Background
LSE alumni Ties Boukema shares his SQL learning journey, which took him from an initial aspiration of a career in finance to a thriving career in technology and AI.
With a master’s degree in management from the London School of Economics (LSE), Ties initially pursued investment banking opportunities, but soon realised that the demanding hours were not for him.
“I did two investment banking internships with a major bank before doing my masters. Although I learned a lot, both made me realise that this was not the career or lifestyle I wanted.”
This realisation led him to explore opportunities with Big Tech companies where he discovered the value of SQL.
From studying to a breakthrough in the tech industry
While doing his masters’ degree, Ties maximised his time at LSE by exploring quantitative courses, which gave him an appetite for a career in data. He learned how to manipulate big data sets and found learning SQL relatively easy, especially as he was already familiar with Excel.
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a powerful, universal and versatile tool for managing and manipulating large datasets. Ties adds that “Unlike Excel or Google Sheets, which struggle with millions or billions of rows of data, SQL is designed to handle complex data formats efficiently. This makes it an essential skill for anyone working with big data and AI applications.”
“Technology and AI seemed exciting and Big Tech companies offered amazing opportunities and lots of internal mobility which was very attractive.” Learning quantitative skills while studying at LSE and networking with alumni working in the Tech sector were keys to his success in securing a role in this sector. Soon Ties was off to Dublin to start his career at Google in a sales role.
Moving to more technical roles and unlocking career opportunities
For Ties, mastering SQL was a game-changer. It enabled him to evolve into more technical and analytical work, such as data scientist and data engineering roles.
Learning SQL opened numerous doors for Ties. He became the lead SQL trainer for EMEA. His proficiency in SQL allowed him to contribute to significant projects at Google over a five-year period, including Google Health and the Climate Science team on Air Pollution. This experience, combined with his SQL expertise, eventually led to his current role at Dawn Capital, as Head of Data, Tech & AI, where he continues to leverage SQL for data engineering and automation.
Partnering with LSE and coming full circle
Ties was keen to feed his learning back to LSE. He partnered with LSE’s Digital Skills Lab via Cognitas, a company he co-founded that delivers training to help individuals become data driven and secure data focused roles in the Tech sector. Ties developed a SQL curriculum build on the expertise he acquired at Google. And it’s this curriculum that has been adopted and implemented at LSE by the Digital Skills Lab to support the next generation of students.
A competitive edge in the job market
Ties’ journey highlights the transformative power of SQL. From unlocking career opportunities, facilitating career transitions to enhancing project outcomes, SQL is a versatile and universal tool that is essential for any data scientist or analyst. Ties' story is a testament to the impact that learning SQL can have on one's professional journey.
Inspired? Start your SQL learning journey with the Digital Skills lab now and sign up to one of our SQL workshops.