And just like that... I couldn't help, but wonder... it is time to write my first blog.
I am very much feeling my Carrie Bradshaw fantasy right now.
To whoever is reading this, hi, my name is Kris, and I thought I would share a little bit about my impressions from Week 1 at TIL and what we, DS50, experienced (from my perspective).
I think as for most people, starting a new job or joining a new social + professional environment can be very intimidating. Therefore, I was super nervous going into day 1. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by how welcome I felt here at TIL. I heard through my tutors during the application process and through a friend who already works here that everyone at TIL is super friendly, super welcoming and honestly, that everything is just "great." Although every source was saying this to me, I still felt a bit sceptical...
Now that I am here, trust me when I say, that it is true. It sometimes feels like people even go out of their way to just make sure that you feel welcome, when in reality, everyone is actually just incredibly nice here and naturally wants to get to know the newbies! There is definitely a sense of "one big family" here. Being queer, it is always a worry for me of how welcomed I will feel entering any sort of environment. At TIL, I managed to throw away these worries into the bin straight away.
A highlight of the week was definitely Thursday, when Tom, the founder, brought in cake to celebrate the 50th cohort. It felt very sweet to have everyone in the office gather together and share some cake over the occasion. Here's us, DS50:
In terms of the more technical stuff, if you're curious, we learned a fair bit about Tableau Prep, which was what our Friday project was about, as well as general data knowledge, ins and outs about the company, intro to consulting and a few other things.
ADVICE:
Although I was the only one in my cohort who experienced this, the fluorescent overhead lights combined with how stuffy the meeting rooms can get, induced the most horrible pounding headache for me on the first two days. I felt miserable towards the end of each day. Also, it's allergy season, so that stacked on top DID NOT HELP.
Therefore, my advice is:
- Bring PARACETAMOL. Day 3 it saved me.
- Remember to drink your antihistamines.
- Don't feel to shy to ask someone to change the aircon. As long as the changes are within reason and others in the room don't mind.
And just like that... my first week at TIL came to an end.
As I sat there, in the Green Room, sipping my iced latte that I made with the coffee machine (get a shot of espresso, a glass filed with ice and either water or milk or both - whatever you prefer - and pour that espresso into it) and watching my headache finally fade into the fluorescent-lit distance, I couldn’t help but wonder... if Week 1 is anything to go by, this is going to be a pretty fabulous ride.
With paracetamol in my pocket and a spark in my step, I'm ready to see what Week 2 brings.
xoxo
Kris