Building a portfolio with Tableau
While earning his Master’s of Science in business intelligence & analytics (MSBI) at Saint Joseph’s, Amarendranath (Amar) Reddy Donthala ’17 (M.S.) became enamored with data visualization. A former computer programmer from Hyderabad, India, Amar learned Tableau, a data visualization software, from his professors at SJU and quickly mastered the program.
While at SJU, he joined the SJU Tableau user group and began participating in the program’s “MakeOverMonday” challenge, which invites participants to represent a set of data in a new, more creative or compelling way. Combining his computer design skills and new affection for data visualization, Amar even designed the international event’s logo.
With three other students, he started a Tableau clinic offering drop-in sessions on campus for anyone looking for help with data visualizations.
In demand with employers
Thanks to Amar's portfolio and education, before graduating in May 2017, he had a number of job offers from exciting and successful companies. In the end, he accepted an offer as a data visualization analyst for Comcast.
Involvements at SJU
Outside of his academic program, Amar looked to the offices of adult student life and inclusion and diversity (CID) for ways to get involved. He was granted membership into SJU’s business honor society, Beta Gamma Sigma, and Jesuit honor society, Alpha Sigma Nu.
Actively participating in committees and helping to direct University services and policies was a new cultural experience for Amar, who describes the faculty-student dynamic in India as far more prescribed.
