A Week Inside Fluid: What My Work Experience Taught Me About Data, AI and the Working World

AI plays a huge role in the working world, and it’s clear just how central it is to what Fluid does. I started the week with an introduction to Claude, learning its basic features and how it could be used almost like a companion throughout my projects: a tool to lean on for support, ideas and problem-solving as I worked.

Learning the Fundamentals of Power BI

From there, I moved on to Power BI training. This covered the basics of navigating the interface and working with datasets, before moving into how to build graphs and other visuals that help bring data to life and make it easier to understand.

For my first project, I was given an existing dashboard that Fluid weren’t fully happy with, and my task was to help improve it. I replaced graphs that were showing redundant or unclear data, and added new features including custom tooltips and field parameters, both of which made the dashboard more informative and easier to use.

Project Two: Building a Sales Performance Dashboard from Scratch

My second project was a step up. Rather than improving an existing dashboard, I was given sales performance data and asked to build a dashboard entirely from scratch. Having already gained skills and experience from the first project made this much easier to approach, and it was a good test of how far I’d come, moving from adjusting someone else’s work to shaping something of my own from the ground up.

Alongside the project work, I spent my time in Fluid’s office, which gave me a real sense of how an office environment functions and how a team works together day to day. I got to speak with members of the team face to face about my project, and we were able to reflect on progress together, which made the whole experience feel genuinely collaborative rather than something I was just observing from the sidelines. I was even treated to a nice lunch with most of the team, which made me feel like a real employee at Fluid, even if it was only for a week.

What I Took Away

By the end of the week, I’d developed a genuine interest in working with data, and in Power BI in particular, and I truly think that this week has given me more help than I could’ve ever imagined in terms of deciding on a future career. I also came away with a much clearer understanding of how AI is used in the workplace, not as a replacement for people, but as a tool that supports almost every role across the business. That gave me a real appreciation for how useful AI can be when it’s applied well in a working environment.

Thank You, Fluid

I want to say a genuine thank you to Fluid and every member of the team for making me feel so welcome. It was a collaborative week from start to finish, and I got to interact with the team regularly throughout. This work experience placement has been incredibly valuable, and it’s given me a much better understanding of the working world as I think about my next steps.

Thank you, Fluid, for everything.

Lucas