#finalclass

Reflecting back on my Mastery journey timeline I wrote for my FINAL class; Business Intelligence Capstone is that “This course will allow me to present the skills I have learned on my Mastery journey. This course is a wrap-up of all skills, techniques, concepts, and tools learned, and allows for a means for me to demonstrate this learned knowledge as I continue on my Master journey”. I also established three goals that I planned to achieve during this course and a strategy for each goal to help me achieve each goal.

My first goal was to learn how to present the skills I have learned from previous classes and the strategy I chose to help me achieve this goal was to watch video from Lynda.com: Data Visualization: Best Practices.

My second goal was to review all the skills, techniques, concepts, and tools I have learned in the past 11 months, and the strategy I chose to help me achieve this goal was to watch video from Lynda.com: Learning Infographic Design.

My third goal was to learn how to demonstrate learned skills, techniques, concepts, and tools in the real world, and the strategy I chose to help me achieve this goal was to read the article Social Media and Corporate Agility, available on EBSCOhost. A reflection on the actual course content matched my expectations outlined in the mastery Timeline and has been very beneficial and informative. The Business Intelligence Master of Science Program met my Mastery Journal Timeline expectations and goals. From the program’s content I learned:

Identified a position in the BI industry that you would like to pursue

Prepared a Skills Gap Inventory and Action Plan to help you identify skills you need to acquire to be successful in that position

Engaged meaningfully with other Business Intelligence professionals (your classmates) by fostering mutually reinforcing conversations in response to their plans for overcoming their Hard Skills Gap

Documented your analysis of your Client Company’s problems or opportunities

Documented your situational analysis for your Client Company and its industry

Communicated your proposed data-informed solution

Described in detail your data collection plan design

Presented your anticipated results and conclusions

Completed your Relationship Building Plan

Understood the four key business relationships

Explored how to build relationships in person and virtually

Learned how to support your manager's objectives

Understood how to articulate your needs to your manager

Learned how to manage up

Understood how to communicate with difficult team members

Explored how to resolve cross-department conflict

Identified your mentors and sponsors

Learned how to make first impressions with executives

Presented your analysis of your Capstone Client Company’s problems or opportunities

Summarized the situational analysis for your Capstone Industry and Client Company

Communicated your proposed data-informed solution

Described your data collection plan design

Summarized your anticipated results and conclusions

Completed your Personal Branding Brainstorm

Understood the basics of defining and growing your personal brand

Explored the steps necessary to build an online identity

Explored how and why to develop authority

Recognized the importance of creating content and understand how to do so

Learned how to establish your personal online style, maintain consistency, and more

Completed your Job-Hunting Online Plan of Action

Learned how to make a plan for job hunting

Understood the basics of using popular job sites such as Monster, Simply Hired, and Indeed

Learned how to use Twitter to search for jobs

Explored how to scan effectively the companies you want to work for

Recognized the best way to approach recruiters

I will apply what I learned as I transition into my role as a practitioner in the BI industry and pursue my professional career upon graduation by applying these concepts in my professional career in the military and eventually when I retire, to whatever future career I may have outside of the military.

Very Respectfully, Christina Roberts

Full Sail University. (2019). Full Sail University Business Intelligence Master’s Course Schedule. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from Full Sail University: https://www.fullsail.edu/degrees/business-intelligence-master/courses

Roberts, C. (2019). Mastery Journal. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from Tumblr: https://chri5tin4r0b3rt5.tumblr.com

The final class was the capstone for the whole program because it showed me how to remain focused on polishing up a great business plan that would be generally accepted by potential investors if the case ever arises.

One of the key points I learned from this class was organization. Starting from the title page of a business plan right down to the financials of how to be clear on what you need, be it funding, all contribute to the success of your business plan knowing that you’re confident about it and presentable enough for a positive reaction.

In the course, we covered areas such job searches and resume approach knowing that, to impress an employer, you may need to set up a layout and cover letter that brings up your skills to par with their expectations.

Job sites were also shown to us so that we can have variety in application processes. One tip we were given that stood out was that your social media presence should be clean and professional because these days, potential employers are fond of going through your social media sites to have an insight about you before considering you as a potential candidate for the job.

Using the executive summary and business plan development that was learned in the previous class, it all sums up to say that, this class created an opportunity to understand the nitty-gritty bits and pieces on how to effectively pitch your business plan using more graphics than text. This is encouraged because it brings out your confidence and professionalism to the enlightenment of the addressed listener. This is encouraged by having a solid elevator pitch.