Paying It Forward: Certified Tableau Desktop Specialist Student Teaches Workshop for Peers

In an effort to continue to provide students with the opportunity to obtain industry-recognized certifications in their field of study, the A&M-Commerce College of Business and the Department of Marketing and Business Analytics sponsored Vijay Venu Gopal Chowdary in obtaining his Tableau Desktop Specialist certification.

To pay it forward, the student—along with the Marketing and Business Analytics student organization (MKTBA)—hosted a two-part series introductory Tableau Desktop workshop, the first of which was hosted at the A&M-Commerce Dallas site on February 16, 2023.

The Tableau workshop, which was organized by students for students, provided an opportunity for participants to learn more about data visualization and analysis using one of the industry’s leading tools. The introductory session covered many topics that included:

• Connecting to data sources and importing data into Tableau
• Using Tableau’s visualization tools to create graphs, charts and other visual representations of data
• Analyzing data and creating custom calculations
• Publishing and sharing their visualizations with others

“We believe that investing in our students' professional development is essential to their success and the success of our College,” said Dr. Zaki Malik, Head of the Department of Marketing and Business Analytics. “Obtaining a professional certification validates not only their knowledge and skills but also demonstrates their commitment to their field of study.”

MKBTA president Tapasya Singh said: “We are thrilled to be hosting this Tableau workshop, which was organized for students by students. Data analysis is an increasingly important skill in today’s job market, and Tableau is one of the most popular and powerful tools for this kind of work. We’re excited to give our members a chance to learn more about this tool and how to use it to create effective visualizations.”