Ever wondered how an Internet search engine - Google, Yahoo! or Bing - fetches you the correct information in seconds? Or, Amazon fishes out the product you've been looking for in a jiffy? Or, the food delivery app knows so much about restaurants across the country? Well, all these Internet engines run on the same oil: data. More specifically, they look for patterns in a deluge of data to produce the best results for your queries within a fraction of a second. And the people behind them are a new breed of analysts - data analysts or data scientists - who crunch huge volumes of data and help companies make better business decisions.

Number love

My romance with Big Data began while studying for a postgraduate degree in Statistics at Aligarh Muslim University. After completing MSc, I moved to New Delhi and worked as a research associate in two organisations. My work included analysis and predictive modelling based on Big Data. This was not very different from analytics and data science that were emerging as hot career options.

At the undergraduate level, I had chosen Statistics as my major subject, and Mathematics and Physics as the optional subjects. I also had a keen interest in software programming as I have always been curious about analysing complex problems and finding feasible solutions. I chose Statistics as I believe it is a very useful tool to address societal and industry problems. I wanted to build a career around problem-solving.

Given my background in Statistics, I initially thought I was well-placed for this transition into Big Data. Then, however, I understood that I needed to acquire specialised training on the tools and techniques required for a successful career in analytics. Therefore, I started searching for an advanced learning programme that would provide me the necessary theoretical as well as practical education.

Formal learning

I looked up several colleges and universities but most offered distance learning or weekend programmes, while I was looking for a full-time one. I realised analytics was too complex a subject to be mastered through part-time options. Praxis Business School in Calcutta offered three advantages over other educational institutions: one, it offered a comprehensive, rigorous, industry-oriented, full-time in-class programme; two, it had a team of accomplished and experienced faculty; and three, it provided a well-structured campus placement programme. I opted for the full-time postgraduate programme in Business Analytics. I believe my time at Praxis helped me a good deal and changed the way I perceive analytical problems, thanks to the quality of faculty and the teaching methodology.

After completing the course at Praxis, I was directly placed in a Calcutta-based American healthcare company called ARW.

Work projects

At ARW, I created machine learning models from Big Data to solve healthcare-based complex, real-life problems such as whether a patient has any chronic disease, which are the medicines that suit the patient and how often the patient gets admitted to hospital.

Currently, I am working with EXL services, a Gurgaon-based analytics company. My team is focused on insurance-based client handling and service providing. I have to handle both internal product development as well as client projects. I use machine-learning and text mining techniques to assist clients grow their businesses and serve their customers better. Python and R are the two tools which I use elaborately in my projects. Guiding and mentoring new employees in Python and machine- learning techniques is another part of my responsibilities. I have also had the privilege to publish articles and white papers on behalf of our organisation.

I find my work extremely challenging and interesting. The business problems I have to solve here have to do with insurance claims, its probabilities and its reasons.

In the near future, I wish to take a plunge into the field of deep learning and artificial intelligence. I'm also looking forward to eventually taking on higher managerial responsibilities and possibly, taking the lead on some challenging projects. Another big part of my life is mentoring students of the domain for advanced learning in analytics. I firmly believe in Walt Disney's observation: "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."