Henry Fair, Data Technician

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What I do

I use data to create visualisations and insights which help us build reports and presentations. The teams who manage events and income generation for the NSPCC come to us and request information on the results of campaigns, such as how many people signed up, where they are based and what the gender split was, and we find and present that data, often in bar charts or Venn diagrams.

What my role entails

I deal with the front-end data, extracting it and making it into something more visual so it’s easier for people to see and understand the results. It’s a lot of messing about with numbers and trying to figure out what it all means.

What my role entails

I have a very number-orientated brain and can remember stuff and it just clicks, I like the process of getting things together - creating new fields and doing calculations. For example, working out what the average donation was across, say, 100 supporters who donated in the last month, it’s interesting.

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How I became a technician

During school I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I did work experience at Lloyds Bank in sixth form and worked in many departments and really liked the data work - I guess because I like numbers and gaming, so that appealed to me.

How I became a technician

I did A levels in Business, Politics and Spanish, and there was a lot of analytical work within that which I enjoyed. I knew I didn’t want to go to university, a lot of my friends were looking at apprenticeships rather than university and I did the same.

How I became a technician

Straight after sixth form, I volunteered at a library, and got a temporary job in Sainsburys, and once that ended, I was then offered and apprenticeship at the NSPCC. I’ve been here almost three years now and have completed my apprenticeship as a data analyst.

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A typical day in my working life

In a typical working day, I use our database system to pull out the data I need on our supporters, or donations. Most of my day is focused on building the visualisations and putting them into PowerPoint ready to present to the stakeholder teams to a later date.

That’s the process – teams will come to us and ask for a breakdown of information or a comparison to a previous year and we’ll have a kick-off meeting to make sure that everyone knows what we can do and what they can expect at the end of it. Then we go away and do the work and present it at the end.

A little more about
my everyday role

The best bits about working in a team

I work in the data team, which has two teams of three within it. I like working in a team because I learn so much. The guys I work with have been doing it such a long time and they give me lots of tips and ideas on how to present the data.

The most exciting thing I’ve achieved so far in my job

Completing my apprenticeship has been really rewarding. Also, when I cover other people at work and am chucked in at the deep end - we had to get out an emergency email campaign to every one of our supporters in one day. I was under pressure but got it done! I trust my knowledge more now.

Skills that I use within my role

Attention to detail is a big one, we have to make sure the data is right, and we have to be very precise. Presentation and communication skills are also important, and being clear and concise with what you’re presenting, and able to explain technical information in laymen’s terms and not use acronyms.