As a political scientist, Julie Langdal Andersen stands out among her colleagues in Delegate's Data & AI team. While she has a strong focus on strategy and business, she still wants to understand the technical solutions.
"If you had asked me if I was going to work in the IT industry when I started studying Political Science, I probably would have said no," says Julie Langdal Andersen.
In 2019, she graduated from Aarhus University and subsequently worked with data and analysis at Rambøll and PwC before becoming a consultant in Delegate's team for Data & AI in the autumn of 2022.
"I have always found data and technical solutions interesting, even during my studies, but it was only during my internship and my student job that I really began to understand and see how it can create value. There is a huge untapped potential in many companies' data, and it is a shame if it goes to waste. One of our most important tasks is therefore to get companies to understand why they should use data and how."
And with a background in Political Science, Julie brings a different perspective to projects than her colleagues with IT backgrounds:
"I come with a higher-level view of the customers, focusing on the strategic and the big picture. The details must, of course, be in order, but for me, it is about the overall picture. For example, if we are to create a data platform and/or help with self-service BI in a company, it is central for me to have insight into what our solution will be used for, who will use it, what data sources we have available, and whether it is in line with the company's strategy and goals. It is important to know the context and the company's thoughts, because if we do not have that in mind when we design a solution, we risk developing a solution that the company does not use and therefore does not create value."
As a consultant at Delegate, Julie has gone down a more technical path than in her previous jobs:
"My passion lies in creating value between technology and business, including helping companies use data correctly. But as a consultant at Delegate, I also need to understand the technical solutions we create before I can properly advise customers on strategy and business. I find it really exciting to learn new things and be challenged, and I get that at Delegate."
Julie already had experience with Power BI and SQL, while Azure Synapse was completely new to her:
"But both now and in the past, I have been surrounded by talented colleagues who have introduced me to things and shown me that you don't have to have a background where you've coded in multiple subjects at university, as long as you have the motivation to learn."
The IT industry has a significant overrepresentation of men, but looking beyond gender, Julie experiences great diversity:
"I haven't been overwhelmed by female colleagues, I have to admit. But on the other hand, I experience an industry with many really talented colleagues with different backgrounds. And that's also something that I find interesting. It's exciting to come into a room where we're not five people who have studied the same thing, but actually have different backgrounds and to some extent, also age."
What would you say to a woman considering entering the IT industry?
"It's an awesome industry with many talented people that makes your learning curve extremely steep. You should expect to meet a lot of people who don't look like you, but see it as something positive, instead of seeing it as a barrier to fitting in. Because that's actually what I think is pretty cool about being at Delegate; that we are so many different types."
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