The Careers Network is set up quite well to cater to a lot of questions that students may have, especially those looking for placements and graduate jobs. I have been able to book one-on-one sessions to have my CV reviewed where I get constructive feedback on what can be improved and why it is beneficial. Also, there are sessions relating to advice relating to career and job search, which can be easily booked onto. So far, I have seen multiple careers fairs hosted on campus where various employers take part. This is a great opportunity for those in their job search as it is a great place for networking. I am also the recipient of the International Scholarship for the duration of my course here at the University of Birmingham.

Some of my achievements so far are receiving the International Scholarship and becoming a Postgraduate Ambassador, where I get to interact with a lot of people and new faces. Throughout my course, I got the opportunity to meet people from a lot of nationalities and the group project was a great example of getting to know and work successfully with very talented people!

I chose the University of Birmingham for my course mainly for the opportunities it would present. The School of Computer Science at UoB presents various research opportunities through projects and further studies. Also, it was ranked the 7th highest UK institution for Computer Science in The Times Higher World University Rankings 2022. Additionally, UoB is great for employability as well, with multiple careers fairs and a brilliant Careers Network service for students! Moreover, the faculty for my course has world-class lecturers and professors in their fields.

Before I started my course, I was working for a consulting platform in the compliance division. Prior to this, I had just completed my undergraduate degree in Computer Science. My final year took place during the first year of the pandemic!

For anyone considering a postgraduate study in my field, I would recommend them to come with an open mind. Data Science is quite interdisciplinary in nature and would expose one to a lot of fields, which creates the scope to learn quite a lot beyond what is taught. I would recommend any prospective student to come without fear! Not everyone has a programming background and people in Data Science can be seen as a melting pot of varying educational backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Everyone on this course is brought up to speed and the opportunity to learn with and from people coming in with these varying experiences and backgrounds creates a truly well-rounded and wholesome experience! If you are looking for a diverse experience with opportunities to bring your creative ideas and work on truly amazing and interesting projects, this course will definitely give you that and more. Given that, it is also important to realise that for any course, a key difference between doing well and doing great is to have a passion for what you’re doing. For anyone considering Data Science, I would recommend them to reflect upon why they are interested in the field, what excites them about it, and what they would like to gain from this course upon completion. The design of this course and the very helpful faculty make the learning experience quite smooth. Having a genuine interest and passion for the data management and/or data science can make the process even smoother. If anything, your passion and interest in this field would leave you with a sense of satisfaction once you graduate with a desire to explore more!

My experience on this course has been quite positive! One thing that I really appreciate a lot about my course is that a lot of the teaching is research-driven and a good portion of it is self-directed, which means that while the classes equip me with the fundamentals, I have a lot of scope to learn new things on my own and implement them in my projects/assignments. So far, I have had a positive experience being on the course. More so, I feel like I am being set with the right skills which are valuable in the industry today. However, this can only be maximised by as much research and learning one does on their own to improve their learnings and skillset. There is a lot of scope provided to do that and to carry out independent research on almost every assignment/project, which I appreciate a lot as it allows me to be independent and curious about what I learn in my classes!

I come from a Computer Science background, and wanted to lean in more towards Data Science. During my undergraduate course, I went towards a Data & Machine Learning route in my final year, so I wanted to take that further with a postgraduate degree in Data Science. Additionally, it also helps with job prospects.