If you’ve been here for a while, you’re likely well aware that data analysis is a high-income skill and is associated with a lucrative career path. When used thoughtfully, data can reveal actionable insights that drive performance and offer a competitive edge. But perhaps the most amazing thing about data is how applicable your analysis skills can be across fields and job roles. Take it from Tony Francis, a data analytics expert working in Google’s financial department.
“Personally, I didn’t jump right into the data analytics field. I thought data analysis was for computer engineers. Instead, I started my career very excited about opportunities in finance. I always dreamed of being a CFO,” Francis says. “But as I progressed through my finance career, I could see the field changing in front of me, and I knew I needed to expand my expertise to grow as a professional and achieve my career goals.”
Francis identified the value data analytics could bring to his finance career early on. In fact, he talks a bit about his journey in Google’s Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere—the first in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate—where he appears as one of the course instructors. Now, he’s sharing deeper insights gathered over the course of his 20-year career.
Here are three takeaways from our Q&A with Tony Francis:
1. Keep an open mind and growth mindset.
If Francis could speak to his younger self, he’d encourage himself “to keep an open mind and heart to all opportunities,” he says. “Moreover, I would encourage myself to evaluate each opportunity from an unbiased place where I think thoughtfully about how the decision can impact my long-term goals and the path that I will be on.”
For early professionals, that includes maintaining a growth mindset—or recognizing the learning opportunity in every experience, good or bad. “I always tell folks starting their careers or making a career shift to remain optimistic while being patient,” Francis says. “Also, always remember there will be things that are out of your control, so don’t let ‘no’s’ or delays force you to lose sight of your goal.”
2. Build your technical and workplace skills.
As a data analyst, Francis relies on technical skills and tools common to data analytics positions, including spreadsheet software, Structured Query Language (SQL), and database tools.
However, he names two workplace skills that have been surprisingly instrumental to his success: communication and active listening. “Particularly in large organizations, everything is not said directly, and so much can be left up to interpretation,” he says. “This requires one to have a strong understanding of both the macro and micro issues impacting their area of focus. This deeper and more holistic understanding is incredibly useful when communicating goals, wins, and solving problems when there is a lot of ambiguity.”
3. Lean into your strengths.
Boiling down his success to three key factors, Francis credits his career trajectory to: (1) his experiences—”successes and failures,” he says; (2) his relationships with his peers, which, he says, “have had as much, if not more, impact” than his relationships with leaders; and (3) “developing a strong understanding of the type of work that both leans into my strengths and gives me joy.”
These days, he finds joy in coaching his team and supporting their growth. “A huge benefit of time and staying patient is being able to develop and empower others to enable them for successful careers,” Francis says.
Keep learning
For more from Tony Francis, Senior Program Manager at Google, read our full Q&A, or learn data analysis from him and his colleagues with the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate.
