My name is Kinkini Dasgupta. Soon after completing my PGDBM in HR and marketing, I started my career as an HR Associate in an IT organization. After a few years, I got married and relocated to Hyderabad. Later moving into a new city, I joined another organization as an HR professional and was doing quite well. But life had some other plans for me. I had to take a break from work after the birth of my first child and then moved to a different country with my husband due to his professional commitments. I thought of starting my career afresh after returning to India, but things did not work out somehow. That resulted in a sabbatical that was pretty long, and here I am, trying to shape my career once again!
I joined the PG program of AIML with Great Learning when my second child was around 2 months old. So, I was basically gearing up to start my second innings in the professional arena.
When I was working in my company, many tasks were repetitive and manually took a lot of time to complete. On top of that, when we were working manually with lots of numbers and data that were not only exhaustive but at the same time extremely sensitive, there were always possibilities of some errors. Being in HR, I realized that even little errors might cost us dearly in the future. So rather than utilizing our time in learning something new, we spent a lot of time checking and cross-checking at times that resulted in time taking and monotonous tasks that had very strict deadlines. That was the time when I thought that there would have been some system that would save us from the apparent herculean tasks.
Great Learning seemed to be God sent! I was looking for career options where I could learn, start my career afresh, and that would also ensure placement assistance. Well, Great learning seemed to be a tailor-made solution for all my requirements. To be honest, this online model is working brilliantly for me wherein I can not only take care of personal commitments well but also ensure that my learning has not hit the plateau.
I would say the mentored learning sessions are as important as the video content that is released every week. It is not only a brush up of all the concepts dealt with, but it also gives pretty good insights on real-life business cases and what are the ‘good practices’ in doing the tasks as is defined by the industry. I must say the mentored learning sessions are pretty useful. Here the week’s topic is discussed. The mentor throws some light on how the concepts are applied in code through discussing hands-on. In case there are any doubts, it is clarified in the sessions. On top of that, after each session, we receive the recordings of the sessions that act as a ready reference in case of need in the future.
I would also like to mention the role of a Program manager that GL has who walks you through the entire journey and is there to support you whenever necessary. It is wonderful to have someone who gives you that impetus and keeps you motivated and focused throughout your learning journey.
I have started looking at data in a different light altogether. It might be similar to what we studied in school, but it has a broader prospect. This course has opened up my vision to the plethora of possibilities that can be achieved through the skills that we are trying to achieve and hone.
My key takeaways from the course till now are:
- Ensure that you manage your time efficiently. The modules are quite exhaustive and some time should also be spent on hands-on.
- Discipline and consistency are the keys. It is possible that in the first go the content might appear very difficult but you should keep your calm and come up with strategies that would suit your learning capabilities the best.
- Do not procrastinate. Leaving things to be done till the end would not only confuse you but might also jeopardize your learning journey.
The AIML program has vast content, so pull up your socks and be ready to work hard! There would be times when you would feel overwhelmed and are on the verge of letting it go but just hold on, believe in yourself, and just go ahead.
