Sara Brewington

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Sara Brewington

MLIS 2016
Business Analyst – Oncology Sales Effectiveness
Mckesson
Nashville, TN USA

What I am doing now.

I currently work as a business analyst for one of the top 5 Fortune 500 companies, McKesson. 

When I started my journey through graduate school, I never really saw myself ending up where I am now. I started out in a M.Ed. program at a different university, mostly just to get a higher degree that had an emphasis in library science. The M.Ed program would have ultimately only qualified me to work in k-12 school libraries, and as I began the program, I knew that it would not take me where I eventually wanted to go. This is what drew me into the idea of finishing my studies through the iSchool at SJSU, and seeing how diverse my degree could be with the coursework offered sealed the deal. Using the course outline for the Web Programming and Information Architecture pathway, I began to shift the focus of my degree. This was due in part to the fact that I had to work full time while taking full time courses. Through the job I held during my studies, I began to fall in love with a whole new area of information science - data analytics. I quickly found that this was my niche, finding a job that would help me expand my knowledge and experience with managing and manipulating large amounts of data to create useful analytics that help tell stories and drive success became my ultimate career goal. I took as many technical classes as I could at SJSU, and this helped me broaden my knowledge base and get me experience in areas I would not have had the opportunity to explore otherwise. People are often surprised to discover that my degree is in Library Science, and I am all to eager to tell them about the technical and analytical sides of MLIS programs and how the iSchool helped me develop and get to the level of analytical skills and technological savvy that make me a unique asset to my team.

What are the most valuable skills I use in my job?

My knowledge of database management and information management/organization have been invaluable. Many of my courses helped me develop and sharpen these skills as I went through the MLIS program. Also being able to be a peer mentor during my final year was a huge step for me. I’m not one to step up and lead automatically most of the time, so that opportunity really helped to push me out of my comfort zone and gave me some great leadership experience. Looking back on all of my experiences in the program, that is probably one that will really stick with me and that I’m proud I could be a part of. 

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