Cohort Stories: Meet Claire

vol. 5, no. 18 — guest post by Claire Exaus

I have encountered a number of challenges in my journey and yet I have not let them deter me from my goals of transforming my career into a dream job. About a year ago I became interested in data analytics and programming. I looked into pursuing a Master’s degree in the field but the cost of attendance was not in my budget. Through watching YouTube videos, I learned SQL programing and took my excel skills to the next level, still pondering how to go about getting hands-on learning when the pandemic hit. A few weeks into the lockdown, I got laid off from my job. I took it as a sign to pursue my goals. I enrolled in a boot camp program for data analytics and was hoping I could change careers from there.

I have a passion for technology and I have always wanted to combine my clinical background as a pharmacist with data analytics skills to develop programs or applications to make a greater impact on patients.

Although the bootcamp was rewarding and engaging it made me realize that it wasn’t enough to help me pivot into the tech industry.

Being successful for me in the tech industry would look different depending on where I am in my journey. For example, mastering SQL, organizing databases, and learning new tools for data cleansing would be accomplishments of success for my phase 1. My next step would be to form a strong network of industry contacts to continue learning from and sharing ideas with so to stay abreast of innovative trends and potential future growth. Lastly, success would be to land a position in a healthcare tech company and put my skills to work in fighting healthcare disparities.

During my time at Hack.Diversity I hope to strengthen my technical data analytics skills with hands-on projects and be mentored by industry leaders. In addition, I see myself sharing my experiences and background in healthcare with the community and in particular the pharmacy world. My vision is that the year-long fellowship training will provide me with the tools to become a better leader and open doors to help me fulfill my career aspirations of achieving a director role or leading my own data analytics consulting firm.