After receiving her Ph.D. in Empirical Research, Susanne Schmidt knew she wanted to land a full-time role working with data. Yet, despite her robust academic background, she found herself second-guessing her capabilities.
“It was not easy to find a place where I would truly fit since I didn’t have a computer science background,” Susanne shares.
One steep learning curve, a few great mentors, and many hours of practice later, Susanne is now thriving as a product lead for Power BI at Celonis, the global leader in process mining. We sat down with Susanne to learn more about the three ways she overcame self-doubt and built her confidence in the data industry.
From academia to real-world application
Susanne spent a collective nine years studying between her undergraduate and doctoral degrees.
“When I discovered the data industry, I thought, ‘Well, what these data scientists are doing, according to their job descriptions, is what I’ve been doing all day for years,’” Susanne laughs. “But then I figured out that not having a real computer science background made it difficult for me to understand the terminology, like SQL or Power BI.”
At first, she was overwhelmed by the breadth of information in the data science realm and the amount of catch-up she would have to do.
“This field is so big, and I thought I had to cover everything,” Susanne says. Fortunately, the tides shifted when she made a series of three revelations.
Tip #1: Find your niche
Susanne realized that she didn’t have to be an expert on all things data. Rather, the key to success is finding your niche.
“Once I understood what I’m really good at — which for me is the interpretation of the data, helping the customer to understand that data, formulating the right questions, and finding the answers in the data — that was the moment I really began to feel confident.”
Tip #2: Surround yourself with support
“It was absolutely not a solo journey,” Susanne says when reflecting on the confidence she gained through her peers.
After receiving her Ph.D., Susanne landed a role with the new startup Process Analytics Factory, which would later be acquired by Celonis. As process mining was still a relatively new field at the time, Susanne recalls how she learned alongside — rather than under — her peers.
“There were not so many experts in the field, so we could really grow to understand process mining together.”
In unity, Susanne found strength.
“I had great coworkers and colleagues who helped me and went with me on my learning journey,” she says. “Also, my boss always motivated and encouraged me. He helped show me what he thought I was good at.”
Tip #3: Don’t give up
“Coming out of my studies, I thought I knew everything. And the more I read, the more I learned that I know nothing,” Susanne laughs.
At that moment, it would have been easy for Susanne to walk away and accept defeat. But rather than feel discouraged, she refocused on her end goal.
“While it might feel tricky to stay motivated and continue the learning path, eventually you will see the light and feel that you have learned a lot. But that takes a while. So don’t give up. When you find something that you enjoy and you have fun with, just continue.”
The story carries on
While she may be a subject matter expert at Celonis, Susanne understands that developing confidence is a journey — not a destination.
“We all struggle with self-doubt at times. That’s totally normal. Nowadays, I try to understand where it’s coming from, and it’s usually because I have a lack of knowledge somehow or somewhere. So, I try to close the gap and find the blind spots that are missing. And I ask the right people to help me out. Then, I’m able to pick myself back up and feel confident again.”
Interested in developing your career alongside the global leader in process mining? Celonis is hiring! Explore the career opportunities here.
