Generation Data: Tableau skills help Northeastern student land Alaska Airlines internship

Editor’s Note: This piece is part of the Generation Data series on the Tableau blog. At Tableau, we feel that data skills are essential for the next generation of professionals and business leaders. The Tableau Academic Program seeks to arm students with the valuable analytical skills needed to think strategically and make an impact, both academically and professionally. If you are a student, download your free Tableau license today to start learning data skills.

We sat down with Matt Atherton from Northeastern University to discuss how he learned Tableau without ever taking a formal class and how Tableau helped him land a role at Alaska Airlines.

I was studying finance and accounting at Northeastern University, but Tableau was not part of the curriculum. There was a job posting from accounting professor Bill Goldman, outlining a role for students to help him create resources for the HUB of Analytics Education. He needed a couple of students to work during the summer on what came to be a Sales Profitability case for his classes. The role entailed learning Tableau.

I watched video tutorials on Lynda.com, which was free through my university. It was a lot of trial and error in the beginning because I was essentially helping build curriculum for the case study Goldman’s students would be learning in his next semester class.

Tableau was exactly what I didn’t know I needed! My first internship was data analytics-based at the TJX Companies. My job was to combine a lot of different data sources into one. Honestly, it was really hard. My ah-ha moment with Tableau was a few years later, once I started to learn Tableau. I realized how much time I could have saved if I knew the tool earlier in my career.

Tableau helped give me an edge in the application process. I had to learn Tableau quickly for my work with Professor Goldman. During my interview, I explained how I used Lynda.com, trial and error, and the Tableau community to learn the tool fast.

I’m currently working as a Financial Planning Analyst at Alaska Airlines headquarters. My team and I interpret data presented in Tableau every day. I frequently use Tableau for easy data manipulation and pulling data from various data sources. Even though I’m technically in a finance role, data analytics is still part of my job description. It’s a tool that saves me and my team a lot of time.

The tool is fun! Start with tutorial videos—first the Getting Started video on Tableau’s website then on Lynda.com. When you’re watching these, think about how to visualize your own data. From there, start using data you’re interested in. Look at community forum pages to find answers to the specific questions you have.

Join the students of Generation Data and download your free Tableau for Students license today to start learning data skills.

Photo credit: Flickr user airbus777