839: Double Your Data Salary in 11 Months, with Jess Ramos
Nov 26, 2024
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Jess Ramos, Founder of Big Data Energy and Senior Data Analyst at Crunchbase, reveals her journey in data analytics and how she doubled her salary in less than a year. She emphasizes the critical role of SQL for career advancement and shares tips on negotiating salaries and transitioning to entrepreneurship. Jess also discusses her efforts to challenge stereotypes in STEM and offers insights on building a personal brand through social media. Her passion for data and advocacy for women in tech shine through in this inspiring conversation.
Jess Ramos underscores the pivotal role of negotiation and self-advocacy in effectively increasing one's salary in the data analytics field.
Her establishment of Big Data Energy highlights the significance of creating educational content and personal branding to engage with the data community.
Ramos actively addresses women's challenges in STEM, emphasizing the need to confront stereotypes and foster an empowering environment for aspiring female professionals.
Deep dives
Career Transformation Through Negotiation
Jess Ramos successfully doubled her salary by advocating for herself in the workplace. After starting as a senior data analyst at a small fintech startup earning $72,000, Jess made a compelling case for a raise by detailing her responsibilities and comparing her pay to market standards. She secured a salary increase to $95,000 through internal negotiations. Her subsequent job search leveraged her new salary as a reference, enabling her to command offers upwards of $150,000, demonstrating the critical importance of negotiation and self-advocacy in career advancement.
The Rise of Big Data Energy and Content Creation
Jess founded Big Data Energy as a platform to offer courses and share insights on data analytics and SQL, driven by her passion for teaching and community engagement. Her initial fame came from a viral LinkedIn post regarding remote work, which opened doors for partnerships with brands like IBM and SAP. This exposure allowed her to connect with a broader audience and establish herself as a thought leader in the data analytics space. Through consistent content creation on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok, she has cultivated a following of over 300,000 people.
The Importance of SQL for Data Careers
SQL is essential for anyone pursuing a career in data analytics or data science, serving as the backbone for querying and managing databases. Jess emphasizes starting with foundational skills in data visualization before advancing to SQL, as it enables professionals to understand data relationships and management. Her upcoming course, 'Big SQL Energy,' aims to fill the market gap for intermediate SQL training, focusing on real-world applications rather than just basic syntax. The course design reflects a need for practical SQL skills that can be directly applied to solve business problems.
Advocating for Women in STEM
Jess discusses the challenges women face in STEM fields, including societal stereotypes that stereotype financial literacy and capability. Her viral TikTok addressing the 'girl math' trend highlighted how such stereotypes can harm women's credibility and advancement in careers like data analytics. She recalls personal experiences of compromising her self-presentation to gain respect in her field, emphasizing the need for a supportive environment for women. By openly challenging negative stereotypes and promoting female empowerment in tech, Jess aims to inspire a generation of women to assert their worth.
Education Pathways in Data Science
Jess compares different educational paths for aspiring data professionals, including traditional degrees, boot camps, and self-directed learning. While she values her master's degree for its structured learning and credibility, she also acknowledges that many can succeed through alternative methods that require discipline and self-motivation. Jess warns against expensive boot camps that may not provide equivalent value, advocating for budget-friendly options that offer substantial learning outcomes. Ultimately, she stresses the importance of acquiring foundational skills relevant to the industry, such as SQL, to gain a competitive edge.
Jess Ramos is redefining success in data analytics. As the Founder of Big Data Energy and a Senior Data Analyst at Crunchbase, she’s mastered the art of salary negotiation, built a massive social media following, and turned her passion for data into a thriving personal brand. She reveals how she doubled her salary in under a year, created her own SQL course, and advocates for women in STEM.
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In this episode you will learn:
(03:42) How Jess got her start in data analytics
(09:14) Why SQL is the most critical skill for data professionals
(11:46) How Jess more than doubled her salary in less than a year
(20:16) Tips for transitioning from a data job to creating your own business
(31:20) The various routes to a career in data science