Our Storytellers: Tahseen combines passion with problem-solving

Tahseen, Cloud Transformation Systems Engineer, South Africa

I’m Tahseen (better known as Tazz around the SAS Africa offices) and I am a recent intern-turned-permanent SAS employee in the Customer Advisory Academy!

My interest in the field of analytics coupled with the attractive internship opportunity brought me to SAS, and I’m so glad it did! The internship was a truly amazing experience. I am so grateful for all the opportunities, as well as the personal and professional growth, and becoming a permanent SAS employee at the end of it!

I now work in the ATP (Africa Technology Practice) team, in the Customer Advisory department at SAS Africa, based in Johannesburg. My team is responsible for translating business requirements into SAS solutions across the analytics field and demonstrating the capabilities that analytics can bring to an organisation.

The best thing about SAS are the people. As much as I love analytics and I love the work I do, the environment is something that I also truly value. Working with colleagues who are constantly motivating me, supporting me and mentoring me with no benefit to them shows me that the people at SAS truly care.

Young Professionals coming together for the community

I recently joined our Young Professionals Network, and I have been involved in a project where we ran a blanket drive and SAS employees across our office donated blankets for the less fortunate. We then distributed them as winter approached to help keep the cold out for those in need in our community. I joined because I wanted to be part of a group that is supporting our community.

Fast cars, football, and fuzzy animals

Outside of work, I will either be watching football when my team (Tottenham Hotspur) is playing, or I can be found around animals – these range from my dogs and cat right up to lion and cheetah cubs! I also love cars, and I was fortunate enough to drive super-cars around a race track once, this is something I definitely wish I could make a hobby out of!

My favorite quote to live by: “It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low.” – Bill Nicholson, a late Tottenham Hotspur legend.

Advice I’d give to my younger self

It is perfectly okay to be in school and university and not know what your future job will actually be – there are countless job types out there, and the best way to learn what you like and don’t like is to actually start working. It is also okay to be unsure of where your true passions lie! These are things I discovered after school and it all came at a good time. Life is full of lessons, just make sure you learn from them!

And at SAS the opportunities are endless. Not only will you gain exposure to analytics, but also to every industry because all industries need (and should have) analytics. Here, you will find your passion and will also have fun along the way!