Martin DeWitt, B.A. 2011

Manager of Market Intelligence, Bitrise – (remote) Durham, NC

2011 Major: Sociology; minor in Psychology 

How has being a Sociology graduate from Duke helped shape you personally and/or professionally?

"Majoring in Sociology at Duke introduced me to research methods and analytical techniques that helped me create a career in market and competitive intelligence for B2B software firms. In particular, my experience designing and conducting focus group research as a member of the Sociology Honors Seminar helped me identify an interest and develop a skill in qualitative research that directly translated to my early career roles like Customer Insights Analyst at Red Hat. Also, the Duke Alumni network helped me earn job offers for two of my first three jobs after graduating."

What advice would you give students in Duke's Sociology programs? 

"1. Gain experience doing original research using tools like Qualtrics, SPSS, R, and atlas.ti 2. Apply your research experience to internships and analyst roles at tech firms like user experience (UX), voice of customer (VoC), customer insights, competitive intelligence, market research, and social media listening 3. Connect with alumni in these roles on Linkedin through informational interviews."

DeWitt