"After just two months of training at the Informal School of IT, I took the next step in my career" – Alexandra, Business Analysis graduate
November 22, 2017
She's a graduate of the Business Analysis educational program. The future is smiling on her, because she likes to take it by surprise. She discovered that "transferable skills" isn't just a catchphrase for a generation, but also a simple way to reinvent yourself using the skills you've built up over time. For Alexandra Marinescu, professional fulfillment means finding her own answers to the right questions.
Do you enjoy going to work every day? What are you prepared to give up? Between these two questions, the key words are passion and goals. Being a source of inspiration for others is a goal for Alexandra, who today shares her story with everyone.
I chose to make use of what I like to do
1. When did you decide to change your career, and why?
Over time, I gained professional experience in brand promotion and product marketing for an IT company. Little by little, I expanded my involvement and developed a product from scratch together with my colleagues from the sales and development departments. That's how I understood how certain skills and knowledge can transfer to product development, and how I can put users first.
So the change wasn't a drastic one; rather, I chose to make use of what I like, that is, understanding consumers, in a dynamic and complex environment that has an ever-growing impact on people's everyday lives.
2. Tell us more about your academic background.
I developed an inclination toward marketing as early as my first year of university. I chose to study Business Administration at ASE (the Bucharest University of Economic Studies), where I gathered knowledge from many complementary areas: from accounting and finance, to leadership, management and marketing.
I continued my studies in Passau, Germany, where I specialized in international management and marketing. Given the current state of the job market and the globalization of many products and projects, this decision helped me understand the differences, cultural nuances and the impact they have on the success of a business, a product or a project.
3. Why did you choose to continue your training at the Informal School of IT?
I heard about the Informal School of IT from friends, and then I attended a demo session, where I understood it was an opportunity to grow. I realized that exposure to this learning environment would be beneficial for me in learning as many techniques and methods from the Business Analysis field as possible, which I could then apply further. I enrolled in the Business Analysis courses.
It was a very pleasant and very helpful surprise
4. What was the most important thing you learned at the Informal School of IT?
At the Informal School of IT I learned a lot of techniques and approaches, but the most important thing is that I learned to ask for help. And not because I couldn't manage to do a certain thing in a certain situation, but because there's always someone next to you with more insight. No one is an expert in everything, and on your own you don't move forward as fast as you'd think you could.
5. From the course sessions, you especially remember…
A lot of questions and answers. Each of us students wanted to get an answer to our own curiosities. I also remember the sessions where we had guests from several different areas of work. In IT you always work in a team, and it's ideal to learn as much as you can about what your colleagues do day to day. Without understanding all the other roles, you can't properly understand your own either.
6. What can you say today about the mentors who trained you?
First of all, I want to say congratulations to them! I think it's not at all easy to pass on years of experience in just a few hours of class. In the group of students I was part of, this happened naturally, organically. It was a very pleasant and very helpful surprise. The mentors got hugely involved, listened to our needs and adapted to meet them.
I went through my job interview after two months of classes. I was hired as a Product Owner
7. What was the job interview like?
I went through my job interview as early as the middle of my study period at the Informal School of IT. Technically, I wasn't worried. I had already built a solid knowledge base at work, which I expanded on in class. But the discussions with the mentor who guided us helped me enormously: to ask myself questions, to understand the context of the Product Owner role, and to weigh the job's benefits against my own needs. Those discussions carried a lot of weight: they helped me evaluate and position myself.
Today I'm a Product Owner on a healthcare project. Because of the project's complex nature, requirements management is also part of my responsibilities: from creating mock-ups to diagrams and processes – things I learned and practiced in class.
8. Looking back, which skills you already had (soft & hard skills) did you discover you actually needed?
We're talking about "transferable skills," the catchphrase of an entire generation. I was surprised to see that absolutely all the skills I'd built up over time turned out to help me. Let me list the most important ones: the ability to synthesize and validate information from multiple perspectives, a consumer-oriented mindset and integrating their needs into processes, the ability to make decisions and set priorities, the ability to work with various tools and working methodologies.
10. Let's imagine it's 2025. Where do you see yourself, professionally speaking?
It's hard for me to do this imagination exercise, since I don't know what I haven't discovered yet :).
What I do know for sure is that I want to be in a position, in an industry, that brings value to society and improves people's lives. I'd like to be a source of inspiration, and that's why I think a strategic role would help me get there.
11. The best advice someone gave you when you were just starting out was…
Short and simple: “why not?„. After that, I had no more doubts.
How do you know if you're ready to make a career change:
From my point of view, you need to honestly answer 5 essential questions:
1. Do you enjoy going to work every day?
2. Exactly what part of what you do, do you do with passion?
3. How and where else could you use the answer to question 2?
4. What do you want to achieve?
5. What are you prepared to give up?
