Our PGP-BABI alumnus Praveen Tayal was keen on transitioning to a career in data science, even after 15 years of working in the aerospace and automobile domain.
In his own words:
My Journey So Far: I am a Mechatronics Engineer with around 15 years of experience in the Aerospace and Transportation domain. I have mostly worked on core engineering simulations, building API based Engineering Tools and Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) system. For the last 2-3 years, I have been engaged with core Data Science projects revolving around New Product Introduction (NPI) for both internal and external customers.
My Reasons for Pursuing the PGP-BABI program: Since I have a mixed background of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, I had a natural inclination for Computer Science Algorithms and I picked up a few projects in my organization beyond my office hours. Then I figured that I lack knowledge in certain areas and I need to enrol in a formal program, preferably with the classroom blend. I chose the PG Program in Business Analytics because it met my expectations and it is the top-ranked program in analytics. The knowledge that I gained from the course was helpful in the execution of the self-started projects in my organization. The duration and learning format of PGP-BABI gave me the flexibility of managing my workload and learning side by side.
Program Highlights for Me: I believe the program structure is pretty good. It covers a lot of different elements and knowledge of other domains. So, there is something for everyone to learn even if you are an expert in any particular domain. It also exposed me to the type of algorithms people use in different companies for problem-solving. Then, the amazing faculty! They are subject matter experts with industry knowledge who focussed on building our concepts from day 1.
Great Learning’s PGP-BABI is the Perfect Course: After working for 15 years, I needed a strong foundation in analytics and a solid program like PGP-BABI to start with. In my opinion, everybody should take up formal courses for a shift to data science and analytics role. One can always use the program learnings as the starting point during interviews.
I was able to switch my job internally because of my networking: I knew the exact people I had to contact in case some opportunity showed up. I shared my assignments and the capstone project and kept in touch with them. I also participated in internal hackathons in my organization. I would reach out to the key people for any queries and I built a good rapport with them. Finally, I got an opportunity and I made use of it.
Tools & techniques used in my current role: I use statistical tools and open source tools. Mostly, R and Python. I also use distributed computing to process the algorithms on the large historical data from the aircraft.
My Advice to Aspirants Looking for a Transition to Analytics: I started getting hands-on experience because I was self-driven and motivated in networking within my company. You got to do it because jumping out into this domain as a fresher could be challenging. Until you have a body of work and a few projects that can act as highlights on your resume, you won’t be taken seriously. Participate in hackathons. Start networking with people in your company for opportunities and most importantly, apply analytics in your current role. There is a certain passion that you have to bring to the table along with your skill set. Good conceptual knowledge, mathematical skills and asking a lot of questions will always help.
