that might interest me. I’ve been looking at Gartner as well because they are big in the area where I live. Thank you for the tip about gaining knowledge in the areas that you listed. Are there any websites that offer training on those languages? I’d like to some training on those while I finish my degree as well.

David Brown ⋅ Naples, FL U.S. Navy, Petty Officer Second Class ⋅ 6 years served

Thank you for the response. I’m currently studying Business Admin with a Certificate in Business Analysis. I’d really like to pursue something on that, or business research. It sounds really enjoyable to be able to research and solve business problems and actually get paid for it. I’m due to graduate next summer and I intend on pursuing an MBA shortly after. I’ve been applying for internships but I haven’t had any responses. I will admit that I am a little nervous about a remote internship, but that is all that I really see and understandably so. I would like a paid internship due to the fact that I do have a family to provide for, but I’d be willing to take an unpaid if I was able to work out a schedule that allowed me to still work. I know it’s probably asking for a lot.

David Brown ⋅ Naples, FL U.S. Navy, Petty Officer Second Class ⋅ 6 years served

Thank you for answering. I’m a service technician at a car dealership. I’m in school for business analysis. I’d like to try and get out of the automotive industry if possible, but I understand that it will be really difficult to match that experience with something in the corporate world.