Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Ford.
Hi Tiffany, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I spent years in HR, most recently as a senior recruiter. I loved working with people, but I kept noticing that the decisions that mattered most, like who we hired, why people left, and where we were losing candidates, all came down to data. I wanted to be the person who could actually read that story, not just hear about it after the fact.
So at 35, with kids at home, I decided to start over. I enrolled in the Google Data Analytics Certificate on Coursera and gave it a few hours whenever I could. Some days that was nap time. Some days it was in the morning after my kids went to school.
I also decided to learn in public. I started @datawithtiffany to document the whole thing, including the confusing parts and not only the wins. That kept me accountable, and it showed other people that you can be a beginner out loud.
It hasn’t been a straight line. I got turned down for a job I really wanted and almost quit.
What kept me going was believing that patience is key and that what’s meant for me will happen.
This month, I’ve finally finished every course in the certificate.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it hasn’t been smooth.
The hardest part has been time. I’m a wife and mom first, so my learning happens in pockets.
Some weeks I made great progress. Other weeks I barely opened my laptop, and I had to learn not to beat myself up about that.
Then there’s the learning itself. Coming from HR, a lot of it felt like a foreign language at first. SQL, spreadsheets, cleaning messy data. There were plenty of moments where I stared at an error and wondered if I was cut out for this.
The biggest struggle was getting turned down for a job I really wanted. That one hurt. I questioned everything and almost quit. But I came back to what I believe: patience is key, and what’s meant for me will happen.
Sharing it all online helped. When I posted the confusing parts, people would message me saying they were going through the same thing. That reminded me I wasn’t behind. I was just in the middle of it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a data analyst in the making with an HR background, and that combination is where I’m focusing. I spent years as a senior recruiter, so I understand the people side of a business. Now I’m learning to back it up with data. My first case study looks at employee retention, because I want to help companies understand why people stay, why they leave, and what they can do about it.
Online, I’m known for @datawithtiffany, where I document my career change in real time. I share the wins, but I also share the confusing parts, because I think people need to see that a beginner can still make progress.
What I’m most proud of is finishing the Google Data Analytics Certificate while raising my kids.
Nobody handed me extra hours. I made the time.
What sets me apart is that I’m not coming into data as a blank slate. I know what it’s like to sit across from a candidate, to deal with turnover, and to make hiring decisions under pressure. I don’t just see the numbers. I know the people behind them.
Any big plans?
My next big step is landing my first role in data. I’m especially interested in HR and people analytics, where I can use both my recruiting experience and my new skills. That’s the bridge I’ve been building this whole time.
In the meantime, I’m adding more projects to my portfolio.
I want to keep sharpening my skills in SQL, Tableau, and Python so I’m not just certified but actually confident.
I’m also looking forward to growing @datawithtiffany.
My goal is for it to become a space where career changers, especially moms, can see what this journey really looks like and feel like they can do it too.
The biggest change I’m planning for is going from learning in public to working in public.
Same honesty, just a new chapter.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datawithtiffany
- LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/tiffany-ford
