(The following is a guest post from David Schuette, an active member of the Analysis Exchange. You can follow David on Twitter @TheCakeScraps or contact us if you’d like to reach David directly.)
The Analysis Exchange is a wonderful organization that I’m proud to be a member of. I’m sure you’re similarly excited about it if you are reading this blog! The fact that it is all volunteer driven makes each project so rewarding because you know the people want to be there. You can tell how much the end result of the project means to the individuals receiving it. And you can do it over and over again.
In fact, that is one of the best parts about the Analysis Exchange – there really isn’t a limit on what an individual student, mentor, or organization can get out of it. I’m extremely grateful so many individuals want to participate in this effort, but I know there are some of you out there that want to do even more. Good news: you can! And here’s how.
If you are already a Mentor, go find another coworker or friend that could be a Mentor as well. With so many new analysts entering the field there is a need for industry veterans to step up and guide this new wave of analysts. You’re already doing a great job by donating your time and you only have so much time to give. Life is busy and that’s totally understandable. The good news is that it doesn’t take up any additional time to have a conversation over lunch, mention your project on Twitter, or talk up the Exchange at the next conference you attend.
If you are a Student and are having a hard time getting a project, go local. And for that matter, if you’re a Mentor that wants to really help out the Exchange, go local. Wendy is great, but she can only do so much to bring in new organizations. Help her out; I did it and you can too! Earlier this year, after having some great conversations with the President of my local Ad Council, we worked out an opportunity for me to present digital analytics at a workshop.
The workshop was extremely basic – Digital Analytics 101. Many of the 40+ people in attendance didn’t even have Google Analytics running on their website. They didn’t know anything about it but they were excited to learn. We started with simple definitions and moved into some baseline reporting that Google Analytics could provide. The session went extremely well and I even had requests to do additional presentations! The grand finale was that they could get experienced professionals the help them through this, for free, with the Analysis Exchange. I couldn’t ask for a better set up.
My goal was simply to bring more organizations into the exchange, but if you really want to get in on a project, the best way to do it is bring in a local organization. I guarantee they’ll select you if you work with them to set it all up!
My final piece of advice is to pace yourself and set a personal goal relating to the Exchange. It is easy to keep putting off a project just as it is easy to do one after another and decide it takes up too much time. If you set a goal of 1 project every X months (whatever is right for you) you’ll find that you look forward to your next project because there’s a plan to do it and a plan to finish it. Scoping it out always makes it seem more manageable.
All of these are things you can do, outside of directly working on a project, that can provide a huge benefit to the Exchange and give you a satisfying feeling of accomplishment along the way. Take a moment to think if any of these sound right for you. Sure, it takes a bit of extra effort, but something tells me I’m talking to the right crowd.
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