My Path to Data: Sue Gallas
A blog series featuring women from Slalom — both current and alumni — on their path into data and analytics.
Welcome to the latest piece in our “My Path to Data” series, where we talk to women from Slalom — current and alumni — about their roles and how to prepare for a career in data. Today, we briefly spoke with Sue Gallas, a data and analytics (D&A) consultant from Slalom’s Seattle office. After initially finding her passion for data as a database administrator, Sue now focuses on balancing the needs of business users with the design of the source system data.
Also, don’t forget to register for Thursday’s You & Data panel discussion hosted by Slalom’s Women in Data community! The discussion will highlight the unique pathways of our Slalom panelists on their journey into data.
How did you get into the data field?
I fell into it during my career. I started as a programmer and wrote a database Input/Output emulator. The sparked my interest in data and how it is organized. From there, I became a Teradata Database Administrator learning how to design efficient relational databases with indexes, constraints, locking etc. It was a natural progression to data modeling for transaction based systems and data warehouse/dimensional modeling as well as Extract Transform and Load/Extract Load Transform (ETL/ELT). I left the field to raise my kids and returned about 15 months ago. My interest in data is just as strong as ever! I am in the D&A practice, currently working on a migration to Salesforce Knowledge. While the implementation of the data has changed, modeling has not!
What is one thing you wish you could go back and tell yourself before starting a career in data?
How much fun I was going to have!
What made you choose Slalom?
I returned to work after spending time raising my kids. During my work gap, I became a Certified Personal Trainer. One of my clients was hired by Slalom in April of 2021. She told me about Slalom’s Enhance and Operate (E&O) practice, which hires former military members as well as people changing careers or returning after a gap, offering a non-traditional path to consulting. I met with Travis Winegardner along with the other hiring managers. They told me about the Salesforce academy and how they teach new employees to become Slalom consultants. I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
Do you have tips for those interested in a career in data?
Understanding data is like solving a puzzle. Figuring out what the data means and the story it tells is what makes it fun to work with. If you’re passionate about data and/or information and storytelling, a career in data is a great fit.
What’s your most memorable moment at Slalom?
Returning to work made imposter syndrome rear its ugly head. Am I capable of doing the work? Will I understand the technology? Will my skills be relevant? It became real to me when I was driving a meeting and realized that I had brought a group of people together to problem solve as a team (both clients and Slalom). I kept everyone focused on the issue and made sure all participants had an opportunity to contribute and reach consensus on the outcome.
The more experience I get at Slalom, the more confident I become. Getting promoted to consultant made me feel grounded and that Slalom management believed in me.
As a woman in data, which Slalom core value is most important to you?
Inspire passion and adventure! Doing work that you love, making a difference for others, and breaking barriers.
Tell us your superpower.
I can ask anyone anything work-related. People love to talk, and I love to listen. I can uncover potential data issues before they become blockers.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned on your Slalom journey?
That I can return to tech and be productive. Slalom supports its employees on their journey, and that support is genuine and authentic.
Want to hear more from Sue?
Register now for Slalom’s Women in Data community panel discussion — You & Data — tomorrow, September 22nd from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET. Whether you have 10 years of experience or are just starting your career, we hope you’ll join us to listen in on this conversation with other women in the industry.
Sue Gallas found her passion for data as a database administrator wanting to understand the data in the database. She has designed databases for telecom, the IRS, the DOJ, as well as various tech industries. Sue designed her first end-to-end data warehouse in the late 90s, which led her to focus on balancing the needs of business users with the design of the source system data. She took a gap to raise her five kids and is excited to be back sharpening her data modeling skills.
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