The Explore Careers office has been abuzz since SAS’s inspiring Girls in Tech Day event last week. The day was jam-packed with activities designed to inspire and empower the next generation of women in STEM and IT, and according to the participants, it was a massive success!
Behind-The-Scenes Event Coverage
If you want to learn more about the exciting world of technology but couldn’t make it to SAS’s festivities, don’t worry too much; Alice, Michelle, Jocelyn, Emily and Chloe from Pymble Ladies’ College have you covered!
These aspiring tech pros have put together a reflection that allows you to experience all the fun of SAS’s Girls in Tech Day from the comfort of your home, with inspiring insights on:
- What SAS’s Girls in Tech Day is all about
- An overview of the day’s many presentations
- Everyday data applications
- SAS’s Viya; a data visualisation tool
- Hands-on tech workshops
- Career pathways and opportunities
And much, much more!
Student Reflection
Without any further ado, Explore Careers presents the insightful reflections provided by Pymble Ladies’ College’s inspiring students:
What Was SAS’s Girls in Tech Day All About?
SAS’s Girls in Tech Day was a great opportunity for students to gain valuable insights into the tech industry and learn the skills required for using data. We discovered what SAS is and were briefly introduced to the team and their roles too.
Students not only learned about the concept of data, but they also discovered how to collect data, clean data, identify outliers, make visualisations, and identify trends from presentations, hands-on activities and discussions. There was also useful information about internships and job opportunities that we can aim for in the future!
SAS’s Inspirational Presentations
At the start of their presentation, we were given an overview of a day in the life of a SAS intern. Two interns from SAS informed us that they spend their days working in their relevant field and on their specific projects while learning more about the field and developing both hard and soft skills essential for the technology industry.
They use a variety of raw data (information that is just collected but not sorted yet), such as surveys and observations, to identify trends, patterns and correlations between multiple variables.
Discovering Everyday Data Applications
After the introductory briefing on data science, Jayden and Tsuwei, two insightful interns, delved into the practical applications of data science in our everyday lives, particularly through the use of visualisations. They demonstrated how various types of graphs, such as bar graphs, box and whisker plots, and other specialised graphs, can effectively represent complex data sets.
For instance, bar graphs can compare categorical data, while box and whisker plots are useful for displaying data distributions and identifying outliers. One particularly fascinating segment of the presentation focused on using statistical analysis to become a successful YouTuber; it is a brief demonstration of how we can use data to gain insights into the preferences and behaviours of viewers. Then we had the opportunity to play around and generate graphs visualising data collected from Spotify.
Introducing the SAS Viya
By utilising the SAS Viya, a data visualisation tool, they showed how aspiring content creators could analyse viewer engagement, identify trending topics, and optimise their content strategies based on data insights. The clarity and organisation of data into tables and visual representations made it easy to understand how data can guide decision-making processes.
They also covered the data cycle and the various methods for collecting and storing data, emphasising the importance of these processes in achieving accurate and actionable insights. Overall, the presentation was an enlightening experience that highlighted the power of visualisations in solving real-world problems and making informed decisions.
Getting Hands-On with Exciting Technology
Following the interns’ enlightening talk on how to use data to our advantage, we participated in a hands-on workshop where we created visualisations using the SAS data tool to address statistical concerns. This was done using two distinct datasets: the Streaming dataset and the Spotify dataset. With staff support and access to expert services, students were able to interact with the practical aspects of data science and data analysis throughout this informative session.
After the 30-minute lesson, we enjoyed a Domino’s pizza lunch and a networking session where we could talk to other students and staff members and build relationships. Tsuwei, Jayden, and Jacqueline gave us advice on HSC career and academic choices during our many smart and fascinating chats.
Learning About Careers in Tech
Afterwards, we listened to a speech by the interns on their individual employment experiences and the academic pathways that led them to SAS. Tina Tran, a special guest of Explore Careers, the organisation that hosted and organised this event for girls in STEM, visited us to cap off the day.
Our final networking event saw us carry on exciting discussions about selecting HSC courses and degrees. Our conversations also expanded to include SAS’s recommendations for work experience, applications for leadership positions, and job interviews.
Unexpectedly, the supervisor of SAS in Dubai also paid us a visit. This was a fantastic chance for us to get more information on women in STEM. He clarified that women’s involvement in the STEM fields is important because of their high capacity for lateral thinking, not just because of their skill level or teachable technical ability.
Reflecting on an Amazing Day
The SAS Girls in Tech excursion was undoubtedly a highlight of my final week of school. I was able to witness firsthand the process of working in the technology department, which needed an applied understanding of analytical and inferential skills from data and graphs.
I was also enlightened and able to recognise how much technology influences our lives and how much we rely on it on a daily basis: after all, the first thing we see when we wake up is usually an alarm clock, and the last thing we use before going to bed is typically a phone.
This allowed me to expand on the subject and learn about how variables and trends might allow technology to collect data on us as individuals in order to understand more about how we behave and our daily choices.
Subsequently, this excursion taught me the value of technology and the incredible experiences of working as an intern or employer in such an exceptional industry that not only promotes gender equality but also covers topics relevant to analytical and inferential skills in data science.
Empowering Women in STEM
If you, like these passionate students, want to forge an exciting career in technology, keep your eyes out for more exciting employer events; you never know, we might be hosting the next one in your city.
In the meantime, start planning your future by checking out our blog on STEM pathways for women. It’s jam-packed with industry insights, pathways and information to kickstart your career!
