Ankita Bhanushali is a driven and young professional. Being a stat geek she wondered about the statistical applications to solve business issues. And, a further research on it brought her closer to the world of data science. Intrigued and excited about the endless possibilities of data science, Ankita looked for the best data science courses and enrolled for the Global Certificate in Data Science (GCD) program at Accredian.
In this interview, lets see what interests her the most in data science and how 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?
Ankita: I am part of the Global Certificate in Data Science (GCD) program, March 2020 batch. Currently, I am working at the Kantar Worldpanel division at the Mumbai branch. Kantar is the world’s leading market research company. My role here is of a data analyst. We help our clients understand people and inspire their growth. We work on Structured and Unstructured data.
Question 2: Walk us through your career journey & what got you interested in Data Science & Machine Learning?
Ankita: I have done M.Sc in statistics from Mithibai College, Mumbai. In terms of theoretical statistics, I am very clear, and I was very curious about how to apply theory in the practical domain. I researched the application of statistics to solve business problems. And then I came to know about data science and machine learning concepts. Discovering data science was a revolution and the future of our lives. Here was the opportunity to build products based on numbers and advanced statistical models. And, that caters to both my statistical mentality and my inner geek. Statistics make me feel confident whereas data science makes me feel powerful. And, that’s why sought one of the best data science courses at .
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?
Ankita: Before this, I had never worked on Python earlier. But now I am using the most important Python libraries for data science tasks covering areas such as data processing, modeling and visualizations, and NumPy, Pandas, Seaborn, Matplotlib, etc.
Question 4: What were some of the initial challenges when you got started on your Data Science journey and how did you overcome it?
Ankita: I was a fresher. When I started my data science course, I was really doubtful because my cohort had students with a minimum of four years and maximum of 25 years of experience. Whereas, I only have a statistics background. I was a little worried that it was too early for me to choose this data science course. But thanks to Mr. Suchit, my mentor, whose encouragement helped me to learn and cope. Now, I’m very confident about my learnings and I am applying them in real life. And I can surely say that Accredian offers one of the best data science courses in India.
Question 5: Who is your favorite faculty at Accredian and what did you learn from him the Most?
Ankita: Without any doubt, Mr. Suchit Majumdar. He is kind enough for any newcomers in the industry. He had motivated me during my first two months of data science journey. He used to bring something new every week, which was exciting to learn and think about. I feel that I have grown so much academically, and now I am confident that I have a great foundation for the future.
Question 6: What is the goal of Data Science?
Ankita: The excitement about data science is in the journey towards achieving three significant kinds of results: Discovery, Insights, and Innovation. As a data scientist, I can turn seemingly meaningless data into recommendations to help a company improve its product, service or experience. This can help a business grow and get more clients.
Question 7: In your view, how has Data Science evolved in the last few years?
Ankita: Evolution is the truth of mankind and it is inevitable. We all are evolving every day biologically as well as technologically and so do our rules and responsibilities, but this has changed since organizations’ unique data science report in 2015. Machine learning ventures are increasing and an ever-increasing number of data is required to drive them.
Question 8: What are the current trends in Data Science that you are most excited about?
Ankita: It is estimated that 40% of the work of data science will be automated by 2020. There has been a rapid growth in the technology of Machine Learning. Businesses can extract smarter and unique insights from Big Data by smartly using a combination of automation and powerful machine learning tools which might not be achieved by a skilled data analyst or a Python expert.
Question 9: Which are some of the blogs that you follow?
Ankita: As I have mentioned earlier as well that Accredian offers one of the best data science courses, I definitely follow Accredian blogs where I get a lot of information about seniors and their journey and Accredian podcasts regularly on YouTube especially by Mr. Manvendra. His elucidations on data science and machine learning are excellent. Also, Accredian Career Launchpad sessions are very much informative. Nowadays, I’m also following Medium, KDnuggets, etc.
Question 10: What is your advice to anyone wanting to start a career in Data Science?
Ankita: Be vigilant to choose from the best data science courses available. Along with theory, you should focus on the practical applications of the concepts taught within the course. This would help you to not only understand them clearly but also give you a deeper sense of their applications to solve real-time problems. And, last but not least, it is very important to have at least one mentor who can guide you in the right direction.
This is a conversation with one of our GCD students – Ankita Bhanushali
If you want to read more such student stories, check out Accredian Spotlight.
