Name: Johnnalee K.
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Office Location: Chicago, IL
University: University of Illinois at Chicago
Major: Computer Science
Start Date: June 2022
Starting Role: Data Scientist on Enterprise Price and Promotion – Capabilities Team

Describe your role.

Although I am a data scientist, my role is very technical. I work on our price optimization package, specifically on regular price optimization. I help design, update, and sometimes fix the code that allows us to find the optimal everyday price for the customer.

What was your experience like in the Development Program?

In the Development Program, you work on and present a case study project where you learn to build a story based on insights from your data. You’re also able to work on real projects and explore different types of work at the company. The most valuable thing about the Development Program is that you’re able to really discover what you want from your role. For example, I learned that I prefer to spend time coding and building solutions over exploring data and presenting insights. The Development Program really lets you explore different types of work and have transparent discussions with your leader about your needs, which leads to you being placed on a team that’s the best fit for you.

How do you believe the Development Program equipped you for success at 84.51°?

The connections I made with my grad class in the Development Program couldn’t have been more valuable. So often you start a new job and you’re overwhelmed and alone—instead, I had 11 other people in the same boat to help me through. Our group still meets every other week (over a year later) and helps each other out with problems or questions, despite the fact that we’re all spread out on different teams. Having that level of support not just when I was starting but to this day has helped enable me for success. This is also illustrative of the supportive culture at our company.

What did you learn from the Development Program that you have transferred into your current role?

The robust training in the Development Program provided me with powerful context about the function and company as a whole. Going into my current role, I was aware of how our business is set up, what our role is to our clients, the various teams within the company, and the numerous tools available for our use. I think if I had come in and gone straight to my team, I would have been much more siloed and lacked a lot of knowledge about how my work fit into the bigger picture as well as the opportunities for my own career growth within the company.

Is there anything you wish you had known about the Development Program prior to enrolling?

I wish I had been ready for the gear shift once you’re placed on a team. You start at 84.51° and it feels like the Development Program is what your day-to-day will be like, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Once you’re placed, you have a new team, new manager, and new workflow. It’s a big adjustment, and at first it was a bit jarring. My current role is an excellent fit, but I wish I’d prepared myself better for the transition.

What has been the most memorable experience or favorite project you’ve worked on?

My favorite project so far was a side project for our peer review-style series known as “Data Science Deep Dive”. I presented an overview of gender bias in natural language processing for the data scientists at the company. Although not directly related to my price optimization role, I was encouraged to spend my work time researching and building my presentation, as well as meeting with other 84.51° experts to get context for our work. I love that I was encouraged to pursue something so interesting to me and so crucial to our company’s commitment to responsible AI.

Did you go through the internship program at 84.51° prior to graduating? If so, what was that experience like?

The internship gave me a great idea of what it would be like to work at 84.51°. I was placed immediately on a team and given a real project to work on. I was able to get a feel for team dynamics and the day-to-day of working on a project, including building solutions with our technology and collaborating with stakeholders. I was also encouraged to meet with people across different teams and functions, which helped me not only to explore what the company was like, but also to make strong connections which are still helpful to me in my current role.

What advice would you give students who are interested in working in the data science industry?

I’d let students interested in data science know that roles in this field can look very, very different. You could be presenting insights to a client, building and training a machine learning model, or, what I do, writing functionality for a package that enables optimization science. There’s no one way to be a data scientist, and that gives you a lot of freedom to hone your skills in different directions depending on what type of work you enjoy. It’s a much more flexible career than I would have thought when I first started to study data science in school.

What’s your favorite part about working at 84.51°? Do you have a favorite benefit or perk that is offered?

Many companies will say their culture is strong, but few practice what they preach quite the way 84.51° does. I see our cultural values embodied in everything we do from the top down: leadership is transparent, the day-to-day environment is supportive, people are receptive to feedback and when a change is needed, they make it. We also have the PTO and flexibility needed for a healthy work-life balance. It was the promise of a positive, supportive, healthy culture that drew me to 84.51°, and seeing the promise kept is why I chose this company for my career.

What do you like to do in your free time outside of work hours?

I love all things food, whether that’s trying new restaurants or cooking new recipes. I even enjoy grocery shopping, so I ended up at the perfect company!