After getting his degree in Biotechnology & Biological Engineering, Vishnu realized he was more interested in statistics and data science than biology. He is getting his Master's in International Business and using DataCamp to gain the skills he needs to apply for Data Analytics positions.
Tell us a little about your background.
I'm originally from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and I currently live in San Francisco, California. I'm highly passionate about current affairs and all things tech, and I'm currently looking for full-time opportunities in business analytics and data science.
I come from an engineering background. I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Biotechnology & Biochemical Engineering. From studying biotechnology, I got to learn about life sciences and how to apply data skills to life sciences, which is biostatistics.
How did you get into Data Science?
Once I learned about biostatistics, I realized that I was actually more interested in the statistics component of it than the biological aspects of the problems I was solving, so I wanted to transition into data science full time. So last year, I came to San Francisco to do my Masters in International Business. I have a pretty good skill set now with Excel, R and SQL. So I am hoping to transition that into an internship and a full time job after I graduate. I already have an internship at an analytics startup here, but I believe that the courses that I am taking on DataCamp in R and Python will be more useful to me in landing a full-time job.
Why is data science so exciting?
For me, the thing about data science that makes it so exciting to the modern world is its unparalleled ubiquity—data science is everywhere. It is ultimately just a set of skills derived from computer science and mathematics, and this set of skills can be universally applied to learn from the past and improve future performances in any discipline you can think of. That's what makes data science so relevant: its enormous scope and potential to improve life across a wide variety of sectors. I'm excited to think about a future where data-driven decisions become more and more commonplace all around the world.
What were your goals when you started learning with DataCamp?
I'm really interested in data analytics, and I want to make a career out of it. I came across DataCamp first on Facebook through the Facebook advertising posts. It was very interesting to find out that you can just learn R and Python for Data Science completely online, and I was very intrigued by that. Ever since, I've been using DataCamp to improve my data science skills and hopefully find a full-time position in the US. I've progressed along that goal far further than I ever thought I would.
What do you like about DataCamp?
DataCamp appealed to me in several different ways. It has a clean interface and a nice split window including the instructions pane and code editor, as well as the output console. The videos are well timed and very clear and lucid in terms of explaining concepts in a manner that's easy to understand and follow. Lastly, the code exercises really force you to concentrate and learn since you need to write the correct code to progress to the next lesson.
What is the greatest benefit of learning with DataCamp?
One of the most important benefits I've found out with using DataCamp is the chronologically arranged sequence of courses designed to build your Data Science Skills from beginner to advanced, even if you have no prior background. Using DataCamp helps build your skills in a logical, step-by-step order so that you can solve complex, real-world problems really soon in your course of study.
What advice would you have for someone just starting out?
My advice, especially for beginners who are using DataCamp to start learning Data Science skills for the first time, is to set aside time for DataCamp every single day. Just like picking up any new skill in life, learning data science requires intelligence and persistence for the subject, and you can only get the results you want if you spend at least an hour learning every day and progressing further and further on DataCamp with every attempt. Work hard on the exercises, stick to the task at hand and you'll definitely enjoy success.
