ScaleupAlly Exclusive! Team Talks with Team Leaders ft. Shashank Sharma

An Engineering Approach to Data Analysis: Shashank’s Data Quest.

Meet Shashank Sharma, an electrical engineer from Dehradun, Uttarakhand. As a matter of fact, his career graph has been anything but conventional. Right after completing his engineering in 2015, he started on the arduous journey of preparing for government exams. Though that path didn’t lead to results as he’d hoped for, a new door opened, a career in training junior engineers. He joined the Central Board of Irrigation and Power, headquartered at Delhi in 2017, and spent five years mentoring young engineers through the complexities of technical work.

If one were to describe him, he is an indolent. The lazy bug in the corner, a techie who finds out ways to simplify work, simplify data, and of course, life. In his free time, he would revel in the gift of human life by just being himself, no facade. A guy with a video game remote in his hands, completely engrossed in the game? Yes! That’s him.

The ScaleupAlly Chapter

However, in 2022, Shashank felt that his career needed to take a different turn. A friend and roommate, Rohit, working at ScaleupAlly, motivated him to get into Data Analysis. Rohit believed in Shashank’s aptitude with numbers and problem-solving, and this sparked Shashank’s interest in Power BI. Soon enough, Shashank took the leap and mastered the tool, transitioning as a Data Analyst at ScaleupAlly. The decision would prove to be one of the best decisions he made during his career.

Embracing Challenges and Growth

Success didn’t come on a platter. Like many who joined this world of IT, Shashank faced his own shares of challenges. Whereas the theoretical knowledge in Power BI was quite workable for him, his first interview for the role was a wake-up call. “Theory is not everything,” Shashank realized. The real game lay in applying what he had learned while doing real-world projects. How to bridge the gap from theory to practice, that was his first major challenge.

His sincerity and commitment became his strengths. The ways of handling the different personalities within a team to keep the team harmonious and working on stable grounds were learnt in the new role. Of course, a bigger test remained in handling tough clients, a test of one’s patience and professionalism. Despite such hurdles, Shashank gained recognition as a standout leader in his team through ownership of projects and a commitment to client satisfaction.

A bigger challenge was posed by the difficult clientele that tried his patience and also tested his professionalism. Owning projects and commitment to client satisfaction against all odds earned him the leadership in his team.

Passion for Problem-Solving

What excites Shashank most in his current role is the technical nature of his job. “I am a science and math guy,” Shashank describes himself, “so I just love doing the analytical stuff around data.” Since he was born with a natural affinity for technical tasks, he always remained engaged and inquisitive, which made data analysis a perfect match for his skills and interests.

A Word of Advice for the To-Be-Analysts

For juniors or anyone looking to break into the field of data analysis, Shashank’s advice is clear: 

1. Focus on practical experience. “Theory only gets you so far,” he says.

2. Emphasis should be laid on internship and project work with real-life applications right from college days.

3. He further emphasizes soft skills, like teamwork, communication, and building up relationships with colleagues.

The more interesting thing is that Shashank encourages people in the field to read blogs instead of seeking tutorials available on YouTube. He says that mostly, blogs give insights into special technical problems and their solutions that one may probably wouldn’t get in generic tutorials. He encourages aspiring professionals to adopt both hands-on learning and industry-relevant reading.

What makes Scaleupally Stand out?

Among the best things about ScaleupAlly are its culture and environment. “Here, everybody is provided with an opportunity to grow as much as they can,” he shares. Unlike other companies where you must prove yourself before getting opportunities, ScaleupAlly provides an environment where employees are encouraged to take on new challenges right from get-go.

What resonates with Shashank is the open-door policy that senior management does have. “The reachability of seniors boosts your confidence,” he says. Add a strong work-life balance to that, along with a focus on diversity and inclusion, and it becomes an excellent place to be in ScaleupAlly.

Looking Ahead

While Shashank has nice things to say about the ScaleupAlly culture and learning opportunities, he does admit that there are things which can be optimized. Compensation and long-term career growth for senior roles can be improved. Nevertheless, this did not deter Shashank from continuing his journey. He strongly believes in the trinity of sincerity, technical skill, and capability to deliver as factors that would bring continued success to him.

The story of Shashank Sharma depicts adaptability, growth, and seizing opportunities as they come. His transition into data analysis from engineering was guided by many eclectic mixes of luck, perseverance, and colleague support, underpinning the truism that success with a career usually emanates from being open toward new directions and continuous growth.