Working as an accountant in one of the noble government bodies of Samagra Shiksha, Nilesh Bijave deals with data round-the-clock. Understanding the importance of data science in his job and witnessing the ever-growing career opportunities available, Nilesh looked for the best data science course online and enrolled for the Global Certificate in Data Science (GCD) program at Accredian.
In this interview lets see how Nilesh plans to implement data science in his current job and how his learning experience has been at Accredian.
Question 1: Which program & batch are you part of at Accredian & tell us more about your current work profile?
Nilesh: I am part of the Global Certificate in Data Science (GCD) program, April 2020 batch. Presently I’m working in Samagra Shiksha, Maharashtra as an accountant for NSQF – Vocational Education Project of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. I have more than five years of work experience.
My current project is related to budget accounting, payments, and communication with vocational training providers and we have appointed trainers and coordinators across Maharashtra State. My job profile is specifically towards NSQF project management, which is a vocational education of schools in Maharashtra State.
Question 2: Walk us through your career journey & what got you interested in Data Science & Machine Learning?
Nilesh: I have more than 12 years of work experience. Prior to this, I worked for Gridstone research company as a junior research associate in the year 2008 and then in OFSS BPO, as an associate in the capital market operations department for 2011 and 12. After that, I was also employed for a warehouse management business.
In October 2015, I joined as an associate in Samagra Shiksha, Maharashtra. And, I saw that the data analytics technique used in my project can be optimized far more with the help of data science. As this is a centrally sponsored scheme we are required to provide updates on time. So, this is the first thing that got me interested in data science and pushed me to look for the best data science course online.
The second thing is the current expansion and vast career opportunities available in data science. Machine learning and AI have driven me very curious to learn and equip myself with the required skills as soon as possible. I started to read blogs and articles that have many related topics of data science and AI technology and finally decided to take up a professional course in it.
Question 3: What all tools and packages in Data Science & Machine Learning have you mastered in your Data Science & AI program at Accredian so far?
Nilesh: Accredian offers one of the best data science course online. It really proved to beneficial to me as I now can use Python programming language in Jupyter Notebooks as well as Google Colab, Excel Analytics, Tableau, Public, and Power BI applications. I have hands-on experience on Pandas, NumPy, and many other machine learning libraries, namely Matplotlib, Seaborn, Bokeh, Scikit-Learn, and others.
Question 4: What were some of the initial challenges when you got started on your Data Science journey and how did you overcome it?
Nilesh: I find learning Python programming quite easy with the help and guidance of our mentor, Suchit Majumdar. I have successfully completed three projects – for term one and two, Python basics; term three ML Foundation; and term four ML Intermediate. But my difficulty was taking these ongoing studies in the COVID-19 situation in which I have to travel every day to the office for my job responsibility. This situation is historic for me, as I used to travel to the office amidst the ongoing pandemic.
Question 5: Who is your favorite faculty at Accredian and what did you learn from him the Most?
Nilesh: I find learning Data Science and Machine Learning very interesting at Accredian. They provide the best data science course online. I like the teaching style of Suchit Majumdar. And also had very good sessions with Manav, Nikhil and Varun Rao.
Question 6: What is the goal of Data Science?
Nilesh: Data science is a vast field where one can see roles like data analysts, data engineers, data scientists, citizen data scientists, etc. Right now almost every business across industries are hiring data science professionals and may even have separate data science departments. It’s very interesting to see the applicability of this knowledge with the vast coverage of data science and AI technology.
Question 7: In your view, how has Data Science evolved in the last few years?
Nilesh: Data Science has evolved a lot since the 1980s. I think data science has been adopted by almost all industries in the last few years. It has seen the improvement of skills such as analytical mind, maps and stacks, business knowledge, and domain expertise, etc. Data Science application has helped businesses in not just analytics and database management but also in creating AI-enabled solutions.
Question 8: What are the current trends in Data Science that you are most excited about?
Nilesh: I’m very excited and looking forward to learning Data Science and AI technology. This knowledge will definitely help me in further exploring the unlimited opportunities available in this field.
Question 9: Which are some of the blogs that you follow?
Nilesh: I follow blogs on Medium, Towards Data Science, KDnuggets, and news links on LinkedIn or Facebook.
Question 10: What is your advice to anyone wanting to start a career in Data Science?
Nilesh: If one is interested in data science and AI, then I should advise them to choose the best data science course online and learn it as soon as they can. It’s a vast field where technology is rapidly improving.
This was a conversation with one of our GCD students – Nilesh Suresh Bijave.
If you want to read more such interesting student interviews, check out Accredian Spotlight.
