At DataScientest, one of our most important goals is to give everyone the chance to make it in the data universe. That's why our professional training courses can be customized to meet the needs of our learners. Every story is written individually and every career is different. It is not uncommon for people to find their way into Data Science as career changers. So Data Science also creates the perfect conditions for them. But one thing is certain: careers are there to be started. Like Annika does. She recently started our Data Analyst training course at DataScientest and tells us about her journey.
After 7 years, I am leaving my dream job at innn.it, my professional haven, and the comfort of familiarity. I am going to dive into the world of data with a course in data analysis. I am not 100% sure where this will take me, but it feels exciting — a new beginning.
My campaigning journey started 7 years ago when I took on a working student role at Change.org Germany. I found a place where I felt like I was actually making a difference in the world. I loved it so much that I soon quit my master’s in “European Studies” to take on a full-time position as a campaigner. I’ve never regretted the choice. It didn’t feel right for me to sit in university writing essays about political issues when I had the chance to be part of the solution.
Over the years, I worked with numerous petition starters on many campaigns, but there are a few that I’m most proud of:
- I supported Nanna and Yasemin in demolishing the tampon tax in Germany. Period products used to be taxed with 19% – the luxury VAT – nowadays it’s only 7%, like other everyday products.
- I helped Lucas to ban conversion therapy for minors in Germany – a historic achievement following Malta, making Germany the second European nation to take this progressive stance. Conversion Therapy is a dehumanizing practice aimed at coercing queer individuals into heterosexuality.
- I joined forces with Kristina Hänel in the fight to repeal §219a, a law that obstructed doctors from informing patients about abortion procedures and costs. This law was exploited by anti-abortion proponents to criminalize healthcare providers. Although the 2017 campaign did not yield immediate results, it generated substantial attention, ultimately leading to the law’s repeal in 2022 following the formation of a new German government.
Within the last 7 years, I stepped up from working student to campaigner, to head of email engagement, and finally to campaigns director. It was my absolute pleasure and biggest professional challenge so far to lead the German campaigns team – including campaigners in Berlin, Munich, and Düsseldorf – through hundreds of campaign starts, endless campaign actions, various interactions with decision-makers, as well as difficult times like Covid or other challenges in an ever-changing organization.
In 2022, the entire German team separated from Change.org to start their own campaigning platform called innn.it. Our vision was to empower individuals by dismantling barriers to initiate legally binding initiatives, effectively transferring power to the people. It’s been a hell of a year with many exciting and many challenging moments that come along with starting a new organization. I’m very proud to say that innn.it has already produced a few remarkable campaigns, and I hold confidence it will evolve into a known brand for social change. I’m also immensely grateful to the whole innn.it team. It was a difficult process, and I’m glad I had such exceptional colleagues by my side.
Through the process, I have realized that it is time for a new chapter in my life. It’s scary to part ways with innn.it, especially in a time when I’m still figuring out how to master working-mum-life. However, I trust my intuition, and I know what the first step is going to be: Today, I am starting the Data Analyst training with DataScientest.
DataScientest is the European market leader in training courses in the field of Data Science. They train people, whether they have previous knowledge like I do or are complete novices, as Data Analyst, Data Scientist and Data Engineer, among others. From as little as 9 weeks, you can learn how to code with programming languages such as Python and SQL and all other important programs and tools to be perfectly prepared for the career in Data Science.
I have always had a thing for numbers, and I have been in charge of the data-driven email program for a long time at Change.org. Working in data excites me. I decided to start the Data Analyst part-time course. So, I am really looking forward to diving into the data ocean. The training course will cover several topics like programming with python, machine learning, data visualization and business intelligence with power bi and tableau.
What really convinced me about DataScientest is the combination of self-study and masterclasses as well as the learning-by-doing approach. The course will be 100% online which gives me the freedom and the opportunity to work on the exercises whenever I have the time as a working-mum.
Please get in touch if you want to talk about data, or campaigning, or data-based campaigning, or if you have any opportunities suitable for a passionate campaigner who is kind of new in the world of data! 🙂
