I started my journey studying to be a telecom engineer(2014-18) and was working on a project through which I got many opportunities to present and publish my work at prestigious platforms like BARC, IIT Dhanbad, IEEE Chennai etc. However I was not really satisfaction with the opportunities in this area and I decided to explore other options and that is where I came across Data Science. I did some research if this is what I want to do and post a journey of just 6 months, here I am today working as an Associate Consultant - Data Science in Bristlecone India Ltd., a Mahindra group company.

I was completely into fiber optics and telecommunications for 4.5 years but was not satisfied with what I was doing. This dilemma was then sorted the day I started researching about data science. My uncle who himself was in this field suggested that I explore the field. I started reading up about data science, why data science, career requirements, what to look for, how to get started etc. and realized that yes may be (still in ambiguity) this is what I want to do.

After all ambiguity cleared and with a clear picture in my mind that why I wanted to do data science or why it is a right career choice for me, the biggest hurdle now was how. How should I start and where do I start was really the question? Many options existed like some classroom programs of universities (which cost more than Rs. 2.5 lakhs) and online courses (as many types as you want). It didn't make sense to spend humongous amounts and many free or cheap online courses didn't provide any in-depth learning or job assistance. It’s when I came across Edvancer and I read all their course details and it seemed that this really combined the best of both worlds. In-depth learning plus affordable fee. I was really satisfied with how they have structured their courses. Factors that I was deciding on was course structure, topics covered, job guidance and the most important course duration and fees which all was summed up in a good package by Edvancer. The counselors really helped me understand more and guided me well. I chose the Certified Data Science Specialist course (self-paced).

The journey at Edvancer was a really good experience. I was of course worried if my decision to go for an online course was correct since it was my first ever experience of online studies. But I was relieved as I was assisted with the best team from support to management to technical. Faculty was very good and knowledge they shared was precise and easy to understand. The material provided by Edvancer was easy to understand too and helpful. Also the projects that they give to solve and assignments after every session was helpful to get a very good hands-on feel of the field and get you ready for being an actual data scientist. While the course was good but to have more experience and better understanding I also used to do some projects from Kaggle and refer different blog posts and articles. Working on projects and competitions helps you enhance your technical abilities and in the process you learn more.

I got good assistance from Edvancer in my data science job search as they updated me about many job opportunities as per students’ requirements. I also did apply through various sites, but I got placed through Edvancer's placements and job openings that they use to send and throughout the process the team have always been supportive and helped me in this process. They started by helping me in designing a good and sharp CV and also helped with potential interview questions before forwarding my resume to openings where I chose to apply.

My data science job interview process was good. It started with a test on statistics and maths. In the interview they want you to be clear with your basics rather than directly jumping to complex algorithms. Along with technical abilities, how well can one present herself, communication skills and business understanding were all tested but the priority was purely the data science skills that one possesses.

Well I don’t know if I am yet eligible to answer this question since its hardly few months that I am in this field but I can only say that be it data science or any other field its all about whether you enjoy what you are learning and your chosen career and do you feel satisfied with your work. As advice I would say along with learning theory, having hands-on experience by exploring and playing with various datasets, projects, competitions would help a lot in getting the real world understanding.