Valerie's Journey from Property Manager to Data Analyst with Lighthouse Labs

After working in property management, Valerie Rodriguez was ready for a new challenge and set her sights on the tech industry. Drawn to the problem-solving side of coding and inspired by her small projects with Python, she enrolled in Lighthouse Labs’ Data Analytics Flex Bootcamp. Balancing full-time work with live online lectures and projects for a professional portfolio, Valerie built a strong foundation in tools like SQL, Tableau, and Python. Today, she’s putting those skills into action as a Data Analyst Intern at the Living Stones Foundation, while continuing to grow her portfolio through contract work. Valerie shares how the training and support she received at Lighthouse Labs have kept her motivated in her career change. 

Why did you decide to start a career in data analytics?

I was working in property management, which has nothing to do with tech, but a year-and-a-half into my management gig, I began to have a change of heart. I saw more people getting into tech, and I decided I was interested in it, too, because I'm a little bit of a nerd. Even before getting into data analysis, I was doing small projects with Python, which made me want to dive more into this. I came across Lighthouse Labs, and decided to take the jump and enroll in the next cohort. 

Did you need any technical experience to get into the Data Analytics Bootcamp at Lighthouse Labs?

It is helpful if you already have a little bit of knowledge beforehand. I had very little, so it took some time for me to digest the material. The process began with an interview so they could learn about your background and why you want to enroll. After that, they give you material to study before you do a technical analysis. 

You enrolled in the Data Analytics Flex Bootcamp in 2023 — What were some of the main tools and skills you learned in the bootcamp?

Python and SQL were some of the main things we learned. We also learned about database platforms and data manipulation. We became familiar with the packages that Python has, like SQLite, Scikit-learn, Pandas, and NumPy, which helps with the data manipulation. We covered data cleaning before we moved into dashboards and visualizations, like Tableau. We learned how to tell the story of the data we’ve collected to explain it to people who did not know it. 

Overall, the bootcamp was challenging, but I enjoyed it. It was a great experience for someone who didn't have much of a background other than biology and property management. The coding aspect of the bootcamp challenged me a lot in the sense of problem-solving. It forced me to communicate and collaborate with other people in my cohort. It pushed me to get better, ask questions, and have a more analytical and technical mindset, which is very important, especially when you are a career changer. 

What kinds of projects did you work on at Lighthouse Labs?

The first project we did focused on SQL, where we manipulated the data and tables to find patterns to analyze. We did a Tableau project, which was easier for me. My Tableau project was a dashboard based on Airbnb listings in New York. A piece of advice that I got from my mentor was not to just make a dashboard to make a dashboard, but to make sure the dashboard made sense to anyone looking at it. 

We moved on to projects that mostly pertained to Python. One of them used a City Bikes API, and we chose a city to focus our project on. I chose Barcelona, and within that location, I showed how far points of interest like a restaurant or a train station were from a City Bikes location and the rating of that location. This was one of the most difficult projects that I had to work on because it was something that I've never done before. I didn't even know what an API system was when I began it! There were times when I wanted to throw my computer out the window, but the support staff and mentors were amazing at helping me.

How did you balance the Flex bootcamp with work?

I was working full-time in my property management job at the same time as the Flex bootcamp. As a property manager, I was responsible for multiple properties across the city, so balancing that with the bootcamp was challenging. I would be working nine to five, sometimes later. Then I would do my projects and assignments for the bootcamp. It was tough, but if learning data analytics and changing your career is something you truly want to do, you just do it.

There were a lot of late nights and times that I wanted to quit, but I kept thinking about how this bootcamp experience and projects would be excellent on my resume.

The bootcamp was how I was networking and connecting with people in the field, helping me learn how to talk to people.

What is the teaching style like in the Flex program? 

In the Flex program, there were two lectures a week. Each lecture was about two hours, and then there would be assignments like quizzes and projects. The lectures were recorded, so if you couldn’t attend class that day, you could watch them on your own time. 

If you were struggling with a project or something covered in class, how did you get support at Lighthouse Labs?

Lighthouse Labs has a Discord channel for everyone to communicate, including mentors, students, and instructors. If you ever needed assistance with a question or in the project, you could go to the student channel and request a mentor. They would send you a Google or Zoom link for a meeting, and take the time to go over your problem or bug in your code. There are only so many mentors per cohort, and many of them are working actual data jobs, so you may have to wait a bit for them to get back to you.

The Lighthouse Labs support staff were helpful, not just in helping me as a student, but as a lifelong learner. They gave me a lot of useful advice.

How did Lighthouse Labs get you ready for the tech job hunt?

For career services, they showed us how to build a strong portfolio and a resume that's tailored to finding a data analyst position. They also helped us build our professional network. Since this is a technical job, they suggested we practice our new skills through more projects. For example, using SQL on patient data and finding key insights. If you don't practice these skills, you’ll get rusty. 

We had access to a job portal called Hunter, which is similar to LinkedIn. It will send you email notifications for job openings within your region of choice, which is great. Now that Lighthouse Labs has joined Uvaro, you can access their career coaches, which I recommend. 

What tech roles have you felt comfortable applying for since graduating from Lighthouse Labs?

At the beginning of my job hunt, I was specifically looking for a data analyst position, but since then, I have tried to broaden it a bit. I’ve begun looking at roles related to data analysts, but the title itself might not say “data analyst.” I also tried freelancing, but I need to build my portfolio more. Mostly, I’ve been looking for junior data analysts, business intelligence analysts, and even software developers. 

Since you've recently been on the tech job hunt, what strategies are you using?

I apply for jobs that I don’t technically qualify for. For example, I applied at the Canadian Service Intelligence because they were hiring data analysts, even though they asked for five or more years of experience. I sent in my application because you never know. I've had some colleagues who applied to positions like that, and they really pushed it and got something out of it. 

You are now completing a data analytics internship at the nonprofit, Living Stones Foundation. How did you land this internship?

I felt that I wasn't getting much attention on LinkedIn or Indeed, so I started applying for roles on Wellfound, which a colleague recommended. Wellfound has a job portal for startups and smaller-scale organizations and companies. Living Stones Foundation was looking for unpaid interns, and I decided this would be a good opportunity to learn more on the job. 

What kinds of projects are you working on at Living Stones Foundation?

One of the projects that I'm a lead on is creating a digital platform for farmers in Latin America to access. Through the platform, we want to give them resources on how to reduce carbon emissions in agriculture. We're in the very beginning stages, so we're collecting data by trying to get access to open source data and reaching out to government organizations. The organization hopes to get the funding to make this resource available for the farmers who might not have access to these things or the resources.

At Living Stones Foundation, are you using what you learned at Lighthouse Labs on the job?

Yes! I'm using Python and data visualization tools like Tableau, as well as brushing up on the skills of collecting data and manipulating it to tell a story. 

You’re also working on other freelance projects — Tell us about your most recent project!

I recently finished a three-month, paid contract as a research assistant in research development for a healthcare research company based in Mississauga. The work was very different from what I did in the data analytics bootcamp because it was focused on machine learning and AI. I learned how to do 3D modeling for chronic back pain patients and mineral exploration within mines in North America and Australia. We were building scripts to get coordinates, for example. It was a great experience, and I learned a lot.

Most of the time we were using Python, but we also used TensorFlow to create the 3D models. The models took several hours to run the script, so my tip is to have a very good graphics card! With the models, I was monitoring and training them, making sure they didn’t crash. 

At this point in your career change, was Lighthouse Labs worth it for you?

I don't regret doing the Lighthouse Labs at all. The bootcamp was fantastic. If I continue to practice and build on my portfolio, I know I’ll find a full-time role. I am also considering becoming a freelancer. I strongly suggest Lighthouse Labs to anyone thinking of doing this bootcamp and is ready to challenge themselves. 

What is your advice for incoming students on making the most of the Lighthouse Labs bootcamp experience?

Use the resources that Lighthouse Labs provides. If you do not use the resources, such as their career services, mentors, and support staff, then you're not getting the full experience. Don’t just connect with your mentors if you encounter a problem. Reach out to them to build your network because these are highly skilled professionals with years of experience.  

Find out more and read Lighthouse Labs reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with Lighthouse Labs.