Mirjam van Moll, owner of Datamoll: “Connected Data Academy is not just a training provider, it’s a community.”

Mirjam van Moll began her career in 1995 as a statistician. There, she became fascinated by data and analytics. After holding many different roles and positions, she has been working as an independent entrepreneur since 2016. She helps organizations make fact-based decisions. At Connected Data Academy, she took the DAMA CDMP training courses Fundamentals, Reference, and Master Data and Metadata Management, and passed her three CDMP exams.

Why did you choose Connected Data Academy?
“I had already taken a DAMA CDMP Fundamentals training course elsewhere, but that was entirely online. I missed the interaction with a group of people. Because I knew Erik Fransen and knew that his company provides classroom training, I enrolled in the DAMA CDMP Fundamentals training course at Connected Data Academy. I really enjoyed it. It’s precisely in the interaction with other students that you have interesting conversations. I don’t just take the training courses to pass the exam—although that piece of paper is important, of course—but I also want to learn things that I can immediately apply in practice. All three of the training courses I took excelled in that respect.”

Why did you take the specialist training courses Reference and Master Data and Metadata Management in addition to the Fundamentals training?
“As a data professional, you need both your head and your ‘hands’. You have to think, but also just do things; perform tasks. This is especially true for metadata and master data management. It simply requires a lot of work, and you need employees from the organization to do it. In short, you have to create support and get employees enthusiastic. Although I have years of experience in both sub-fields, I sometimes found it difficult to oversee the whole picture and transfer that knowledge to the organization. The Metadata Management and Reference and Master Data training courses gave me a good framework for how to connect different topics and how to communicate that. You learn to use the right terms, so that you can more easily get your employees on board with your story. I think that’s important, because I want to leave something lasting behind when I leave. I’m not a consultant who writes a report on how things should be done; I transfer knowledge and make sure that people can work with it. In that respect, I gained useful insights during both training courses.”

How does Connected Data Academy distinguish itself from other training providers?
“Connected Data Academy is niet alleen een opleider, het is een community. Je voelt je onderdeel van een groep mensen die samen het datavak vooruit willen helpen. De meeste cursisten komen daarom ook terug voor vervolgopleidingen. Als je eenmaal lid bent van de community, dan kun je altijd bellen; ook als je op dat moment geen training volgt.

Connected Data Academy is not just a training provider, it is a community. You feel part of a group of people who want to advance the data profession together. That is why most students return for follow-up training. Once you are a member of the community, you can always call, even if you are not currently taking a course.

Connected Data Academy is also a very human company. During one of the training courses, I was worried about the exam because my father suddenly became seriously ill and I didn’t have time to study for it. Connected Data Academy reassured me that they would work something out if I didn’t pass the exam, which ultimately wasn’t necessary because I passed on my first attempt.

More references? See:
https://connecteddataacademy.com/nieuws/

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