Nick Chandler, Marketing Analyst at 23andMe: ‘My biggest networking advice is to put yourself out there’
By Jessie Ying
Nick Chandler graduated in 2017 with an MEng degree in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research (IEOR). He currently works as a Marketing Analyst at 23andMe, a direct-to-consumer genetic testing company. By sending in their saliva sample in a home-based collection kit, people can get their genetic data analyzed and find out if they are at risk of certain genetic disease and learn more about their ancestry.
We had a chance to ask Nick a few questions about life after the Berkeley MEng:
What did you do after graduation?
After graduation, I took a job as Data Analytics Consultant with Mu Sigma. I worked there to the end of the year, but then they wanted me to transfer. So I began looking for a new job and I came to 23andMe where I’ve been since January.
What are you currently working on?
I’m a Marketing Analyst and work with both the data analytic and marketing team. I do a lot of analysis of sales campaigns. We are also building an attribution model, using algorithms to figure out how much our media spent is driving sales. For example, if we do a campaign on TV, you are not going to see how many people have watched that commercial and come in, but you can start to figure out correlations between those things.
What have you found most rewarding about the work you’re currently doing?
The fact that our company is growing very rapidly. We have grown from 400 to about 550 since I’ve been here. So everything that I’m doing is noticeably improving our ability to draw conclusions from what we are doing here in the marketing department. Knowing that I’m having an impact is probably the most rewarding aspect.
“Knowing that I’m having an impact is probably the most rewarding aspect.”
What do you miss about being a student at the Fung Institute?
The camaraderie — Seeing friends at school, being in study sessions and going through the same thing. You get some of that at work, but it’s definitely not the same.
How has the Berkeley MEng program helped you prepare for entering the field you’re currently in?
Definitely some of the stuff that I’ve learned in class which I’ve since used. For example, I did an analysis in my IEOR 242 class and I’ve since used similar scripts. Also networking was helpful. I did a lot of it when I was there. Learning those methods and bringing them into the working world is very useful.
Do you have any advice for current Berkeley MEng students?
As far as networking, I think my biggest advice is to put yourself out there. Reach out to people, go and introduce yourself. Don’t worry about saying the wrong thing. Just say how you are doing, how do you like your job, etc. In general, people want to help out new students. It’s better to go say hi than worrying about not saying the right thing. Also if you reach out to someone and they didn’t get back to you, don’t take it too hard. People work very hard, have crazy schedules, so maybe they don’t check their emails. Just move on to the next thing. And stay positive. I know some people get stressed out near the end of the year, in terms of searching for jobs and wrapping up their courses. But in my experience, people find jobs as long as they keep on getting interviews and getting in front of people. So try not to down on yourself if one interview doesn’t go well.
Don’t worry about saying the wrong thing. Just say how you are doing, how do you like your job, etc. In general, people want to help out new students.
How has networking helped you?
For my first job out of the school, I got it through talking to one of the other students. I’ve also stayed connected with people that I’ve met even though I didn’t end up working with their companies. Since we have similar interests in analytics, I will follow them on LinkedIn or occasionally meet up at events. It’s pretty cool to keep those relationships going.
Do you have a fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share?
I really love motorcycles. I commute every day from Oakland to Mountain View with it. It’s about an hour each way. It’s normally a two-hour commute if you drive a car.
Nick Chandler is a Marketing Analyst with 23andMe where he develops data visualizations and dashboards to present insights to support strategic decision making. Before that, he worked as a Data Analytics Consultant at Mu Sigma. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2008. He went on to receive his Master degree in IEOR: Data Analytics at the University of California, Berkeley in 2017. Connect with Chandler
