The Art of Data Analysis

PROVO, Utah – Mar 30, 2022 – One of Ioana Schifirnet’s favorite things about living in London is visiting the art museums. Schifirnet, a 2016 information systems (IS) graduate, came to love art history after taking art history classes during her time as a student at the BYU Marriott School of Business. She recognizes many similarities between art history and one of her personal passions: data analysis.

When she first came to BYU from her home country of Romania, Schifirnet wanted to earn a degree related to technology, such as computer science, and pursue her love for data analysis. Although she initially decided to be an information technology major, her education plans took an unexpected turn. After completing both a marketing and a statistics class during her sophomore year to fulfill general education requirements, she found the business side of technology appealed to her, so she switched to the information systems major. 

Looking back, Schifirnet expresses gratitude for the opportunity to earn her degree at BYU Marriott, sharing that the variety of skills she learned in the IS program now allows her to be flexible in her career. “The information systems program encouraged me to further explore my interests in data analysis while also incorporating business principles, which opened the doors to many possible career paths,” she says.

In fact, one of the most valuable resources for Schifirnet at BYU Marriott was the Business Career Center, which eventually led her to her current position. The Business Career Center works to help students find internships and employment upon graduation. “I loved and appreciated BYU Marriott’s fabulous career center,” she says. “The people who helped me find internships were genuinely invested in the success of my career after graduation.” 

During her senior year, someone in the Business Career Center suggested Schifirnet pursue an internship with Anglepoint, a company based in Lindon, Utah, that had previously hired graduates from the IS program at BYU Marriott. Schifirnet researched the company and discovered that Anglepoint offered many opportunities for working with data. The company seemed like a perfect fit for her.

She started interning with Anglepoint while she was still a student and eventually accepted a full-time offer to work with the company. Anglepoint focuses primarily on software licensing management, a skill Schifirnet feels comfortable with thanks to the IS program. 

Schifirnet’s time working at Anglepoint ultimately led to her current position at Dell EMC, where she does what she loves: data analysis. Anglepoint is also a consulting company, so Schifirnet worked with many customers, including Dell EMC. Eventually, Dell EMC wanted to bring software license management expertise in house. Schifirnet joined the team at Dell EMC and recently moved to its London office.

As a senior business advisor at Dell EMC, Schifirnet’s main responsibilities include using her data analysis and software license management skills to give her clients the necessary data to better manage their existing customers. “My two favorite aspects of my job are first, the people, and second, the data. Everyone in my office is super friendly and approachable, which makes a difference in the workplace atmosphere,” she says. “I also enjoy working with data so frequently. I feel lucky to do something I’m passionate about every day.” 

Additionally, now that she has transferred to the London office, Schifirnet embraces the opportunity to live in Europe again. “Where I live, I see so much history everywhere I look, and the city is absolutely gorgeous,” she says. “I also live close to many art museums, which I enjoy visiting because I tend to make connections between art history and data analysis.

“During my art history classes at BYU, we looked at beautiful paintings and talked about the history—the data points—that contributed to our understanding of that particular piece of art,” she continues. “I think the process of examining what may have influenced an artist to paint a certain piece is a lot like data analysis.”

In addition to the museums, Schifirnet also loves London’s diversity. She works with people who come from several different countries. “I loved my time in Provo for that same reason. At BYU, I met many other students from different backgrounds and cultures, which made me feel less out of place since I speak with an accent,” she explains. “I found a place in Provo, far away from home, where I belonged, and I feel the same way in London.”