PRANAV NAIR
Current Organization: Cognizant
Experience: 2 years 9 months
GCD August 2018 Student
In our recent Accredian spotlight edition, we caught up in a real-time conversation with one of our students.
In the following discussion, our academic head Vikas Mehta is in conversation with Pranav who is currently in our GCD Programme and has completed the first term.
Vikas: Let’s start, please tell us about your educational background and eventually what caught your interest in data science?
Pranav: I have completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Electricals from Anna University. After completing my education I got good offers from top MNC’s like Infosys, Wipro, and Cognizant. ( I joined cognizant )
Initially, I didn’t really plan to get into IT industry but options were limited, So I thought of working for a while in IT and then I would find a job in alignment to my qualification.
Cognizant trained me on the concept of data warehouse. When I finished my training I realized this is meant for me, anything related to data analysis aroused my interest.
The world is now awash in data and we can see consumers in a lot clearer ways.
-Dan Ariely, Duke University
My first project after completing my training was with United Health Group where I was working to resolve the end-user discrepancies.
It involved interacting with clients, getting updates on daily basis and solving their data related issues. This role was apt for me as I didn’t really want to be a developer I enjoyed interacting with clients and dealing with real issues.
Vikas: Thanks for sharing all that information. On that note, what excites you the most about recent developments in data science?
I never knew about Data Science but had heard about the huge buzz around it and that people from different domains are opting for online courses.
The concept of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence has captured the interest of practically every enterprise.
It is indeed interesting to see why data and AI are under spotlight globally, and their implications over businesses in coming times.
So I researched and came across many online courses. In the process, I came across Accredian and attended the masterclass by Manav.
I was impressed by the interaction we had in the class, it was by far the best class I had attended.
I have dealt with a lot of data in the past available at discretion, made it into a beautiful representation instead of numeric reports.
For example, if some issue arises and there is a mismatch in data sets, I present the data in presentation format which is more understandable and highlight the issues.
So basically at this point in my career, I got drifted towards data science and started researching more about it.
Pranav: I’m not a person who can be easily convinced, but after attending 4-5 webinars I was utterly impressed and considered joining Accredian seriously.
Vikas: I am glad that the webinar helped you take a decision. Finally, after completing your first term with Accredian have we met your expectations?
Pranav: It has been a great learning process for me. We get a lot of assignments, but perhaps I got busy with an issue in the office for the last two weeks.
I intend to at least give an hour and a half for my assignments. So this way I can cope with the class, at the end of it I’m looking forward to being groomed as a data leader.
Vikas: Going back to our discussion, can you emphasize on your plans after completion of the course. What changes would you apply to your current role?
Pranav: I see a lot of opportunities in the data science field.
All the MNCs are anticipating to groom their employees in future-driven technologies, so I think we are in the right phase to start.
I will switch internally within the organization to gain real-time experience,
Along with that, I will consider all the possible implementation techniques of data science in my current project.
It will get me hands-on experience and that’s what counts in the real world scenarios.
Vikas: Absolutely! Thank you so much for your time. It was great to know about you. Good luck with all your ongoing projects.
Pranav: Thank you.
