Profile
Fran Zuch
First Chat done - great questions and I need to learn to type faster ;)
Curriculum Vitae
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Education:
I did A-Levels in Germany, I am currently studying at the Open University (Physics) and am doing a lot of extra courses to learn about coding and artificial intelligence
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Qualifications:
A-Levels and life experience
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Work History:
My work history is fairly unorganised: I worked in Retail, Finance, Software / IT development and eventually ended up working for a wonderful new company who has only been around for a year and is building a great new software
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Current Job:
I am a Product Analyst which sounds weird, but actually just means that I am trying to figure out what our software needs and how it should behave and then I tell the Developers to try and build that
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Employer:
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About Me
I am a German living in Bath and working for a start-up company
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Read more
Now, where to start?
I am probably the most unlikely person to be here, as I have not studied to be an engineer. I am currently studying Physics at the Open University while working for a wonderful new company (we are only one year old). The thing about studying is, I don’t have to, but I do it because I love it and I want to learn more about it.
In my free time, I love playing my guitar and I am learning to play the piano. Another passion of mine is writing, so I am trying to write my own songs (not yet very successful) and I am learning how to write for the theatre (which is great fun).
And when I am not doing that, I am volunteering at a local charity, help them with their finances and organise their website.
And then there is my big family: I have lots of brothers and a sister and thanks to them, lots of nieces and nephews and some godchildren as well. So when I am not on this Island, I am in Germany playing with them and attending family events (there is always a lot happening)
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My Work
Product Analyst - Now what is that? I am a translator between our clients and developers and the software we would like to build
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So, at work, we are currently exploring how we can use AI (Artificial Intelligence). We are a technology company that is building software for financial institutions. In Finance clients usually ask lots of questions, for example, they would like to know how much money they have or what they can do with it. We would like to use AI and build a chatbot. This chatbot can then answer those questions.
The great advantage is, that a chatbot can answer questions day and night and on weekends and holidays, and you don’t have to pay it! 🙂 But even better, it can get smarter and learn from each conversation, the more our clients will interact with it, the better it will get.
Another thing people really like to know: When I save, say £50 a month, how much will I have after 5 or 10 years? We can use AI to make this like a fun and interactive game where we ask a few questions and can then show you what could happen with your money. Also, we will have some lovely plots and graphs, probably have some nice colours, too.
And if you are interested, here is a bit more background to my actual job:
As a Product Analyst, I try to figure out what our clients need so that they can use our software. I then need to describe that to our developers. The developers are responsible for writing the software. This is not always easy, you have to be very good in describing the details:
Imagine you have an idea about a great Lego castle and you now need to give another classmate enough information so that she will be able to build it as well, but without you showing her any pictures! 🙂
Most likely it will be different. You never know, it could even be better. If it is not exactly as I imagined, I have to talk to the Developers and work with them so we build a castle that we both agree with.
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My Typical Day: No day is the same
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At my company, we are doing something called Sprints. Sounds strange, I believe. So what does it mean?
Every two weeks we set ourselves goals, tasks we would like to do and finish. And then we have those two weeks to complete them. That means how and when I do mine, is very much up to me. We usually have meeting days: Mondays and Wednesdays, where we catch up and talk about our homework, the other days are up to me.
I usually like to work at home 1 or 2 days, the other days I am in the office. I will try and work out the details for what I would like the developers to build. Then I will ask the other team members to read it as well. They might read my ideas and might not understand it. That is a bad sign, it means I might not have described what I need very well.
We will then discuss it together and with the developers. If they are happy, then they can start working on it.
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What I'd do with the money
Kids Coding Workshops
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I would love to get more kids excited about coding and building their own programs, so I would like to use the money to sponsor a couple of events/workshops and hopefully get kids engaged that would usually not go.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Passionate World Citizen
What's the best thing you've done in your career?
I am still exploring
What or who inspired you to follow your career?
Not a person, more lots of interesting characters in the TV shows I love
What was your favourite subject at school?
Math and History
What did you want to be after you left school?
A writer / archaeologist / world traveller / astronaut....
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Oh yes, I was a handful for my teachers and my mother had to come to school a lot to hear about the disruptive things I had done
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
There is lots of time: Writer and Physicist and and and...
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Johnny Cash (can't help myself - he was and is awesome) - Google him!
What's your favourite food?
I love potatoes, so anything with / including / or made off potatoes is good for me
What is the most fun thing you've done?
Being an Au Pair in Anchorage, Alaska (I love snow - so that was perfect)
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
A super cute cottage in the countryside with space for a dog, cat and my nieces and nephews (maybe even their parents:))
Tell us a joke.
Not very good at that ;)
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