This skill will land you a ‘fairytale-like’ internship at Cartier

What data analyst skills would you need to work for a brand like Cartier?

Well, Guilherme Paulino might have some answers for you, and an unconventional one, at that. 

Hailing from Portugal, Paulino completed his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Porto in 2021, with key focuses in econometrics, macroeconomics, microeconomics, and marketing.

In the same year, he pursued his master’s in economics and management at the same university. This programme, hosted by Quantitative Techniques for Economics & Management Masters Network (QTEM), emphasised on the field of data analytics, and it was also the programme that took Paulino abroad to Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome for a semester.

While this was quite the switch for him — from studying economics and management to data analytics — mastering a new set of skills wasn’t too difficult.

Paulino credits this to — and this may come as a surprise — learning to play the guitar at the age of 10.

“The best thing that came out of learning how to play the guitar was that it taught me persistence and how to be methodical with the way I practice,” said Paulino. “I think that transcended into how I am today. It’s engraved in me.”

“If you want to master the skills, you have to put in the hours and effort. For me, it was my model to learning the programming languages. So if you’re not consistent and methodical, it will be very difficult.”

Playing an instrument and data analysis are all about recognising patterns and understanding the flow.

In music, you would have to learn and identify the notes to play an instrument. Once you’ve got that down, and with a lot of practice, you can play almost anything quickly and easily. For data scientists, you must be able to identify patterns in the data and formulate them quickly.

“Similar to the musical note’s journey from the page to the stage, your company’s data must intelligently flow throughout your organisation,” writes Ernie Ostic of leading data lineage platform MANTA in a Venture Beats article on the connection between music and data.

“It must be effectively understood, accessed, and managed. One aspect of data can enrich and validate another — and key data insights are what drive critical business decisions. These critical business decisions determine your company’s overall performance, much as different musical techniques can enhance an orchestral performance,” the article writes. 

Clearly, Paulino has seen and experienced this phenomenon for himself.

What started out as a simple hobby as learning to play the guitar, has now given him the data analyst skills he needed to take him to places he never imagined, such as an internship at French luxury-goods conglomerate Cartier.

Paulino at his graduation from the School of Economics and Management at the University of Porto. Source: Guilherme Paulino

What inspired you to further your studies at the Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome?

I wanted to continue studying management as well as data analytics because I was gaining some interest in the subject during my bachelor’s.

When it comes to other programmes, you can either complete a normal master’s degree from a university, an Erasmus+ programme, or a double degree where you spend one year in one school and the second in another school.

Then there’s the QTEM programme, which offers students a master’s degree in addition to quantitative techniques and data analyst skills. 

Students at QTEM are required to go abroad for one or two semesters to gain international experience. That’s when I decided to study at Luiss Guido Carli University because they offered the courses I wanted, like Python and R for data science, artificial intelligence in marketing, and other related subjects.

I wanted to expand my learning experiences in those types of courses, not only management courses, because I was already taking more or less the usual management courses at my university.

The other inspiration was the international and cultural experience of living in Rome, which weighed heavily on the decision. 

Lastly, the programme offers international experiences and the QTEM Data Challenge for students to participate in. In my case, Cartier was the stakeholder in the challenge I participated in. So that’s why I chose QTEM and Luiss Guido Carli University in the end. 

QTEM’s programme was where Paulino gained his data analyst skills, and it’s also how he secured an internship at Cartier. Source: Guilherme Paulino

What was your experience like when participating in the QTEM Data Challenge?

The QTEM Data Challenge was the perfect opportunity to combine the management and data analyst skills I learned at the University of Porto and Luiss Guido Carli University. 

It was very interesting because they provided us with a data challenge to solve in raw format. We had to do the work that a data analyst would usually do, like extracting and transforming data, and on top of that, the challenge also focused on Cartier’s business side. We had to leverage both skill sets during the challenge.

The way the teams were formed was interesting too. We were allocated into teams of three to four students based on a form we filled out about our skills to make sure that our skills complemented each other. 

One teammate and I were very data-focused. We knew all the tools, from Python to R. Our other two teammates focused more on the research side of the challenge.

It created a very nice team spirit to solve the challenge, and that, culturally speaking, was very interesting for me as we were from different parts of the world and we were studying in other places. 

When our team reached the finals, we presented our business findings and solutions to the stakeholders, Cartier, colleagues and alums of QTEM, and some professors from several schools that are part of QTEM.

However, we didn’t win and were placed third for the challenge.

Paulino is now an International Client Data Analyst Intern at Cartier in Geneva, Switzerland. Source: Guilherme Paulino

How did you land an internship with Cartier?

After the challenge, Cartier contacted us to discuss our presentation further and continue the conversation.

During this process, we found a topic, data analytics, that I was interested in. They just happened to have a data analytic position open, and with my data analytic skills, things just happened, and I got the job.

How did you feel about landing the internship at Cartier?

It was very rewarding for me as well as for the students who were involved in the challenge.

Everyone was very happy when a company like Cartier wanted to continue the conversation with the students, and they wanted to know where the students’ interests lie.

It felt like a fairy tale. One day, I received an email saying we got into the finals of the QTEM Data Challenge while I was on vacation in south Portugal, and it was like, ‘Wow, we’re going to present this to Cartier.’

Perhaps, like in my wildest dreams, I’ll be able to work there one day.

What are the most important skills a data analyst should have?

A data analyst should possess a strong foundation in technical skills, such as proficiency in data analysis and visualisation tools, a solid understanding of statistical concepts, and familiarity with programming languages. However, even more important is a curious mindset paired with strong problem-solving abilities. This enthusiastic drive to ask questions, explore data deeply, and uncover hidden patterns or anomalies, along with the ability to identify and resolve issues is perhaps the most crucial skill a data analyst can have.

What do you think are the best ways for a person with no data skills to learn the fundamental skills of a junior data analyst?

For someone starting with no data skills, the best ways to learn the fundamental skills of a junior data analyst can involve a mix of educational pathways. Online courses can provide structured lessons in essential technical skills such as Excel, Python, and R, while certification programs offer valuable industry recognition. Additionally, university programmes offer a broader and deeper understanding of data analysis, emphasising the theoretical foundations crucial for comprehensive learning.

In my opinion, to significantly enhance your skills, hands-on practice and learning through challenges are essential. Therefore, I encourage those interested in this field to complement their education with internships, project-based courses or data competitions, such as the QTEM Data Challenge. These opportunities allow individuals to undertake real-world missions and deliver tangible results, thoroughly preparing them for the demands of data analyst roles. Combining theoretical knowledge with practical experience is key to developing the skills needed to succeed as a junior data analyst.