Here’s an interview from Leah Nguyen , a Marketing Enthusiast from Vietnam who’s doing her Master’s degree in Data Science and Innovation at the University of Technology, Sydney. Australia.
Tell us about yourself and what you do currently?
Hi, I’m Leah and I’m an aspiring data learner. I graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and not until the beginning of 2021, I decided to switch my major to Data Science. I’m currently attending the Master of Data Science from the University of Technology Sydney and self-taught myself anything data-related.
What made you get interested in Data Science as a career?
During my 2-month gap term after graduation, I decided to take online classes related to Data Analytics to improve my Marketing Analytics skills. However, the more I look into it, the more I’m curious about using different tools to generate insights that can greatly impact business decisions. So from Marketing Analytics to Excel Advanced Training at first, I began to look more into programming and that’s where I found the love for the Data Science field.
How did you learn Data Science initially. What courses do you recommend for aspiring Data Scientists?
I started with online courses and have tested out many ways ever since to find the most suitable one for me, from watching online videos, reading papers to attending short-term classes. My recommendation for those who just started out to learn about this field is Coursera professional courses. For example, IBM Data Science or Google Data Analytics professional courses are popular ones in the Data Science field.
These courses will help you to have a big picture’s overview of the industries and the mindset framework before starting to practice the technical sides. From that, you can have more technical-focused courses on Udemy or if you’re a person who prefers hands-on coding along with study, there are many platforms such as Freecodemy, Datacamp. etc.
Do you have any mentors or people who inspired you to learn Data Science?
Interestingly, my mentors are all people that I connected with on LinkedIn. I came from a Business background so it’s harder for me to find a mentor in my network that possibly guide me throughout the journey. Instead, I reached out to people within the industry online and they have always been great supports for me to go on with my decision.
Tell us about your experience in Lazada, Vietnam.
Lazada is an e-commerce corporation so it was the place where I discovered my interest in technology and the fast-paced environment. I worked with the Campaign Team which heavily in charge of building the platform and working with other departments to be the connecting dot for the creation of the campaigns.
I felt so blessed for being an intern at Lazada because I was empowered to do and build many things that I could never imagine an intern could have permission to do it. I have grown so much from the experience and made a lot of connections with dozen of awesome people. It’s one of the lifetime memory, to be honest!
What made you choose to begin your Master’s degree in Data Science and Innovation at the University of Technology, Sydney?
With all the passion and patience to continue to learn, I cannot deny the fact that having no prior foundation in this field will be harder for me to pursue my new career path. That’s why a master’s degree will help me so much to support my career later on and also, during the course, I hope to meet same-minded individuals that are coming from different backgrounds like me. So we can create so many cool data things together.
Good luck to you Leah
Venkat