One day I hope to inspire and lead others in my career

My experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive! The best moment has been attending workshops with my course mates. We've worked on problems and tasks together in a relaxed environment, asking so many questions to the lecturers that we start coming up with our own ideas and insights.

An engaging and supportive environment

The modules have covered vast breadth in a subject that is so wide, with a decent level of depth at the same time. The members of staff are very approachable and keen to answer any question, which has been so important to help me to thrive on the course. The learning sessions are as engaging as possible and cover useful content to feel confident completing the assignments. The environment has generally felt very supportive and encouraging.

Once I graduate, I aspire to begin a career in data, working for a company that will challenge me to develop new skills and competencies through a range of collaborative and individual projects. I would love a job that requires problem-solving, communication and big picture thinking. One day I hope to inspire and lead others in my career!

Valuable work experience

I completed a data analysis internship which involved cleaning and visualising longitudinal data about patient attitudes towards pharmacy and vaccines. This internship was in collaboration with The University of Nottingham Pharmacy department, using data collected by undergraduate students over nearly a decade. The experience was extremely enjoyable, inspiring my love of data and developing my abilities in problem-solving, attention to detail and communicating insights.

The opportunity to work collaboratively and use novel tools and software was invaluable to me. I am excited to present my findings in an academic conference in July.

Advice for future Data Scientists

My two top tips would be:

1) Go for it! It might seem daunting to apply, especially if you aren't coming from a technical background, but the course is very inclusive and starts from the very beginning, so is suitable for anyone with a genuine interest in the subject. You'll quickly notice how much your programming skills and technical knowledge grow without you even realising.

2) The best applications aren't those that show how knowledgeable and experienced you already are, but those that show how keen you are to learn the subject. Don't forget to mention what you can see yourself doing with the degree, as in, why will it be useful for you to have the degree? What jobs/opportunities will it open up?

Good luck!