Why did you decide to become a mentor?
I have been informally mentoring for over 6 years where I have had multiple discussions with my team and friends on how to grow in their roles and career. A feedback that I received consistently was how I am able to breakdown their thoughts and problems and suggest solutions in a bite sized way that the whole problem didnt feel that big. Having done some formal mentoring in my previous roles, I felt the need to use my mentoring skills outside and introduce more people to the wonderful world of data, analytics and engineering. There is something about seeing people grow and do new things that I really enjoy and this is the feeling I like to chase.
How did you get your career start?
My first job was an electrical engineer at a shipbuilding company in india where I literally spent 10 hours a day in the hull of a cargo ship fixing electrical instruments. I realised early on that there was a huge organisation and forecasting problem and this could be solved really well with using data as a tool. This led me to study Masters in Information Systems in Singapore where I learned a lot of what we now call as Data Science and started applying this in my first role at Lazada. Since then I have experimented and enjoyed working with data and its application in multiple domains such as e-commerce, agriculture, tourism, finance and off-late music. I am passionate and curious about all things data be it analytics, engineering or science and I believe this passion has led to take on multiple variety of roles that ideally I would not have thought of.
What do mentees usually come to you for?
Getting started in their career, finding structure in learning about data, identifying areas that can take their career to the next level. I have had good success with working with individuals who are early in their journey to become a Data Analyst or Data Scientists. I feel having gone through this process myself where I transitioned from being an Electrical Engineer to a Data professional, helps me find a better connection with individuals in similar place where I was ~12 years ago. I dont have a specific format to go over with everyone as every individual is different and has a different journey, however I try to find ways in which we can quantify action items that I can work with my mentee and organise my sessions in a way that by the end of it, we both have a clear action plan on how/what to tackle before our next session.
What's been your favourite mentorship success story so far?
I have overseen a few cases of transition where someone from a non technical background expressed interest in becoming more data driven and that interest transitioned into them having a full time data engineer / data analyst role. These have been the most rewarding stories for me as everytime I see them or their work now, it instills a sense of pride in me seeing the good work they are doing and how much impact I was able to make in their career through the mentorship program.
What are you getting out of being a mentor?
Mostly experience and getting to know people from such a diverse set of background and circumstances. I have spoken to over 15 mentees across different continents with a unique set of challenges/requirements and this helps build a unique experience for me as a person. Additionally, this gives me a unique opportunity to understand how people think and feel about all things data and engineering. Often being in this industry for over 10 years, you forget how simple things (according to you) can be not so simple for everyone or often the other way around. So I get to learn a lot from my mentees.