After graduating from UIUC with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, I started my career as an intern at a creep-feed grinding company not far from home. As an intern, I had my first exposure to technologies that support the basic functions of businesses; and the costs of having a poorly implemented system. I had my first exposure to the use of relational database systems in inventory management, and set out to create an improved inventory tracking and order prediction application.
At my next job, working as an Applications Engineer, I saw a lot of manual, mistake-prone tasks that I realized could be automated. Specifically, our return process involved a lot of handwriting and manual data entry, leading to errors and extra work. I noticed we could use barcodes or QR codes on parts to automate this, so I developed a database system to manage returns more efficiently. This new system cut the return processing time in half and significantly reduced errors.
Today, I work as a Product Analyst at a consulting firm - here, I apply analytical skills to a wide variety of problems in various industries. While I am focused on mechanically-oriented projects, each project requires a unique approach and brings its own challenges. My background in working with data in various scenarios lends itself well to making sense of the data provided for analysis by these global companies, and I get to develop some insights with regards to how data practices can help or hinder a growing company.