Maths

A competitive advantage across industries

Victor Chinyemba has recently graduated from our Data Analytics MSc. Here he tells us more about the course, the staff and peer support and why studying Data Analytics gives you a competitive advantage across different industries.

  • What did you do before the course and why did you decide to study a postgraduate course?

I worked in the oil and gas industry for seven years as Information and Data Management Lead for BP. I chose to do a postgraduate course to make myself more competitive, and most importantly to add on to my knowledge base with new knowledge and skills.

  • What made you choose the University of Brighton and this course?

Before choosing the university, I was going online to decide what city to come to. And Brighton was listed as one of the most inclusive cities in UK due to its diversity in its residents. Being a person from a background that is not so interesting, a city like this was ideal for me. University of Brighton’s MSc in Data Analytics seemed to be the most practical program for anyone choosing to be an analyst of data scientist. This course is a stepping stone to my career prospects as a Data Analyst. Despite having prior skills, having an education on the subject authenticates my knowledge and makes me learn other aspects of data analysis that I was not aware of.

  • Can you describe your course and experience of studying here?

My course had a lot do with data management, statistics, data analytics programming languages, business analytics strategies and introduced me to a lot of tools to visualise, interpret, model and acquire business insights from the data.

  • What were the highlights of your course?

It was very challenging especially given that it was 12 years after my high school. This meant that my connection with mathematics was gone and everything was all new and hard. However, being open enough to my classmates and lecturers about my areas of weaknesses was key to making me successful. I think, the most important thing to know is that no matter how tough, the staff and students are very helpful and committed to making you succeed.

  • How did you strike a work-life balance?

By ensuring that both life and school work were taken with utmost importance.

  • If you worked on group projects can you tell us a bit about that experience?

We had several class exercises that required working together with others. My experience is that it was always good, and the students were very active and whenever we needed help from the lecturers, they were always there to help.

  • Would you recommend your course? What in particular would you recommend?

Yes, I would recommend this course. Particularly, I would recommend that they take elective modules that will be tailored to their future plans.

I would always recommend Data Analytics/Science to people. Nowadays, data is said to be the most important resource for any business. Many businesses do not yet understand the value of their data and how they will put it to good use. Being data analysts/scientist is the only way to make oneself useful for the data future.

  • In what ways do you feel the course was relevant to industry?

The course is made in such a way that it is not tailored to one industry only. It is useful in any industry and that is how it is delivered, making students open enough to fit in any shoes.

  • Tell us about your experience of teaching and support staff.

I remember when I was so stressed when I just started. I think as an international student, I was undergoing cultural shock. I had to seek help from the School Guidance Counsellor and I got so much help. Another thing was that the school assigns a Personal Tutor to talk to about any difficulties you have, and mine was always there whenever I needed support. The teaching staff have an open-door policy, you can go there anytime you need them and since our classes are usually hands-on, it is always easy to understand what you are being taught. After learning, you immediately do on a computer in front of you what you have learned, and they go around to make sure that you have fully grasped what you were being taught.

  • How did the course help you to build and maintain your network of contacts, with industry and peers?

Having elevated my profile to Data Analyst/Scientist, I now have started networking with a whole new kind of people with different interests and it is amazing how this course has elevated me to that. I have also made so many friends that I will hold for the rest of my life and am blessed to have interacted with the greatest minds in mathematics and statistics.

  • What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of applying for this course / this university?

I would advise them to go right ahead and apply. I would recommend that they remind themselves about basic statistics prior to beginning the course as that will help them. On the other hand, University of Brighton is centrally located to anything everything that students want. The university is linked to a lot of transport networks of businesses and a train station right one-minute walk away. There a lot of facilities with software installed on computers to have the students’ practice. Overall, the University of Brighton is the best choice I have ever made.

Stephanie Thomson • February 13, 2019


Previous Post

Next Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published / Required fields are marked *

Skip to toolbar