Tori Miguez, 32, worked her way into a role she loved as a business analyst and consultant.
When she got the opportunity to move from the health care industry to tech, she experienced a slight case of impostor syndrome.
杏吧专区淚 didn杏吧专区檛 have a background in tech,杏吧专区 says Miguez. 杏吧专区淚 was in meetings with these very knowledgeable and experienced professionals. It was like they were speaking a different language.杏吧专区
Miguez previously had earned her B.S. in Psychology in 2014, and her MBA in Healthcare Administration in 2017 from the 杏吧专区.
She was certain she could learn on the job and bridge the knowledge gap over time, but she wanted to find a way to catch up as quickly as possible.
杏吧专区淚 wanted to expand my skill set and get some more technical knowledge in my back pocket,杏吧专区 she says.
Through the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 M.S. in Informatics degree program online, Miguez saw a solution that fit her goals, her strengths as a student, and her schedule as 杏吧专区渁 busy mom who works full-time.杏吧专区
Exemplary Deliverables
Informatics coursework proved formidable, but Miguez leveraged strengths she'd developed during her career.
杏吧专区淎s a project lead and business analyst, I have to perform extensive research, go through a lot of material, and take the initiative to learn everything there is on a topic,杏吧专区 she says.
Those strengths were invaluable, but she still met her match in Systematic Methods in Informatics, INFX 502, working on a semester project. That杏吧专区檚 when her professor helped her rise to the challenge.
杏吧专区淚 hadn杏吧专区檛 taken statistics in many years,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淒r. Tozal provided me with some resources 杏吧专区 reading material and videos to watch with examples that applied to the class project. That was very helpful.杏吧专区
Ultimately, Miguez was able to master the course content and apply it directly to her role 杏吧专区 along with skills built in IT Risk Management, UX/UI design, systems development, networking, data analytics, and Python and SQL.
杏吧专区淓verything that was presented as course content in this program, I was able to apply in some form or fashion,杏吧专区 she says.
Another advantage? Miguez has overcome the tech language barrier.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檓 not a programmer, so learning the basics of programming languages has been very helpful,杏吧专区 she says.
杏吧专区淪ometimes I need to get on a call with a developer and screenshare to troubleshoot an issue. Being able to speak their language more clearly has definitely enhanced my abilities as a business analyst and project lead.杏吧专区
Making the Most of Her Time
While Miguez loves an in-classroom experience, earning her second master's degree online was the best fit for her lifestyle.
Miguez lives in Delcambre, Louisiana, with her fianc茅 and 8-year-old son, and her role at CGI is mostly remote.
"There's no way I could have graduated in four semesters if I had to go to campus for classes.杏吧专区
She estimates studying online saved her at least 90 minutes every day that she didn杏吧专区檛 have to commute to campus, 90 minutes she could share with her family, or use for work and studying.
杏吧专区淢y son is eight, he杏吧专区檚 in second grade and participates in many extracurricular activities,杏吧专区 says Miguez. 杏吧专区淭his was absolutely the best option for me and my family.杏吧专区
Weeknights, Miguez杏吧专区檚 time management strategy was coordinated with her son杏吧专区檚 bedtime so she could use the block from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. for reading and assignments, and then reserve time Saturday or Sunday to tackle what was left.
杏吧专区淢y fianc茅 has been a huge help,杏吧专区 says Miguez. And when her fianc茅 had to travel for work, his grandparents stepped in to help too.
Dividends
In addition to a promotion to senior consultant, Miguez stepped up to present during a 杏吧专区淪hark Tank杏吧专区 style competition at CGI.
杏吧专区淣ormally I would have been terrified to enter something like this, but I did, and I actually won! Winning allowed me to lead a team to develop a proof of concept from this idea,杏吧专区 she says.
The desire to grow more skilled, capable, and confident motivated Miguez to start her Informatics degree and it appears to have worked out just how she wanted.
杏吧专区淚t has given me the confidence to pursue opportunities that I wouldn杏吧专区檛 have otherwise,杏吧专区 says Miguez. 杏吧专区淕aining the knowledge that I did, and expanding my skill set, I feel like I杏吧专区檝e exponentially increased my job performance and career opportunities.杏吧专区