#digital data strategy

 A few days ago I saw the title "Digital Data Strategist" in a job ad for the first time in my life. I was very excited to read how this company defined a "digital data strategist", since during the first months of the digital data strategist program at Hyper Island, many struggled to understand what this title meant, and what exactly one would become? 

I never really put much thought into that, since I'm not fond of titles. I rather focus on what I do, and what I want to do, cause chances are that the title for this changes all the time, and I will change what I do. This is especially true in the digital world! What one does today as, for example a digital strategist, might not be the same tomorrow since this landscape is changing all the time, and fast. 

Titles becomes hyped, stays for a bit, and then become exchanged for another. All companies define titles differently, and people become confused. This is why it's important to really read the descriptions in job ads, and not just filter by titles. Of course a job ad needs some sort of headline, but it would be nice if it was easier to understand what they were actually about. Then the risk of applicants filtering out jobs that would be perfect for them would be smaller, and employers would get more relevant applicants. 

Today, the people who attended the digital data strategist program works with various different things, and fields. Some with design, some with analysis, some with strategy, and others combining it all. There are probably as many different digital data strategists as there are types of data.  

http://screeninteraction.com/en/jobs/

This week is about unleashing the entrepreneur with in us. Professor and entrepreneur Bruce M Firestone  is visiting the Digital data strategists, to hold Start up DNA, a 6-day course in business. 

After the first day of the course I am very positive! Bruce delivers a very straight forward and honest approach to starting up a business, he presented many perspectives and things to consider, both when figuring out new business models as well as re-thinking existing ones. I especially took with me the idea that, when a business does not work it is not necessarily the business or the idea that is a problem, it might as well be the model- and that by tweaking it a bit you can solve some big issues. It is also about taking risks and move out of the comfort zone, something we are used to talk a lot about at Hyper Island, if you have to make hard calls and by that risk to show your self and/or your business weak, it is always worth it if it means you can grow or even save your business. 

After the morning classes we are working in teams to come up with a new innovative business model (or re-invent an existing). There are many criteria but one is that we should find ways for it to work with out needing funding. The course will finish on saturday ( 6days ), with a pitch in front of a panel and the winning group will receive a price. 

  After numerous of sketches and changes in the concept, we finally got down to a result that we all felt happy with. Telling from the clients (Hyper island) feedback they were also happy with it, it was something like " How long will it take to make 7 more pieces?"