Checking in with Student Ambassador alum Claire Strickler

Next in our blog series where we connect with past Tableau Student Ambassadors—Clarie Strickler shares her journey since being part of the program. Claire, part of the 2019 Student Ambassador cohort, recently graduated from Clemson University in 2020 and now works as a Data Analyst at Red Ventures. 

Tell us a little about your data journey and why you became a Tableau Student Ambassador

My first experience using Tableau was during an internship with the Clemson Athletic Department during my junior year of college. Day 1 of my internship was downloading Tableau, being given a dataset, and then I was set free to explore the software and data. I had a business analytics concentration within my major, but those classes were primarily focused on coding and statistics. This was my first exposure to any sort of data visualization. My supervisor at this internship not only helped me understand how to use Tableau but also shared the positive impact effective data visualization can have. Becoming a Tableau Student Ambassador seemed was way for me to help other students at Clemson bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world applications—very few students had exposure to Tableau through their classes. Having the ability to attend workshops and have access to e-learning made it possible for many students to develop a new skill prior to getting an internship or a job.
 

Can you tell us a little more about what the program was able to give you and the benefits from it?

Being a Tableau Student Ambassador gave me opportunities to grow my personal learning of the software while having a platform to teach others. I was connected to the greater Tableau Ambassador community, a great resource for any questions I had, and given a mentor. With my mentor, Katie Wagner, I learned strategies for teaching Tableau to others, and how to plan and execute workshops. Since I had never received any formal Tableau training, it was so valuable to have Katie as a resource to offer her perspective. Another benefit of the program was the opportunity to take the Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification. After having access to e-learning and reviewing the basics of Tableau I felt more than prepared to take the exam at the end of the year and gain the certification.

Are there any skills that you learned from the program that you still use today?

I fully believe that teaching a topic leads to greater personal understanding and learning. Through this program, I gained a strong foundation of Tableau skills from developing workshops and preparing answers to questions from students. I also developed confidence in teaching and public speaking, which I can apply to essentially anything. I use the skills I developed in this program everyday as a Data Analyst at Red Ventures. Whether I’m in the process of building a dashboard, helping someone with a Tableau question, or teaching workshops on Tableau and the importance of data visualization, I know I would not have the same confidence and skill level in my role without this program.

Any advice for someone thinking of applying to be a Tableau Student Ambassador?

Don't count yourself out before applying due to a lack of job or classroom experience with Tableau! E-learning, mentorship, and developing workshops will quickly help get your technical skills up. Whether you are an expert or just getting started in Tableau, participating in this program will lead to personal growth and learning.