After working as a writer, editor, and content manager for over eight years, “Kay Kankanid” decided to explore new possibilities for herself.
As she is working at Bluebik, a global end-to-end digital transformation & solution delivery company, Kay is inspired to transition into the tech industry, which appears exciting and challenging, always offering something new to learn and tackle.
What inspirations did working at Bluebik spark for Kay, and how did she navigate her career transition from writer to Business Analyst? Let’s hear about her journey.
Conversations For Career Clarity
As a Senior Content Writer, focusing on people-related content, Kay is given the opportunity to talk to colleagues in various positions, including Cybersecurity Consultant, Data Consultant, System Analyst, and many more. She used this chance to explore the insights of each role, to determine which career path might be the best fit for her.
“I’ve been killing two birds with one stone. Whenever I interview fellow Bluebik employees for content, I ask questions not only on behalf of the readers but also for myself. I ask things like, “What does a typical day look like for you?” and “What are the essential skills for this job?” Everyone shares their direct experience, allowing me to deeply understand each role.”
After talking to people in various positions and conducting additional research, Kay decided to pursue a career as a Business Analyst.
“I chose Business Analyst for several reasons. First, I realized that this role requires a lot of soft skills, which are transferable skills I’ve already developed from my previous career and can apply to this new role. Second, the job market for Business Analysts is still strong both in Thailand and internationally because this role involves analyzing data and understanding technology, which companies in every industry need. And third, which is very important, is that being a Business Analyst, especially one working in tech consultancy, is a challenging role that pushes you to learn new things and develop yourself every day.”
Fast-Tracking Adjustment with Domain Knowledge
Although Kay believed she had the necessary soft skills to become a Business Analyst, she knew she needed to build her technical skills, especially in data analysis and technology tools.
“I graduated with a degree in Arts and have always worked in content-related fields. The closest I ever got to data analysis in a business context was looking at website or social media backend statistics. But a Business Analyst needs to know much more than that.”
This realization led the former writer to fly to Sydney, Australia, to pursue a Master of Business Analytics at Macquarie University.
“The first session was incredibly tough.” Kay says with a laugh. “I had to build a completely new foundation, learning statistics, Python, and data science. It wasn’t just theoretical; I had to practice, train models myself, and understand various algorithms.”
Despite the need for significant adjustment, Kay found that she had some foundational knowledge from her time at Bluebik.
“Even though my job wasn’t directly related to technology, being immersed in tech content regularly was beneficial. At the very least, I had heard of these programs or learned about these concepts before. It was like I had seen the bigger picture while working, and when I started studying, I could dive deeper into the details.”
Balancing Work and Study
Even after moving to Australia, Kay continued to be part of Bluebik’s Marketing team, taking full advantage of the company’s work from anywhere policy across continents.
“I’m really grateful to Tid (Pimwisa Thiensri, Chief Marketing Officer) because I have her full support right from the start of my upskilling journey. She wrote me a recommendation letter for my university application and when I was thinking about resigning, she asked me some grounding questions: ‘Will you need to work part-time while you’re there? Will the first few months be tough? Wouldn’t it be better to keep working alongside your studies?’”
“In the end, I decided to work remotely, which perfectly aligns with my lifestyle right now. I can manage my study and work schedule flexibly, without being tied to a specific location. Most other students have to work part-time at cafés, restaurants, or retail stores, but I can work from home or the university. The team has been incredibly supportive, too. They schedule meetings or interviews at reasonable hours, and during exam weeks, they adjust timelines to allow me to focus on my studies.”
Don’t Overthink, Just Go For It
Finally, Kay has a message for anyone reading this article who might be considering a career change or studying abroad in an unfamiliar country: “Don’t overthink it. If you see an opportunity, go for it.”
“I’m a certified overthinker, but my experiences have taught me that the fears in our heads are always scarier than reality. In my mind, I pictured myself failing, struggling in school, not passing exams, or not being able to communicate with others. But once I stopped overthinking and just took the leap, I realized that I could actually do well in my studies—passing exams with good grades even. I found that I could have meaningful conversations and made many new friends. That’s why I believe in taking the plunge and just going for it.
“Beyond that, I feel incredibly fortunate to have had a lot of support from those around me—my family, friends, and, of course, Bluebik, which has been a launchpad that inspires me, gives me the opportunity to explore and learn new things without limitations, and propels me to transition into a new career as I wished.”
