Adam Mico is one of the 45 Global Tableau Visionaries and a 3x Ambassador, and now the author of Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification; we got the chance to sit down with him and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.
Q: What is/are your specialist tech area(s)?
Adam: Tableau, Data Viz Enablement, Tech Community Leadership, Project Management.
Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?
Adam: It was a very tough decision to commit to writing the book. I just accepted work with Moderna as their Principal, Data Viz and Enablement, but the book’s topic, the Packt team, the potential helpful impact of assisting people finding their passion, and a lifelong dream to write a book. Mostly, I want to help reduce the time it takes to get certified for those aspiring to work with Tableau or have it in their tech stack to enhance their careers in a much shorter time than the six months of working experience recommended for the test.
Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?
Adam: I have been using Tableau for nearly 10 years. I have proven myself with the greater community’s help as one of 45 Global Tableau Visionaries and a 3x Ambassador. I accidentally took the exam in 2021 when it was just added to a new platform, and my intent was to take the consultant’s exam. I studied for that but ended up taking this test and acing it. It was much tougher than past versions of the test as it’s all knowledge-based, and the questions are very challenging.
Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?
Adam: The writing process is challenging. I have a full life with many responsibilities, family obligations (husband, father, grandfather, and dog father), a very challenging job leading the technical side of our data viz community, Tableau and Salesforce commitments, as well as a desire to travel. I am one motivated person, but the time commitments are a struggle. I learned to work with the publishing team, discuss with friends, and desire to provide something of incredible value to many people.
Q: What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?
Adam: Data visualization is the new gold in sharing insights. Tableau is the top-of-class vehicle for sharing data visualizations. I am not only passionate about the tool but deeply embedded in their community. I am committed both professionally and personally to the tool. Given Salesforce’s incredible support and newer features added to the Tableau experience, including Slack, AI, and Cloud enhancements, its shelf-life is being extended indefinitely from a software perspective. It’s a vital part of a platform that only continues to scale.
Q: Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?
Adam: This is the only book covering the Tableau Desktop Specialist Exam from its new Knowledge-based perspective. It covers the perspective of an expert Tableau and data viz practitioner who was a trainer before Tableau. It’s important to provide training that caters to many different learning styles while giving what is needed to deeply understand what is needed to ace the proctored certification examination.
Q: What key takeaways do you want readers to come away with from the book?
Adam: I want the reader to come away with the feeling that they have deep foundational knowledge, can use Tableau at work from Day 1, and, most importantly, get Tableau certified.
Q. What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?
Adam: You do not require a tech degree or a coding background to have a career in tech. You need to find your tech passion, push through obstacles, have good support, and never stop learning.
Q. Do you have a blog that readers can follow?
Adam: https://medium.com/@adammico
Q. Can you share any blogs, websites, and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning?
Adam: https://www.tableau.com/about/blog/contributors/ateken-abla
Q. How would you describe your author journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?
Adam: My author journey has been wonderful. The team is responsive and focused on helping you to become successful. For aspiring authors, consider Packt, as they have the right team and structure to help you have a successful outcome.
Q. Do you belong to any tech community groups?
Adam: I am a Tableau Visionary, Tableau Ambassador, Data Leadership Collaborative Advisory Board Member, and a member of the Tableau Speaker Bureau.
Q. What are your favourite tech journals? How do you keep yourself up to date on tech?
Adam: https://www.dataleadershipcollaborative.com/ for thought leadership, https://towardsdatascience.com/ for general technology, and https://www.flerlagetwins.com/ for consistently great Tableau content.
Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?
Adam: I am a weekend warrior when it comes to writing. I set aside most of my time on one day per week, leave the work-week to work and some catching up on other related needs, and set aside most of a day each week for pleasure. I have so many commitments that if I can do it, most anyone can.
Q. What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?
Adam: Don’t stop. Set a schedule and be obsessive about it. Communicate if life gets in the way. Most importantly, make sure you write about something you are passionate about.
Q. Would you like to share your social handles? If so, please share.
Adam: Twitter – https://twitter.com/AdamMico1 | LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammico/.
You can find Adam’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here
