BA Insights

Learn how R can help you solve your data analytics problems! There are a number of sessions at this year’s Business Analytics Conference that are focused on integrating and maximizing the R programming language, including:

All current registrants can now register for Labs at PASS Business Analytics Conference 2016. Work closely with world-class analytics experts in these two-hour, in-depth training sessions. Labs are exceedingly popular every year and availability fills quickly, so RSVP now.

PASS is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to delivering the best learning and professional development activities for our community. To achieve this, we are always looking for ways to diversify our revenue streams and reinvest back into the community.

Daniel Fylstra is a returning speaker to the Business Analytics Conference, presenting a general session and a pre-con. He also volunteers on the PASS Business Analytics Advisory Committee.

New sessions have just been announced, increasing the great training and in-depth content that we’ve got in store for you at this year’s PASS Business Analytics Conference.

Can you share with us what attracted you to a career in analytics?

I actually stumbled into my career when I was still in high school. At the time, I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I was going to continue my education. Fortunately, my dad nudged me to apply for an internship with the Oregon Lottery’s Research Department. He thought it would be a good experience and hopefully give me a clue about what to pursue after graduation. All I knew then was that I was good with numbers – I never thought it would turn into a career. Fast-forward nearly 15 years and I’m as hooked as I’ve ever been. I find there’s so much variety with the analytics field that it’s hard to get bored. There’s always a new project, different ways to look at data, and new analytics tools to explore.

How did you get involved with financial modelling and analysis?

I travelled a lot when I was younger (as most Aussies do) and found myself in London during the booming 90s. Arriving with a finance degree and not much experience, I worked my way up in investment banking and found that Excel modeling was a critical skill to have as an analyst in that environment (although we didn’t really call it “financial modeling” back then). On my return to Australia I continued on my finance career whilst completing an MBA and eventually founded Plum Solutions to specialize in using Excel for the purpose of modeling and analysis.

Tell us a little bit about your career path and what attracted you to data analysis. (You have a BA in Psychology – how did you make that leap?)
My first jobs out of college were in the psychology field, working with adolescents in residential treatment facilities. While my intention and purpose was to help kids, I became increasingly frustrated with the business decisions and political gamesmanship that so often seemed to interfere. From there, I followed a path of opportunities that presented themselves.