Aptitive’s data consultants embrace their careers on their own terms. Because we focus on finding projects in the Chicagoland area, our consultants can create the work/life balance that suits their lifestyle. They have access to the many rewards of a technology consulting career — challenging projects, rapid career growth, and a competitive salary — without the drawbacks typically synonymous with consulting. To read more about the perks of an Aptitive career, head to our Careers page.
Each month, we’re shining a spotlight on three of Aptitive’s data consultants to learn how they got started in data consulting, how they have benefited from their Aptitive careers, and who they are when they aren’t at work. This month, we’re spotlighting Matt Forte, Melanie Ruiz, and Shane Kalepp.
Matt Forte | Senior Data Consultant
Alma mater & major: undergrad: University of Dayton, mathematics; master’s: Carnegie Mellon University, statistical practice
What is your favorite benefit Aptitive offers? The helping hand benefit at Aptitive is great! (Keep on reading for consultant Shane’s explanation of this benefit.)
What is your favorite part of your role at Aptitive? My favorite part of my role is being able to learn so many different tools and technologies. Every project gives me the opportunity to pick up something new, which has really expanded my skill set and allowed me to grow my technical skills and toolbox.
What is one professional skill you’re currently working on? Currently, I’m working on growing my management skills. In my experience at Aptitive, our most successful projects are the ones that are highly organized and managed, so I’m always trying to learn the best tools and tricks for project management. I’m lucky to have great managers here to learn from.
What is your favorite thing about your coworkers at Aptitive? Their helpfulness! I know that if I’m struggling with a problem, someone in the company will jump in and help come up with a solution. Everyone here is so smart and creative, and the teamwork really shows.
How does our team stay close while working remotely? When our team meets throughout the week, it’s not always all business. We like to talk about our days, our weekends, and what else is going on in our lives. Also, we’ll occasionally all jump on a call during lunch and dedicate an hour to just catching up and talking about non-work-related things.
Melanie Ruiz | Managing Consultant and Application Development Practice Lead
Alma mater & major: Loyola University Chicago, business administration with a focus on information systems and accounting
What is your favorite benefit Aptitive offers? I’m coming up on my five-year anniversary at Aptitive, and I’m really looking forward to the month-long sabbatical! Still trying to decide how I’m going to spend it — maybe traveling around Ireland for a couple weeks or a safari in Kenya or ziplining in Costa Rica or eating authentic Thai food in Thailand or…
What is your favorite part of your role at Aptitive? I love learning new things — new concepts, new technologies, new coding languages. And I love helping junior people learn new things — helping them figure out how to solve a problem and seeing them apply that knowledge to a new situation in the future.
What is one professional skill you’re currently working on? I’m focusing on what being a fully remote manager looks like. As people begin going back to the office and to client sites, how do I stay actively engaged from another state? How do I continue to lead teams and help people grow? It’s a new structure for Aptitive, and I want to make sure I’m doing the best I can for our team.
What is your favorite thing about your coworkers at Aptitive? I love how much everyone cares at Aptitive. We care about the work and jump in to help on other projects in any way we can. But more importantly, we care about each other. We celebrate birthdays, weddings, births of children. We give support during hard times. We laugh and have fun and socialize outside of work.
How does our team stay close while working remotely? We’ve done a myriad of virtual things since going remote to stay connected. We’ve had happy hours, a paint night, escape rooms, hack-a-thons. I think trying different things has helped keep people engaged even when we’re not in person.
Shane Kalepp | Data & Analytics Consultant
Alma mater & major: undergrad: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, finance; master’s: Northwestern University, data science
What is your favorite benefit Aptitive offers? The helping hand benefit, which allows busy professionals to expense a service that makes life a little bit easier. That could be anything from ordering a food service, cleaning service, or dog daycare.
What is your favorite part of your role at Aptitive? How quickly things change and evolve. Every day is not the same, and we work with clients from a multitude of industries.
What is one professional skill you’re currently working on? Project management. As my career progresses from a contributor to an architect of a project, it’s a skill that will become extremely valuable as I further my career at Aptitive.
What is your favorite thing about your coworkers at Aptitive? Each person from Aptitive is very approachable and always willing to chat, no matter how busy their schedule might be.
How does our team stay close while working remotely? At the start of remote work, we put together virtual lunch groups every Friday, which allowed everyone to stay in touch. Now going into a more hybrid model, every month a random lunch group is put together and we all meet at a restaurant of our choosing to catch up.
Originally published at https://aptitive.com on July 26, 2021.
