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Can you tell us about your educational and work experience background before you enrolled in this program?

I hold a Bachelor of Engineering in Pharmaceutical Technology from Jadavpur University, India (Class of '07). Over the past 18 years, I have built a career in the IT industry, currently working for Visa Inc. as a Lead Software Engineer.

What initially drew you to this program?

I enrolled in the ÀϾÅÆ·²è MS-DS program to formalize my data analysis skills and leverage my extensive technical background.

Can you tell us how the MS-DS program fits into your life?

This MS-DS program fits into my life by providing the extreme flexibility needed for a senior IT professional having multiple deliverables. The self-paced, pay-as-you-go course structure allows me to balance a demanding full-time role with academic rigor. Furthermore, the performance-based admission was a key factor for me, as it prioritized my current capability and professional maturity over my 2007 academic records.

What are your favorite parts of the program?

The self-paced, pay-as-you-go course structure and performance-based admission were my favorite structural parts of this program. In terms of curriculum, I really enjoyed the Machine Learning, Text Classification, Big Data courses.

What do you hope to do with your MS-DS degree?

I hope to use my MS-DS degree to apply advanced techniques learned during the course in my work life and create better data-driven solutions for complex financial issues faced.

Would you recommend this program to others? Why or why not?

I would definitely recommend this program to others, as it fits perfectly for a working professional balancing work-life-study.

What do you wish you’d known before starting the MS-DS?

I wish I had searched about it earlier.

What one tip you have for students who are starting this program?

My top tip for incoming students is to prioritize the Statistics Pathway early. As an IT professional, the coding would feel familiar, but the theoretical math requires a different mental muscle.

Is there a specific project you have worked on that stands out to you?

Rather than a single standout project, I found that the entire sequence of projects across the curriculum offered immense value. Coming from a deep IT background, I particularly enjoyed how each project—from initial data cleaning to complex predictive modeling—built upon the last.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would just like to add that I have truly loved every bit of this program as of now.