Judd Heckman

I received my undergraduate degree in computer science and have a strong foundation in programming. Most of my career has been focused on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. CRM software is data centric and my experience has included working with data from multiple perspectives. I have designed data models, transactional processes, data migration and integration solutions, and analytical solutions. This work has required me to define what data needs to be stored in a system, how the user should be able to work with the data, how to extract and transform data from different systems, and how businesses can effectively analyze the data from the CRM system in combination with data from other sources. My work with CRM has primarily been from a consulting role. This has given me experience not only with implementing the technical solution, but also with understanding the business issues being addressed and with designing a solution of the appropriate quality based on time, resource, and budget constraints.

I am now pursuing the MIDS degree to take on new and greater challenges in my career. I am interested in continuing in a consultant role and work on client engagements where I can revolutionize the way a company works with and gains value from data. Another career aspiration is to become an industry research analyst where I would be able to use my experience and knowledge to perform analysis, identify future trends, and become a leading voice in the data domain. I can also see that having skills in both data science and CRM might also position me to take on a role at an enterprise software company to help it expand into new analytical product offerings. Additionally, I am investigating entrepreneurial opportunities. One important factor that motivates my interest in data science is its relative newness and growth potential, which indicates an untapped market for new ventures.