Zooming in with alumni: Taj-Rae Oliver

Taj-Rae Oliver is a 2023 grad in the Faculty’s newest concentration, Human-Centred Data Science (HCDS). She now works in one of today’s most exciting, constantly changing and fast-paced fields as an analyst on an AI Policy team at Public Services and Procurement Canada. 

What originally inspired you to pursue your degree in information?

After undergrad, I’d taken two years off because I was uncertain about what I wanted to do career-wise. I had interest in so many different fields and couldn’t make up my mind. As I was gearing myself up to apply for programs, I had a friend who was in the MI program and had lots of interesting things to say about it. She liked the courses she was taking, her professors, and the experiences she was having.  

I have a passion for learning. I like getting information, analyzing it, and then sharing it with people in a way that is easy to understand and captivating. That’s when I thought, why not do a program like the Master of Information?  I could blend it with some of my other interests like health and health sciences. I also liked the idea that the program is course-based because I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to dedicate myself to research.  

Is there a skill you gained during your studies that you didn’t expect would be so useful in your professional life? 

Definitely the programming skills that I picked up in my first year. One of the core courses for the HCDS concentration is Programming for Data Science. I had no previous background in coding, but I started to learn how to use Python programming and continued to build on it in other courses.  

I wasn’t of the mindset that I would become a programmer, but the skills that I built in the initial stages helped me later on when I did a summer co-op between my first and second year. I was working at Health Canada and was tasked to help build a Power BI dashboard for one of the branches. My Power BI skills were limited at the time, so I had to do training and found that the programming skills I picked up in my courses really helped. 

How would you say your education at the Faculty of Information has shaped your career journey? 

I think first and foremost, having the ability to do a co-op through the program shaped where I am now. I started in government through a co-op placement in the summer of 2022. By completing that placement and building rapport with my colleagues, I got the opportunity to extend my contract into the school year, and after graduating, I was bridged in as a policy analyst.  I like to say that the program allowed me to get my first real world job.   

I recently started this role as an analyst on the AI Policy team, and I know for a fact that my background in human-centred data science really helped me get to this point. The courses I took on data governance and privacy enabled me to apply my learning in the real world. Part of my role is to support committees that will be conducting ethical reviews of new technologies being implemented to help solve HR and pay operations issues within government. Having knowledge of how we use AI and that we’re ensuring values like fairness and transparency are top of mind. 

How do you see your industry evolving in the next five years? And how do you plan to adapt? 

I think the main thing, and it’s definitely ongoing, is the automation of tasks and efficiency gains driven by the introduction of AI and similar tools into our processes. In the context of HR and pay, I know a lot of the routine tasks, like payroll processing and benefits administration, are likely to become automated. And I think, given that we’re implementing these types of tools in more and more areas, there will be greater need for people who can manage AI systems, who can interpret data, and even develop the AI-driven solutions. 

We’re using employee data for a lot of these processes, so there will also be a need for professionals who have expertise in data governance and privacy, and cyber-security. I want to be involved in these conversations so that I can influence these processes to be fair and ethical. To do this, I need to be able to adapt to changes, as well as engage in continuous learning and upskilling to stay up to date on current trends and new technologies that we’re considering implementing. In fact, I already have some online courses on my radar. 

As a newer alum embarking on the start of their professional career, what excites you most about this journey? And where would you like to see yourself in the next five to ten years? 

I find this is such a difficult question to answer. I think the best answer I can give is that I’m most excited about doing work that aligns with my values, and where I can create a real lasting impact. I’m eager to learn as much as I can in these early years of my career and contribute to something that has positive impact on people’s lives, where I can use the skills and knowledge that I’ve acquired over this time to make some sort of difference. 

It would be great to explore how I can use my skills to advocate for more responsible data practices and how we can protect people from the potential harms of AI and similar technologies that we’re implementing. While my path isn’t clear yet, I’m hoping that I’m able to do work that allows me to contribute meaningfully. 

I think for me, the next five to ten years is about learning and hopefully finding my niche. I hope to gain expertise and further develop my leadership skills, whether that’s helping others grow and develop through mentorship or training, or something as simple as encouraging a positive work environment among my team. 

If you could give one piece of advice to incoming students, what would it be? 

I think it’s very important to be open to the possibilities and the new opportunities that the program offers. I was interested in a lot of things prior to starting the MI program, and it’s one of the reasons I was drawn to it. Taking courses that pique your curiosity is important because you never know what you’ll learn.  

If you have the opportunity to do a co-op or some kind of integrated learning experience, definitely go for it, because real world experience outside of the classroom goes a long way when you finish your program. 

Zooming in with alumni is a feature where we check in with Faculty of Information alumni via Zoom to find out what they’re up to