Modern Jack-of-all-trades: Why I Want to Study Data Analytics

In today’s ever-changing world, where every new day throws upon us new challenges that need to be dealt with, the right information and the way to use it insightfully is what will make a person or an organization stay relevant. I understand the reach that information systems and technology have on humanity on a personal level and I wish to be a part of the community which realizes the same. The future belongs to the jack-of-all-trades; those who are able to bridge a gap between business and technology by being able to analyze the information for insights that help in making better decisions and strategic business moves and thereby transform and add immense value to organizations. I aspire to be a part of this elite group and hope to accomplish the same through my graduate studies.

As a Software Developer Intern at Lulu International Exchange, I was given the freedom to learn and start working on tasks on my own. The environment in this organization helped me to hone my skills, strengthen my individuality and demonstrate my capabilities in the form of my assignments. I came across my seniors who interacted directly with the business stakeholders and developed technical solutions to their business needs. The nature of their job and their responsibilities excited me and I could see myself finding a similar career being fulfilling since I believe work of this nature would nurture all aspects of my personality in terms of technical work and my desire to interact with people.

And so this happened when I bagged the position of an Assistant Systems Engineer in TATA Consultancy Services during my undergraduate study. In the initial training period in the company, I stood among the top 10% of the batch and started off as a Software Developer in the manufacturing domain. I worked closely with the client to understand the user requirements, development of new features to enhance the application as well as maintenance of the existing application. My work environment at the firm gave me an exposure to work with people of different age groups and from different backgrounds and expertise in a variety of fields. This helped me gain a better understanding of my field of work and also got me curious about other fields. There were few seniors in our team who were working on Data Warehousing with OBIEE My inquisitive nature made me dig deeper into the concepts of Big Data Analytics with Hadoop, documentation, and reporting. As I was already familiar with programming in Python, I started learning Python concepts through online courses for manipulating, processing and cleaning data and familiarized myself with data analysis tools like Excel and Tableau.

At this point, I realized that pursuing a Master’s degree would be the final piece in the jigsaw for me to be able to make use of the power of data and information systems to deliver technology-driven business solutions for global organizations. My experience in informational technology and learning about its application to business settings piqued my interest and to engage in these areas would be a huge learning curve.

An ardent desire to work with and learn from the finest propels me to join the Robinson College of Business to pursue my graduate studies. One factor I found really interesting in the admission process of this University is the video interview and the kind of questions that were asked as part of it which is an indicator of the remarkable student body that you are trying to gather and I am sure my experiences and growth in this University will be a reflection of that. I am confident that a highly ranked Masters program in Information Systems with a concentration in Computational Big Data Analytics would give me a cutting edge among several others and the opportunity to hone my acquired skill set. This course provides a unique and powerful skill set combining technical understanding with business acumen. This would enable me to achieve my goal of making data tell stories that are insightful and engaging at the same time and leveraging this to give immense business value. I am sure the foundation provided by this degree will give me a head start for the kind of career I am looking forward to. I desire to gain expertise and eventually look ahead to contribute significantly to both my University and, eventually, to the ever-challenging business environment.

Works Cited

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