Patrick Young
Class of 2018
Hometown: Arlington, VA
Undergraduate University: Clemson University
Class Year: 2015
Major/Minor: Industrial Engineering
Current Employer: Deloitte
Position: Consultant - Analytics & Cognitive
Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Science in Business Analytics?
I worked for about two years as an industrial engineer at Lowe's Home Improvement. I saw all the different career paths there were and wasn't really interested in any of the roles that were the next step. As a whole, I didn't feel like I was solving difficult enough problems. I got interested in analytics, machine learning, and AI. I looked at taking online courses to earn a certification that's a smaller version of a master's degree. I looked at one-year business analytics programs like William & Mary's. And data science programs which are usually two years, a little bit more intense and a little more technical. The business analytics programs felt like it was a good middle ground in that you go a full year, and you learn enough that you can really get a lot of jobs and you can speak to everything.
Tell me more about what you're doing professionally.
I am a technology consultant, and I'm based in Deloitte's government and public services practice in Washington, D.C. My clients are federal government clients, and right now, my team is in a business analysis role where most of what we do is to meet with stakeholders and work through problems. Our project right now is to work on creating metrics for all of the teams within one client's organization, mainly for the office of the CIO, and to find ways to get the data we need to actually measure those metrics.
How would you describe the William & Mary experience to a prospective student?
You're going to learn enough to be able to converse with anyone in the field. William & Mary is a good school, and they provide you with a way to succeed in your career outside of just how to utilize analytics. They teach you how to network, how to own your career, how to build your brand, and make sure that even if you end up going a different route down the road, you're still prepared to be successful.
