How upskilling in Data Science can help fresh college grads land lucrative jobs in Uber, Mercedes Benz and other top companies

In today's world, where technology is witnessing an unimaginable boom, Data Science is a great upskilling investment. More companies are looking to adopt disruptive technologies such as Analytics, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence in their work processes. Past experience has shown that many tech companies have laid off employees who were not able to keep up with changing technologies and failed to upskill themselves in this highly tech-driven landscape.

The workforce of today needs to be skilled enough to adopt these tech innovations and bring newer competencies in the market, and Great Learning is helping to do just that. The ed-tech company offers programmes in career-critical competencies such as Analytics, Data Science, Big Data, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, DevOps, Full Stack Development and more, which are taken by thousands of professionals globally.

Their PG Diploma in Data Science and Engineering (PGP DSE) is a 5-month classroom programme for fresh graduates and early career professionals looking to build their career in data science and analytics. Alumni have secured roles such as Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, Data Analysts, Analytics Consultants, etc., in companies like Swiggy, OYO, Mercedes Benz, KPMG, PolicyBazaar, Uber, Cognizant, BigBasket, and Mahindra, among others. Here are some of their stories.

Simplifying the career transition process

Aishwarya Sarda was not from a Data Science background, but he really wanted to transition into Business Analytics. With the PGP-DSE programme, he underwent a successful transition as the programme covered everything he needed to be strong with the concepts of Statistics, Python, Machine Learning and SQL. "The professors were really focused on what the market wants and hence the curriculum is designed with a lot of flexibility and keeping an eye on future trends," he says. He was interviewed by companies like BigBasket, HPE, TVS, etc., and the interview at HPE was a major turnaround for him. He cleared three interview rounds and everything they asked was related to his previous experience and the programme curriculum. "Even though I did not opt for the placement process by Great Learning, the course still made me job-ready." Four-and-a-half months into the programme, he applied to Uber and the knowledge gained through the course helped him crack the interview. Aishwariya says that the programme is ideal for anyone who is looking to transition into the field of Data Science. The programme will make you job-ready and make you efficient enough that you can crack any interview on your own. I am a living example. The curriculum is very well-designed and the placement support is really good." He now works largely on SQL and visualisation at Uber.

Landing multiple job interviews

Pushpendra Nathawat got interview calls with three companies and landed a job at Cognizant as a Programmer Analyst. Coming from a purely financial background, it was initially challenging to follow the modules in the programme, but with the help of the faculty, Pushpendra was able to cope up. "The faculty was very helpful in providing material and guidance, especially in my lacuna. They took extra effort to organise classes over those areas during the weekends." At the end of the programme, he got interview opportunities with Kinara Capital, Credi India, and Cognizant, and was confirmed by Cognizant on the same day. "Since I was very new to Data Science, I had to improve a lot in terms of my CV and interview performance. The career assistance provided by GL helped me prepare an impressive CV, and the mock interviews prepped me to crack interviews."

Enabling career support all the way

Sai Ramya Machavarapu works as a Data Analyst at Mercedes Benz and credits GL's practical exposure and complete career support for her success. Even though she came from a non-programming background, it wasn't difficult to understand the subjects as the course is designed for non-IT students too. Speaking about the academic and career support provided by GL, Sai Ramya says, “The team was always available to prepare us for interviews and gave regular suggestions and feedback for us to improve. Whenever we had issues, the team resolved them as a priority. With their career support, I got to interview with many companies like CTS, Mercedes, etc. Based on my experience, I realised that the curriculum is self-sufficient to crack any interview. The entire course is designed in a way to help us understand the concepts, crack interviews, and guide us during the projects." She adds, "Give your 100 percent to every interview thinking that this is the last opportunity as there’s a huge competition in the market. The focus should be on developing a strong foundation for whatever they are learning. The interviews are based on basics and test you on your understanding of the field."

Assisting with excellent placement resources

Debashis Gogoi, a Data Analyst at Indegene was able to upskill in his core area of interest with Great Learning's PGP DSE. "DSE is a 5-month programme and I believe GL did justice in delivering the basics and in-depth understanding. The faculty members were industry experts and they spent a good amount of time with almost all topics. The management was very supportive and the placement assistance was excellent. From CV reviews to mock interviews, everything made the students really comfortable and industry-ready," he says. He had the opportunity to participate in the placement drives of six companies and got to interview with three companies – Kargil Solutions, Evive, and Indegene, and cracked the third one. Coming from a non-programming background, he says the course was easy to understand as it is well designed keeping the diversity of the batch in mind.

In the last five years, Great Learning has been able to deliver 6+ million hours of learning to professionals worldwide with many of them being able to achieve successful career progressions in leading companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Adobe, American Express, Deloitte, IBM, Accenture, McKinsey and more. The average salary package for Great Learning’s PGP-DSE is Rs 6.9 lacs per annum, with the highest salary package being Rs 13.2 lacs per annum with an average salary hike of 65 percent.

So if you're looking to jumpstart a career in Data Science or Machine Learning, see how one of India's best analytical schools, Great Learning can help you out.