In Talks with Mayank Milind From Envent Worldwide I Accredian Spotlight

Working in the procurement domain for over 10 years, Mayank Milind loves to work with data. However, while working on Excel to process and analyze data he realized that it was taking too much time and he needed a much more efficient system. That’s when he thought to upskill in data science and looked for the best data science course in Gurgaon. He then enrolled for the Global Certificate in Data Science (GCD) program at Accredian. 

In this interview, let’s see what is his take on the rising demand for data science professionals across industries and how his experience has been at Accredian.    

Question 1: Which program & batch are you part of at Accredian & tell us more about your current work profile?

Mayank: I am part of the Global Certificate in Data Science (GCD) program, January 2020. I am working as an operations manager at Envent World Wide. I have my own team wherein I exercise productivity, performance and process management.   

I take care of the daily operational activities like performing sales analysis and preparing daily reports for management. I am also actively involved in performing market research, developing pricing strategy, auditing vendors, and product positioning.    

While I am doing production planning I have to thoroughly analyze historical data based on which future estimations are made. In fact, while preparing PDCA presentations for clients I scuttle through sales and marketing data to create comprehensive status and target reports.    

Question 2: Walk us through your career journey & what got you interested in Data Science & Machine Learning?

Mayank: I am BE in Mechanical Engineering from Nagpur University and an MBA in Operations and Marketing from Asia Pacific Institute of Management. I have over 10 years of experience and my career started as a Commercial Executive at Everest Metals Ltd. 

Initially, I was posted in Trinidad and Tobago. My primary responsibility there was to price negotiation, communicating with vendors for quality checks and preparing billing documents for shipping materials.  

After that I joined Accenture as Procurement Analyst where I managed sourcing and procurement operations for software and hardware services, marketing and retail. I directed the IT Consulting Commodity for and performed quality checks on SOW. I also worked closely with project owners and suppliers, ensured legal compliance, published and amended contracts and created purchase requisitions inSAP Ariba and coordinated with onshore sourcing partners, businesses and suppliers.    

Post that I joined Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India as a Senior Executive where I was primarily into strategic planning. I also ran market research for a new product launch and have done some innovative projects in which I converted our offline process applications to online. This helped increase the productivity and efficiency of the entire process. It also offered transparency as anyone from the process could check statuses anytime. And currently I am working at Envent Worldwide as operations manager.

Data Science is something that has always fascinated me. I love data. And, being in an industry that primarily deals with numbers and statistics, I realized that data science is essential for any business to not just measure and optimize profitability but also productivity and to bring automation at work. That’s why I chose to go for Accredian’s data science course in Gurgaon.

Data science applications can of course speed up a lot of work that we usually do on Excel. I personally feel that working on Excel is pretty limiting as it takes so much time for data processing and analysis. So I was looking for online data science course in Gurgaon to upskill and came across Accredian. And when I attended one of their demo classes, I knew I made the right choice. 

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?

Mayank: Ever since I started my data science course in Gurgaon at Accredian, I have extensively worked with Python and Tableau. I have done multiple projects here and I am trying to improve in EDA. I have also learnt numerous Python libraries like NumPy, Pandas, Seaborn Matplotlib, etc., and machine learning algorithms like linear regression, decision tree and have performed KNN analysis. Now, I am trying to incorporate Tableau at work as well and motivating my team to learn a new software to enhance their skills.    

Question 4: What were some of the initial challenges when you got started on your Data Science journey and how did you overcome it?

Mayank: I faced multiple challenges at the beginning of Accredian’s data science course in Gurgaon. My re-introduction with statistics made me realize that I need to practice them more, even though I learnt them in my school days. So, I had to get started with concepts like mean median mode, standard deviation, correlation, etc. 

Another huge challenge was the programming language of Python. As I am a non-coder, I didn’t have any programming knowledge and it was really tough for me. And, the next hurdle was which chart to present and which not to in a given condition.

However, the major issue here was that for a brief period of time I wasn’t able to allocate time to sit and practice because of the heavy workload. I was working 12 to 13 hours everyday and didn’t have enough energy left in me to study daily. 

But now, I am making sure that I practice what is taught in class as much and as frequently as possible so that I can master all the concepts and apply them in the projects I have at Accredian. 

Question 5: Who is your favorite faculty at Accredian and what did you learn from him the Most?

Mayank: This is a very tough question to answer. I would say all the faculties at Accredian’s data science course in Gurgaon are excellent. They are very knowledgeable, helpful and patient. They explain each and every aspect of a concept in detail and clear all doubts.     

However, my favorite faculties at Accredian are Lavi Nigam and Suchit Majumdar. Lavi explains any complicated concept so simply and with relevant examples that we understand them in one go. His level of patience is off the charts. I always feel very confident and motivated after attending his classes. Even though I know it’s a long way to go, because of Lavi’s teaching I feel I can be a good data scientist in the future.

And Suchit was the one who helped us in Python programming and coding. He was really patient and has spent a lot of time making us understand what we have to and how we have to do it. Being the primary faculty, he paved the path for us to move smoothly through the course and acquire the data science skills we need to have a career in the field.       

I would also like to thank all the staff members and the people who are at the backend of Accredian. They were always there to answer all my queries and were very prompt. I never had to wait.  

Question 6: What is the goal of Data Science?

Mayank: The goal of data science is to churn out insights from raw data to help us make accurate decisions and design a better future. Earlier data usage was not so extensive as is right now. So, the technologies involved in data science applications are actually making way for a better and more connected world and we as professionals should be ready for it through formal courses like Accredian’s data science course in Gurgaon.     

Question 7: In your view, how has Data Science evolved in the last few years?

Mayank: Data science is nothing more or less than innovation. Compared to what was, organizations now have realized the importance of data they already have. And there may be several reasons why it was not the way it is right now. 

Businesses earlier may not have been equipped with the right applications to process data or programming languages then may not have the extensive use in businesses they have today. A decade ago people were not even aware that Python can be used in almost every industry to manage data. 

Now, as advanced data science applications and systems are in place, programming languages have evolved and there are platforms and software available for coding, more people are becoming aware about them. Organizations across industries want data science professionals. And that’s how it became such a popular profession. So, data science, currently, is not just a trend but a necessity. 

By using data science applications businesses can not only gauge their profitability but streamline entire processes through actionable insights to skyrocket the efficiency of the organization as a whole. That’s why data science is so crucial to any business now and learning data science via any data science course in Gurgaon so important for any professional.             

Question 8: What are the current trends in Data Science that you are most excited about?

Mayank: The current data science trends I am excited about are AI and its application in recommendation systems in OTT platforms and face recognition. It feels like magic when an app like YouTube or Netflix recommends your favorite movies based on past searched, watched or listened data. Face recognition used by Facebook and Google Photos is also an incredible technology that can recommend tagging in social media based on a person’s face.

Apart from that, I also read about an innovative language processing system developed by a Bangalore based company in which they process a recorded statement and tell you who the person is and where they are from. Right now, this technology is even being used by the defense personnel of the Indian Army. And I think that’s amazing.         

Question 9: What is your advice to anyone wanting to start a career in Data Science?

Mayank: My advice to any data science enthusiast will be to just go for it. It is the best time to upskill yourself in data science through any professional data science course in Gurgaon. The world of data science is interesting, intriguing, and filled with opportunities for you to create anything innovative and unique.   

This was a conversation with one of our GCD students – Mayank Milind. 

For more interesting student interviews, check out Accredian Spotlight.