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Launching a Profitable New Career in Data Science

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Ekta Saraogi

11+ years

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Author

Packt

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Technical Account Manager

Odetta.ai

As documented by Ekta Saraogi

A data scientist is regarded as a top-ranking professional in any analytics organization. In fact, Glassdoor ranked data scientist as number two on its list of 2021’s 25 Best Jobs. By enrolling in Simplilearn’s Data Scientist Course, I saw a way to get the skills and certification I needed to chart my own career.

I wanted to take up a skill that is in demand in the market and I saw that data science was an upcoming field. I always had an inclination towards the technical side and being a project manager did not stop me.

I have enjoyed a varied career in IT. After receiving a Bachelor’s of Technology in computer science and engineering from Uttar Pradesh Technical University, I worked at Syntel, Pune, as a Java developer for seven years. I also had an opportunity to work in the U.S. and U.K. for a couple of years each. My next stop was Tata Consultancy Services as a project and program manager, working with American Express.

I then worked for British Telecom as a project manager. It was during my tenure there that I decided to fulfill my goal of becoming a freelancer in a marketable profession. But first, I needed the training and professional certification.

I checked various courses online and I came to know about Simplilearn from my friends.

A Thorough Data Science Certification Training

Initially, I was planning to take one or two data science courses, but instead opted for the more-comprehensive Simplilearn’s Data Scientist Master’s Program. I wasn’t sure about whether to go for Python, R or SAS or even start with big data. Simplilearn’s Data Scientist Master’s Program had all the courses included as a package, so it was cost-effective as well.

Simplilearn’s Data Scientist course, conducted in collaboration with IBM, features exclusive IBM hackathons, masterclasses, and Ask Me Anything sessions. Conducted online, the course provides hands-on exposure to key technologies including R, Python, machine learningTableauHadoop, and Spark via live interaction with practitioners, practical labs, and industry projects.

The program covers extensive data science training, combining online instructor-led classes and self-paced learning, co-developed with IBM.

I really liked the live classrooms. The instructors provided industry examples and it was more than just theory. We could connect to the teaching and understand how the subject was implemented in the practical world.

The training concludes with a capstone project to help us master concepts of data science and big data. We work on solving real-world problems leveraging the skills and technologies learned throughout the program. These capstone projects cover all the key aspects of data extraction, cleaning, and visualization to model building and tuning. Some of these examples include providing valuable, marketable experience in e-commerce, telecom, workforce analytics, retail, healthcare, insurance, banking, stock market, and engineering.

Professional Certificate Program In Data Science
Masterclasses delivered by Purdue faculty and IBM experts

Managing Work, Training, and Family

The flexibility that Simplilearn offers enables me to manage work and family responsibilities. It was a little difficult to manage both with a young daughter, but I had great support from my husband. My classes were during the weekend and weekdays I used to work in my office. My husband took care of our daughter over the weekends when I had classes.

I also enjoyed support from Simplilearn’s customer service team. I had a great experience. They were very proactive, detail-oriented and were very patient with all my queries. The team also advised me on my correct path.

Realizing a Dream

Moving to data science was a great switch for me and I have found my niche. There are very good future prospects in this field.

The skills I learned and developed include machine learning, data science and analytics fields across various domains such as insurance, banking, telecom, finance and accounting, academic, and retail for small and medium-scale enterprises.

After updating my resume with my new certifications and experience, I began networking and applying on various online platforms, from LinkedIn and Facebook groups. Soon, I began receiving calls for freelancing projects in the data science field, especially in Python and R. I landed projects with a few start-up companies from India and across the globe. I now have a successful freelance career.

In addition, I am now an instructor, currently associated with a U.K.-based company as an author by preparing video tutorials and courses on Deep Learning, Python, and Django.

Looking forward, I am considering taking data visualization courses, including Tableau and Power BI. Data visualization forms the end process of a data science project and I want to attend training soon. Ultimately, I want to become a subject matter expert in data science.

Simplilearn’s Data Scientist Master’s Course has helped me a lot in venturing out to different areas. I became happier and I am really enjoying my career right now.