Dojo Spotlight: Dojo Black Belt Mark Snodgrass

Mark Snodgrass just lately attained Black Belt position in the Dojo, which only a handful of people have received. He followed in the footsteps of a fellow Dojo challenger, Sweetwater Sound’s Grant Smith.

As the director of member information tactic for insurance policy corporation NLC Mutual, Mark is in Domo “all day, each individual day,” he says—mainly so he can aid customers in their Domo journeys.  
 
I caught up with Mark to request him some queries about his use of Domo, what he likes about the Dojo, and far more. Read on to obtain out what he experienced to say! 
 
Q: Thanks for using the time to chat with me today, Mark! And congrats on getting a Dojo Black Belt! Ahead of we dig into that, can you notify the visitors a tiny bit about by yourself? 
 
A: I’ve been in the workforce for about 20 yrs now. I started out as an entry-level IT man or woman at a credit score union. I have a degree in psychology—not laptop science or something like that—but have always experienced a knack for computer systems. I then joined an insurance group, the place I was their lone IT human being and bought to do a tiny bit of anything such as perform with info. I grew into becoming the CIO there prior to I remaining in 2019.  
 
All-around 2018, I was introduced to Domo through the firm I operate for now: NLC Mutual. I was capable to spend a ton of time in there remaining element of a proof-of-thought (POC) that they were being undertaking, and I picked up on it easily and beloved that we could generate charts in just seconds. I have been employing Domo for about four several years now. 
 
Q: You have naturally uncovered a great deal in all those 4 many years. Is there nearly anything you would say to a new Domo person, primarily based on your level of know-how now?  
 
A: Indicator up with the Dojo and get in there and poke around! That truly assisted me find out how to use Domo. Also, I viewed a lot of the films in the Know-how Base. I appreciate those short video clips that Gary Gibbs designed. I watched his due to the fact they had been terrific small hits, outlining what specific options supply and can do. 
 
But then when I stumbled across the Dojo and started off viewing individuals inquire unique queries, I was like, “I did not know you could do that. I didn’t know you could put this with each other with that.” So, that uncovered me to yet another amount that might not be in a online video. I was kind of a lurker in the Dojo for quite a while, just reading thoughts and looking at what the answers were—and studying quite a little bit. 
 
Q: A lurker. I like it. At some place you experienced to start feeling self-assured answering people’s inquiries in the Dojo. Do you bear in mind when that was? 
 
A: Yeah, most likely all around 2019, suitable right after I got hired by NLC Mutual. I begun to come to feel additional self-confident in my techniques as I had just accomplished the certification method that Domo had just rolled out to be a Big Domo, and I imagined, “Well, they want me to assistance all people with Domo implementation, so I must know what I’m accomplishing a very little bit.” And when I started off looking at issues, I was like, “Oh, yeah, I just did that. So, I can reply that.”  
 
So, I begun undertaking a minimal little bit a lot more and a small bit additional, and it grew from there—and I acquired competitive with the gamification facet. 
 
Q: The gamification element is so enjoyable. Do you think about on your own to be very competitive? Or what is it about the gamification factor that appeals to you? 
 
A: Yeah, I’m rather competitive. But it is just awesome to get those achievements—and pleasant that you guys incentivize it. I’m a sucker for a present card, so I’ll shell out 15 minutes on there—whether it’s answering surveys, hitting milestones in the Dojo, or whatever—just to get a present card out of it. 
 
Q: How would you say that the Dojo has aided you up-degree your Domo abilities? 
 
A: Persons will talk to a question on there, and additional typically than not I’ll say to myself, “Huh, that’s a terrific question. I never know the reply to it. But let me go see if I can figure that out.”  
 
It is been a excellent way to challenge myself, simply because I may not operate into the issues that get requested there in my day-to-day operate. I’ll spend a small time generating a card or ETL, set it on my overview website page, and tuck it absent in situation I arrive throughout that require in the upcoming. 
 
Q: Can you assume of a most loved respond to that you have delivered, or solution that you’ve been able to post in the Dojo? 
 
A: I enjoy it when the solution is very easy. Just currently, I was ready to expose someone to a built-in function that it’s possible they disregarded or missed. Those people are my favorite ones. Some people believe, “Oh, it’s acquired to be some elaborate Beast Method or Magic ETL,” when a large amount of the instances it is just like, “Use this chart residence, and it’s carried out.” 
 
Q: Very last dilemma, Mark. What does it signify to you to be a Dojo Black Belt? 
 
A: I feel it is the satisfaction of achieving that highest stage and solidifying that. Getting a Black Belt is validation that I know what I’m carrying out. And it is great to be ready to assistance so a lot of people today. That’s rather cool. It’s good to be able to give back.