In this Accredian Spotlight interview, we feature Sivakumar Karunagharan, a leading professional with 25+ years of experience and currently working with Mercedes Benz Research and Development India Pvt Ltd. His insatiable passion for knowledge and upskilling led him to enroll in the Global Certificate in Data Science program at Accredian.
Question 1: Walk us through your career journey & what got you interested in Data Science & Machine Learning?
Sivakumar: I’m a part of the GCD program, July 2021 cohort at Accredian and I’m working in Research and Development field and leading Computer-Aided Engineering and Analysis team to design and develop passenger cars. We perform a CAE simulation for functional evaluation of the design.
Question 2: What tools and packages in Data Science & Machine Learning have you mastered at Accredian so far?
Sivakumar: I’ve learned Python, Tableau, Pandas, etc. and I am learning all the packages required in the field of Data Science.
Question 3: What challenges did you face when you started your Data Science journey?
Sivakumar: Initially, Python Programming was tough but with consistent practice and efforts, I’ve overcome the challenge.
Question 4: Who is your favorite faculty at Accredian and what did you learn from them?
Sivakumar: I like Deepesh as his way of teaching and explaining concepts is simple and easy. I’m motivated to learn and master the concepts well.
Question 5: What goal do you want to achieve after completing the Data Science program?
Sivakumar: I want to become a Business Analytics Consultant.
Question 6: How has Data Science evolved in the last few years?
Sivakumar: Data Science has evolved rapidly in the last 10 years. Recommendation Engines have gone from intelligent guesses to almost read your mind. Self-driving cars have evolved from being a tech company’s lab project to becoming a reality. I’m excited to learn Predictive & Prescriptive analytics.
Question 7: Which Data Science blogs do you follow?
Sivakumar: I follow Medium, Towards Data Science, and Accredian blogs.
Question 8: What advice would you like to give to a beginner in Data Science?
Sivakumar: One needs to be patient and keep working consistently to transition into Data Science as it is a field that is ever-evolving, hence one should be prepared for life-long learning.
I would also suggest connecting with a couple of learning buddies with whom one can work on Data science problems, Datathons, Hackathons, etc to stay motivated.
Hope you enjoyed reading this interview. If you want to read more such interesting student stories, check out Accredian Spotlight.
