About

Hello! My name is Marco Caloba, and I truly believe that, in life, you get what you give.

I was born in Durban, South Africa, but moved to Portugal in my early years so I got my whole education here.

I hold a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Aveiro (completed on July 2022), with a focus on programming and data analysis. Throughout my academic studies, I developed my critical thinking and problem-solving skills, by tackling complex engineering challenges, in a variety of subjects. I also gained a strong foundation in working effectively in teams and communicating ideas clearly and persuasively. In my spare time, I tried to complement the academic side by learning about data cleaning, analysis, and visualization using tools such as SQL, Python, and Power BI.

As someone passionate about data, I am always striving to improve my skills and knowledge in this field. I have completed several courses to help build my foundations: the ‘Google Data Analytics’ course from Coursera, ‘Data Analysis with Python’ from freeCodeCamp, ‘SQL for Data Analysis’ from Udacity and ‘Become a Power BI Data Analyst’ tutorial from Microsoft, among others. Recently, I have been investing my attention in Codecademy courses on data analysis, HackerRank exercises, and writing blog posts to enhance my skills and improve my communication.

Through the Codecademy courses, my goal is to build a strong foundation in key skills and techniques, such as Python, SQL, data visualization, and data manipulation. By completing exercises and projects within the courses, I’m able to put this knowledge into practice and further develop my problem-solving capabilities. HackerRank has shown to be great tool to sharpen my skills through various coding challenges and exercises. By working through these challenges, I have been able to tackle real-world data analysis problems and develop creative solutions. Additionally, writing on my blog has allowed me to further solidify my understanding of the concepts and techniques that I am learning, while also providing me with a platform to showcase my work and share my insights with others.

I am also working on improving my ability to present complex data to a non-technical audience, using visual aids and clear explanations to communicate my findings. To do so, I’ve been learning about effective ways to communicate with data (like reading Cole Knaflic’s book, Storytelling With Data) and trying to fit PowerBI reports/dashboards wherever I can.

In my free time, I enjoy exploring a variety of hobbies that help me stay mentally and physically fit. One of my favorite hobbies is reading. This allows me to get, in a short period of time, years of experience from people that are in a position that I strive to be in, or know something that I want to better understand. This helps expand my knowledge and learn about different perspectives. I particularly enjoy books on personal development, as they provide me with valuable insights on how to improve myself and my interactions with others.

Another hobby that I'm passionate about is weightlifting. Not only does it help me stay in shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle, but it also allows me to challenge myself and set personal goals. I enjoy pushing my limits and seeing progress in both my strength and my ability to work on something, consistently, for a long period of time.

As Bob Burg mentioned in his book (The Go-Giver), “Reaching any goal you set takes 10% specific knowledge or technical skills, max. The other 90%+ is people skills.” I believe this statement to be true in most cases and that is why I am always striving to become the best person I can be. I believe that self-improvement is a lifelong journey and that is why I try to maintain hobbies and an overall mindset that always keeps me on the right track.

I am excited to try to apply my knowledge and skills to a career as a data analyst, and I am confident that, with my drive to continuously learn and improve, I can make a valuable contribution to any organization's success.

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, feel free to send me an email at marco_caloba@hotmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!