The Adobe Analytics Challenge opened a lot of doors for me, and it came up in virtually every job interview I had after I graduated. I was able to get hired and hit the ground running at my current job, since The Home Depot is a longtime user of Adobe Analytics. And while my job works directly with data, the ability to tell stories through numbers is an important skill set for many types of careers today. — Ashish Rashinge, Senior Analyst, The Home Depot
2018 Finalist, University of California, Davis

Data impacts every function these days, and my ability to tell stories via numbers set me apart in the sports field. Adobe Analytics was a great introduction to how data is collected and synthesized in the real world, giving me exposure to data-driven storytelling and making me a better candidate in the job market. I was exposed to concepts like funnel charts and customer churn, while using a comprehensive analytics platform that is widely used in the industry. — Christien Wright, Research & Innovation Analyst, Milwaukee Bucks, Inc. (NBA)
2018 Finalist, UMass Amherst

In a corporate environment, if you are going to make a case for something, you need good data to support it. The Adobe Analytics Challenge was one of my first opportunities to practice in a real-world environment. It allowed me to look at data from a holistic perspective, drilling into what customers want and validating my theories with hard figures. — Cassie Dai, Senior Vendor Manager, Amazon
2019 Finalist, Cornell Tech

The Adobe Analytics Challenge showed me that there is an art to telling stories through data. It also revealed to me the gaps in my education and began to nurture skill sets that I use in my consulting work today, where big ideas need to be backed by insightful numbers. For a surprising number of roles in organizations today, digital literacy and a foundational level of data proficiency have become table stakes to get hired and excel. — Scott Porter, Consultant, Boston Consulting Group
2018 Finalist, The University of Texas at Austin

A key part of my job is focused on selling a story to senior leaders and driving tangible change in how Adobe interacts with its Creative Cloud customers. Participating in the Adobe Analytics Challenge taught me how to focus on what matters and seek out data points that can actually help drive a business forward. This became an invaluable skill in my current role, where I constantly have to find the right inputs to deliver the best go-to-market strategy for our video offerings. — Naman Gupta, eCommerce Acquisition & Retention Strategist, Adobe
2016 Finalist, University of Southern California

The Adobe Analytics Challenge was a real confidence booster for me, and it is one of the few hands-on opportunities in college where you get access to widely-used tools, real data, and a judging panel of industry experts. It was an early education in how to move from data to insights, while synthesizing huge amounts of data. I also learned how to present findings in a way that is emphatic of stakeholder needs, one of many skills I use now regularly. — Vardhini Manivannan, Business Intelligence Engineer, Amazon
2018 Finalist, University of California, Davis

In the Adobe Analytics Challenge, our team worked with T-Mobile to examine the checkout experience and deliver ideas on how to improve it. When I interviewed at Adobe for an internship, the team was impressed enough by the T-Mobile project that they asked me to work on a similar project for Adobe.com. This eventually led to a full-time job, and it successfully pivoted my career away from Human Resources. My experience in the Adobe Analytics Challenge played a big role in that. — Chandler Bush, Design Strategist, Adobe
2018 Winner, The University of Utah

The Adobe Analytics Challenge has great credibility in the market, and it became a valuable talking point for me when I interviewed for a job. Digital literacy these days has almost become a new subject like mathematics. Employers expect that new hires have a general understanding of how business problems can be solved through data and move decision-making away from pure intuition only. — Paridhi Agal, Data Scientist, Sumo Logic
2019 Finalist, University of California, Davis

The Adobe Analytics Challenge was a similar experience, where you had to weave together multiple data sets to identify a solution to a real business challenge. Adobe Analytics is an intuitive analysis tool that could bring numbers to life. And in a world that has become increasingly digital, knowing how to decipher data to drive good decision-making has become invaluable for any career track. — Erica Kirshensteyn, Senior Advisor, Demand Planning, Dell Technologies
2017 Winner, University of Michigan

A big part of my career now is focused on developing customer empathy, and that was something I gained exposure to during the Adobe Analytics Challenge. During the competition, we worked with T-Mobile to really grasp where blockers were in the customer journey, as well as the data nuggets that would support our hypothesis. It helped me gain confidence in this skill set and had an impact on how I approach my work today. — James Ngai, Senior Product Manager, Amazon Web Services
2018 Finalist, Brigham Young University

Technology is making its way into every industry, including some of the world’s oldest brands, and it is making data literacy more important than ever. Employers are putting greater emphasis on these skills, and the Adobe Analytics Challenge was unique in that it gave us access to real data with a real business challenge. It was an experience I couldn’t get in the classroom or at smaller companies. — Stephen Sainsbury, Senior Product Manager, Vivint
2017 Finalist, The University of Utah

In the technology sector, data literacy helps you communicate on a different and more objective level. It is huge asset that can be used to advocate for your individual talents, and it puts you on the fast track for whatever career you might be in. Having been exposed to Adobe Analytics during graduate school gave me an upper hand in many ways, providing me hands-on experience with tools and concepts that are used in many organizations. — Yehudi Baptiste, Product Manager, HubSpot
2019 Finalist, Duke University

For people who are just about to enter their careers, I always tell them how important it is to have something on their resume that shows real-world impact. The Adobe Analytics Challenge is able to provide this for many students, because it gives access to real data from a well-known brand, with a hands-on environment that goes beyond the theoretical. — Tianyi Yang, Data Scientist, Facebook
2018 Finalist, Georgetown University

When it comes to digital literacy, the train has already left the station, and employers expect a baseline level of knowledge for all new hires. One of my biggest learnings during the Adobe Analytics Challenge was how to make data actionable and useful. When I began my career, it helped me frame the types of questions I would ask of my analyst partners and get to the heart of what was needed to move the needle. — Vignesh Jeyaraman, Product Marketing Advisor, Dell Technologies
2018 Finalist, The University of Texas at Austin