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Alumni
Economics Alumni Feature: Dylan Deppiesse
After graduating from Simon Fraser University (SFU) in 2016 with a bachelor's degree majoring in Economics with a minor in Labour Studies, Dylan Deppiesse started off his career at the Vancouver office of market research company Information Resources, Inc. (IRI). A promising young data analyst, Deppiesse generates data-driven market insights to help companies optimize sales, improve customer satisfaction, and make informed decisions.
This spring, Deppiesse kicked off the SFU Department of Economics' Alumni Speaker Series via Zoom as its first speaker for the semester. Drawing on his own experiences, Deppiesse shared valuable career advice for students as he dived into his career path and personal growth transitioning into the job market after graduation.
→ Watch the full recording of the event on the SFU Economics YouTube channel
How did you land your first job after graduation?
I spent about seven months looking for a job after graduating from SFU. At the time, I was doing the old-school submit your resume and cover letter, cross your fingers and hope. But one of my siblings saw an analyst job posting in a Facebook group and encouraged me to apply, so I did and I got the job!
The position was a Planogram Account Analyst with IRI — I honestly wasn't sure what planograms were when I started but I learned that it was very much a data-driven process. That got me hooked so it all went from there and I'm just coming up to four years with the company.
In hindsight, what do you wish you had done during your undergraduate degree?
I personally regret not being more engaged with the department advisors and my professors. During my exit interview with the advisor in my last semester, I realized that I didn't want a job in government or finance and the talk helped me to narrow down my career focus. If I had that conversation earlier in my degree, I would have had a better career direction.
I also regret not going to office hours because faculty members have a lot of experiences and information that can really help with your journey.
Do you have any job searching advice for students or recent graduates?
One of the biggest things that I've learned from job searching is the power of LinkedIn. When I graduated, I thought LinkedIn was just a place where you'd post your resume, and someone would then reach out to you and you'd get a job. But LinkedIn is more of a place where you can have conversations with others and build connections.
- Be specific in your messaging and questions when reaching out to connections.
- Do research on the background of the person you’re reaching out to and be respectful of their time.
- Engage with people’s posts to build up some familiarity. I've had some very interesting conversations with people who've commented on my posts and vice versa.
- You have a lot more to give than you think! Post about what you’re working on at school so that you can be actively involved with the community.
What were your favourite courses at SFU Economics?
- ECON 428 - Seminar in Experimental and Behavioural Economics
- ECON 483 - Computational Economics (Selected Topics in Economics)
- ECON 355W - Economic Development
The excitement I felt while working on these courses which were focused on data driven decision making, made me realize that I wanted to pursue data analysis as a career path.