Parul Oberoi

Analytics is not really about learning the tools and techniques rather it has more to do with critical thinking and how you come up with a solution.

My Professional Experience

My 9+ years of professional experience started with Nokia Siemens where I worked for 3 years in Presales/Sales Management/Bid Management. Then I pursued my MBA in Marketing from S.P Jain School of Global Management and joined Frost & Sullivan when I graduated. My analytical journey started there. I had worked on several consulting assignments, forecasting, market research, and comparative benchmarking that involved a lot of analytical thinking and working on business problems for clients using various statistical, qualitative, and quantitative techniques. I also worked with Crisil for 3 years as a manager for global insights and analytics where my work was a combination of analytics and consulting. More and more clients wanted data-driven decisions and they were inclined to use the data they already had. When I saw this shift in client requirements, I knew it was the right time to pursue my Masters. For the last four months, I work as an engagement manager with an analytics firm called Bridgei2i. I am currently working with one of the largest non-banking financial services client in India on analytical and machine learning engagement. My work is largely in three areas -one is the client management aspect, the second requires me to work with the delivery team to ensure that there are no challenges, and third is more strategic in nature where I have to figure out how we can deepen our engagements with our clients.

Why I decided to Upskill

The analytics industry is changing at a very fast pace. Though I had a good client-facing role in a big organization, I constantly felt the need to upskill myself in one of these new areas of AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Big Data, etc. I spoke to people who took this program before me and some of the industry experts who knew about Great Learning. Everyone suggested that it would be a natural progression for me to enhance my skillset and work on more analytical engagements. What I really liked about the program was the face-to-face interaction with peers and professors that allowed us to learn a lot. Additionally, my managerial role spared me the time and flexibility to continue learning even in my personal time. I did have a very clear expectation of what I wanted from this program and PGP-BABI catered perfectly to my learning needs.

How Do I Apply My Learnings at Work

It’s been four months at BRIDGEi2i and I have applied several learnings from the program in my day-to-day work. From how to approach a problem to the steps involved in solving it, techniques to break down a problem, effective communication with clients and peer groups – I learned all these things while in the program. Today, I am confidently able to engage with my clients and understand how a modelling assignment works and the implementation challenges that will crop up. I am applying the data mining techniques I learned for some clients currently. There is a complete lifecycle attached to the project starting from talking to a client to implementing the solution and I learned it well at Great Learning.

My Advice to Aspiring Candidates

Analytics is a very vast subject with several modules. So, it is imperative for aspiring candidates to evaluate their background first and determine if they really want to enter the field of Analytics based on their interests. It’s not really about learning the tools and techniques rather it has more to do with critical thinking and how you come up with a solution. I think everyone needs to do some homework as this is a huge commitment. Another thing is to get hands-on experience once you have decided that Data Science is your chosen field. You could look for opportunities both internally and externally in small to big organizations.

Overall Experience with Great Learning

It really just came together. The transition that I have been able to make may not have been possible if I would have not taken up this program. I don’t think I was this sure when I decided to enrol in the program, but today I am very sure that I made a smart decision. Great Learning gave me the perfect platform to interact with industry experts, faculty, and peers.