Mastery Journal

MS Business Intelligence - Full Sail University BS Psychology State of Michigan Licensed Insurance Agent and Adjuster Microsoft Certified Professional

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Help me pick my website and personal branding photos....which 3 are your favs? 4 of 6. Huge shout out to @nskportraitart for the phenomenal work!! #headshot #professional #personalbranding (at Bay City, Michigan)

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Help me pick my website and personal branding photos....which 3 are your favs? 5 of 6. Huge shout out to @nskportraitart for the phenomenal work!! #headshot #professional #personalbranding (at Bay City, Michigan)

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Help me pick my website and personal branding photos....which 3 are your favs? 3 of 6. Huge shout out to @nskportraitart for the phenomenal work!! #headshot #professional #personalbranding (at Bay City, Michigan)

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Help me pick my website and personal branding photos....which 3 are your favs? 2 of 6. Huge shout out to @nskportraitart for the phenomenal work!! #headshot #professional #personalbranding (at Bay City, Michigan)

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Help me pick my website and personal branding photos....which 3 are your favs? 1 of 6. Huge shout out to @nskportraitart for the phenomenal work!! #headshot #professional #personalbranding (at Bay City, Michigan)

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Full Sail University Business Intelligence Master’s Program Reflection

How did the Business Intelligence Master of Science Program meet your original expectations?

I think I expected the program to require a heavier technical competency than I had, which was intimidating, I am relieved to have made it through the program without previous technical training.  The BIMS program expounded upon my expectations by allowing me to understand that I have truly been doing business analysis for years, it just has not been titled appropriately.  It exceeded my expectations in terms of breadth from enterprise data management competencies to case analysis.  

The Capstone project did not meet my expectations in terms of delivery approach; however, I was very unsure about what I was getting into.  It did, however, meet my expectations in terms of preparing me to present to decision makers and end users for consulting purposes in the future.

What did you learn from the Program's content?

I have learned so much, most noteworthy the ability to visualize my data and complete risk analysis through use of decision trees, neural networks, causal loops, decision with risk modeling, and regression analysis.  The program also emphasized a 360-degree view from all stakeholders which has widened my perspective and allowed me to understand there is a stratified place for all in BI.  

The ability to leverage Lynda while completing my Full Sail degree has been tremendously helpful in offering technical training and relevant industry certifications.  

How you might apply what you learned as you transition into your role as a practitioner in the BI industry and pursue your professional career upon graduation?

The program really emphasized obtaining outside skill sets independently to include Google Drawings, Visio, R, Python, and Tableau which provided a rich technical foundation for which I can optimize and scale.  I do feel I will require additional programming language competencies to truly utilize my degree, however, I am fully ready to leverage my degree as a business analyst eliciting requirements to uncover value streams.

My personal SWOT analysis completed in the beginning of the program demonstrates perceived weakness in not being able to apply my degree, having a minimal technical background, and lacking emotional intelligence.  The Full Sail University Business Intelligence Master’s Program has provided a diverse skill set that provides technical competency and business acumen to excel within the industry while expounding upon technical expertise.  The response from recruiters has been overwhelming. I also feel it is very important that the program teaches leadership, inspirational, and emotional intelligence facets that are often neglected and so dearly needed in educational models.  The program has been extremely well rounded in terms of leveraging strengths, expounding upon opportunities, offering opportunities to improve upon my weaknesses, and the confidence and knowledge to see beyond perceived threats.  

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p08g3rH1aKQ)

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InYxaQEJpTQ)

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Case Studies Mastery Reflection

Case Studies very much met my expectation of providing real-world, practical insight and application to the skills learned throughout the M.S. Business Intelligence program.  Moreover, I expected this course to push me beyond my comfort zone for growth.  However, I did not realize I would be given the skills to jump into a 10-K to analyze and support through industry data.  I thought I would simply be translating from an end user.  I now understand how the organizational mission can be leveraged in extending a BI initiative and meeting the needs of the end user. 

The Case Studies course positioned my thinking to that of a Business Analyst.  I am now able to credibly find and digest industry materials, case studies, and financial reports.  I am now able to elicit the appropriate information from these materials to find innovative activations for an organization’s bottom line and appropriate communicate the need and benefit of such an initiative.  The course positioned me to think critically and creatively while requiring that a take an interdisciplinary approach to understand business and technical needs while meeting the needs of all stakeholders involved.

I am now very confident in my post-graduate ability to create a boisterous eFolio to demonstrating my ability to leverage business objectives and increase efficiencies.  In my capstone research, I have found a plethora of case studies and I can use the skills from this course to find organizations of interest and help devise an innovative solution to showcase.  This course also improved my confidence by clarifying the need for cognitive skills in becoming a Business Analyst, I was extremely concerned about my lack of technical skills.  However, with my new understanding of case analysis, I feel confident in my ability to leverage my naturally analytical, process oriented, creative mindset to benefit business. I can now go beyond simply offering a solution to a known problem by allowing the end user, the industry, the company, and my creativity inform a novel solution or opportunity.  I now have a full scope understanding of the professional range in Big Data and understand how to leverage my current strengths while working toward others needed.  

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#plinko #drinko #fathersday #diygifts #mancavedecor

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#babyshowerfun #familyphotography #potd #beautifulpeople #beautifulweather #beautifulcelebrationoflife

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#babyshowerfun #familyphotography #blackandwhitephotography #babyshower #lovethis #potd

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Couldn't decide which I liked better. #adorablekids #thoseeyes #kidsportraits #familyphotography #babyshowerphotos #sofaroverdueonediting

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Leadership Reflection

A healthy reflection on the true meaning of leadership and grit required by successful individuals was much needed.  These noteworthy topics that are too often neglected, were analyzed in detail in this course.  However, beyond analysis, personal reflection was required to get to the core and drive development.  While I had a practical understanding of what I needed out of my shortcomings in the workforce, this course allowed me to explore beyond my understanding with extensive and interactive content on leadership.  Too often, emotion is ignored or minimized in business, whereas this course opened with extremely moving, powerful quotes on the pertinence of inspiration in leadership.   

Grit and ambition are extremely important for exemplary leadership.  Leadership is about selflessly inspiring the group to act toward a common mission.  Grit is required to mentally sustain the task at hand as well as manage the group with emotional intelligence.  Ambition provides the fortitude to handle these homeostatic mechanisms while still having or finding the internal energy to push beyond expectation or perceived limitations to innovate states of optimum performance.  

To be honest, I was not looking forward to this course.  As a student who was required to complete leadership at tech center, in Business Professionals of America, during dual enrollment, and a leadership course for each of the three undergraduate programs I entertained before deciding I thought, “Oh, not another leadership class.” Quite frankly, the leadership skills presented in the classes I had previously, although some time ago, did not at all prepare me for a true professional environment.  Had I been engaged in discussions on the importance of emotional intelligence and productive conversations (over just communicating) as I did in this class, I would have been much more prepared.  I don’t know how many times in the past 5 or so years I have thought, they really do not prepare you for what is really needed in life, which is GRIT.  This course was spot on in identifying the true variables to a foundation of success and a mindset of growth and optimization.  Moreover, the actionable nature of creating development plans to understand gaps in emotional intelligence and communication was very useful now and going forward.  My expectation for the class is as follows, it was not so clearly communicated before, but the core needs of the statement were fully addressed by the course.

“I definitely need to learn to listen to listen not listen to respond.  I need to practice simplifying complex processes in order to explain them.  I will be able to further improve my presentation skills not only be developing visualization and info graphics but also by using text and motion graphics to create more engaging presentations.  I definitely need educating on operational topics such as vendor selection, management reporting, BI legalities.  This course will give allow me further practice with social intelligence while tying it all back to finalizing my capstone project presentation. “

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K-Mart BI Potential

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Monthly Reflection

Data Visualization & Creative Reporting met my original expectations in nearly every sense.    I have gained experience in explaining complex systems and presenting complex results to diverse audiences.  I have learned to develop effective visualizations and infographics.  More importantly, I have learned that telling a story with visualizations can be the most effective way to tell a story.  My perceptions have expanded to understand how numbers can in fact tell a story.  Likewise, I have learned that doing so effectively is a skill that takes much practice.  I have also learned to develop dashboards.

I did not feel my skill set was up to par when entering this course. Therefore, I have completed three (3) Lynda training courses and obtained certifications for Tableau, Visio, and R in Excel.  This has proved very helpful.  I am very enthralled by creative reporting and visual information design.  This course has initiated discovery into career possibilities in this realm.  I have always had a pent up creative side, that my left (logical) brain tends to get in the way of professionally.  Being able to connect and manifest both sides of my brain in creatively storytelling of complex, logical concepts is perfect for me.

I did have unrealistic expectations of user interface/experience design, web-based reporting, and software applications.  I now understand how this is outside the scope of this course.  I will be furthering my R education on Lynda as well as learning Python programming to aid in visual reporting.  Moreover, I am registered for several free Tableau webinars that I highly recommend. The Tableau website offers a plethora of learning opportunities.  

This course has been beyond valuable already! I have leveraged my experience and education in the classroom, I have been of greater value to my consulting clients, and I have leveraged my freelance business using visual reporting methods.  The possibilities are truly endless and my application for the skillset is compounding daily in thought and practice.  I am excited to delve into expanding possibilities and am grateful I have this presentation capability to apply to my capstone and job search after graduation.  

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Bill Pay Systems Infographic