That STEM Life
Hi, I’m Raven McCandies, a former Chemist now residing in the land of Data and Tech. Why data? Because numbers just make /sense/. As a child, I loved science and math. They were my most natural "languages", so to speak. Sharing genes with a man who purposely majored in Math in college, there’s no way that I wouldn’t be influenced. My love of math and logic has taken me from chemistry to information systems to data analytics.
AP Chemistry was a joy for me in high school and I went on to rock AP Calculus O_O. I hold a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry and minored in Math. I always saw myself pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry but life has a funny way of changing your plans.
I was hooked on tech from the first day I sat in front of an Apple IIe computer in elementary school. My dad bought the family a Commodore 64 computer system and I had the best time trying out Logo and BASIC coding languages. In the late 90s/early 2000s, I taught myself HTML, learned how to use Photoshop, and created websites on Geocities, Tripod, Lycos, and Angelfire. The OLD names in the game.
I spent several years working on the website of a major player in the hospitality industry while dabbling in data and coding at night. My curiosity about what drives website traffic led me into exploring digital analytics. I have an overwhelming need to know how things work. I’m not satisfied until I’ve dug into every little piece and put it together. A scientist forever and always.
Other interests?
I've always loved photography. When I was a kid I used to grab my dad's camera and take pictures of everything I could find. To this day I still find old rolls of 110 and 35mm film around the house. I made the switch to digital cameras in the early 2000s and I was excited about this new format that allowed you to see and delete photos in camera before they were printed. One of my niches is food photography. I love to cook so it was only right that I start capturing photos of the treats I prepared. I also enjoy event photography and landscape photography.
Connect
Twitter - @ravenmccandies
LinkedIn - /ravenmccandies
Instagram - @ravenmccandies