studentstory

Daisaku IKOMA

Arushi Jha — Fri, 30 May 2025 19:13:46 +0000

Daisaku IKOMA Arushi Jha Fri, 05/30/2025 - 13:13

Can you tell us about your educational and work experience background before you enrolled in this program?

I earned my masters degree in applied physics in Japan. Through studying quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, I developed a strong interest in statistics. Additionally, I worked as an engineer for ten years, specializing in statistical modeling of variability in semiconductor devices, which naturally led to an affinity for machine learning and AI. However, I had never studied machine learning or AI in a systematic way. Later, I became a manager overseeing CAE (computer-aided engineering) in the semiconductor field, before transitioning into a managerial role in charge of digital transformation.

What initially drew you to this program?

As I took on a new role in digital transformation, I wanted to systematically acquire both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of data science. Attending a university while working full-time seemed extremely difficult, considering the responsibilities I had as a manager and the time I wanted to spend with my family, so I was close to giving up. However, I realized that with an online program, I could learn at my own pace. I was also drawn to the performance-based admissions process, which didn't require TOEFL, GRE, or letters of recommendation. The fact that I could continue working while studying and that the program was reasonably priced also appealed to me.

Can you tell us how the MS-DS program fits into your life?

By studying for an hour after work on weekdays and setting aside 2 to 3 hours in the early mornings on weekends, I was able to balance my studies with both my job and family life.

What are your favorite parts of the program?

My fellow learners come from all over the world and span a wide range of ages. I was able to stay motivated by learning alongside such high-level peers, especially through activities like peer reviews of reports. I've also made a few connections here in Japan and have had opportunities to meet and interact with them offline.

What do you hope to do with your MS-DS degree?

I hope to propose and lead data science projects in the semiconductor field. Technically, I want to continue learning at the cutting edge and strive to reach even greater heights as a specialist.

Would you recommend this program to others? Why or why not?

I highly recommend it. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned that it is possible to work and study online. As we enter the era of 100-year lifespans, it has become common to change careers multiple times throughout our lives. This program allows you to reskill at any phase of life and take on new challenges in a new chapter of your journey.

What's one tip you have for students who are starting this program?

Earning a degree may seem like a long journey at first, but as long as you keep going without giving up, you will definitely make progress and eventually complete the program. Keep moving forward steadily without stopping. Get some university goods, and boost your motivation and stay positive and give it your best!

Is there a specific project you have worked on that stands out to you?

What I appreciated was that the program covered not only data science, but also essential skills for being a leader in society, such as ethics and corporate finance. In particular, I found it valuable to have the opportunity to systematically learn about corporate finance in addition to technical subjects.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I'm grateful to my wife and two daughters for their understanding and support of my new learning journey.

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Albert Diaz

CU Data Science — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 21:01:48 +0000

Albert Diaz CU Data Science Tue, 04/29/2025 - 15:01

Can you tell us about your educational and work experience background before you enrolled in this program?
Before enrolling in this program, I had approximately 8 years of overall experience, with 6 of those years spent as an analytics translator in the financial sector. In this role, I acted as an intermediary between business areas and technical areas such as data science and machine learning. My primary objective was to ensure that analytical projects were implemented effectively and generated value for the organization.

What initially drew you to this program?

What initially drew me to this program was my desire to deepen my technical knowledge. Although I already had an MBA and considerable experience in project management, I felt that enhancing my technical skills would enable me to become a better analytics translator. This would allow me to provide more informed technical recommendations to my team on how to solve problems effectively.

Can you tell us how the MS-DS program fits into your life?

The MS-DS program fits into my life seamlessly due to its flexibility. This allows me to balance work, studies, and personal life effectively. It's my first time studying with this online methodology, and I have found it to be excellent.

What are your favorite parts of the program?

Without a doubt, my favorite parts of the program were the three courses in the statistics pathway. These were the first courses I took, and right from the start, I found them to be excellent. Although they were technically complex, the practical examples and exercises made everything much easier to understand.

What do you hope to do with your MS-DS degree?

With this new knowledge, I hope to have more opportunities to conduct comprehensive end-to-end consulting projects. Not only will I be able to define the problem and propose a solution, but I can now develop a model based on machine learning algorithms to solve the identified problem.

Would you recommend this program to others? Why or why not?

I would definitely recommend this program, but I believe it isn't for everyone. You need to be consistent to meet deadlines for all assignments and exams. Some people might find this a bit challenging, so other type of programs might be a better fit for their learning style.

What is one tip you have for students who are starting this program?

I have two tips for students starting this program. First, be fair in peer reviews give what you would like to receive. Second, take full advantage of all the resources provided by the program and the university, such as attending office hours, being part of Slack groups, using the Handshake platform, and more.

Is there a specific project you have worked on that stands out to you?

An interesting project I am currently working on involves developing an image classification model for Peruvian ceramics to determine the specific culture they belong to. This type of model can help archaeologists identify such discoveries much more quickly.

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 20:52:22 +0000

Garima Vardhan Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 12/09/2022 - 13:52

After receiving her Bachelors in Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering, current MS-DS Coursera student Garima Vardhan spent 11 years working in Product Lifecycle Management, before deciding to enroll in the program in May of 2021. Due to visa constraints, she has been unable to work in the US, but the program has allowed her to utilize this time to further her studies while balancing being a mom. Below, she shares insights into her experience and advice for prospective students.

Can you tell me how the MS-DS on Coursera program fits into your life?
Well, it fits perfectly in my life! I have the flexibility of time as there is no strict deadline for the courses. In some sessions I am fine doing not a single course at all. I can do things according to my pace, which is the best part. Idea is to gain knowledge rather than doing assignments just for grades. I have a 5-year-old at home, so it's definitely not easy to follow deadlines. Also, there is No one-time fees, we can pay as we go. I am sure a lot of students who are currently not working, must be having great relief with this option.

What are your favorite parts of the program?
As I already mentioned about the flexibility of time and payment of fees, on top of that, we all get to learn from our fellow students. We have separate channels on Slack for each course in MSDS and many discussion forums on Coursera which cover a wide range of technical topics, that helps a lot. In fact, I have not attended a single Office hour session in this program till date. Every time I posted my doubts on slack it was answered by some of our fellow students. Nonetheless, we all have to abide by the honor code so we can just give hints and not clearly state the answers. As a part of this program, we also get access to many other courses which are relevant to Data Science, which are available on “CU on Coursera”. That way we can brush up on many other topics side by side. I did some extra courses in R Programming and Python.

What do you hope to do with your MS-DS degree?
I hope to enter the vast field of Data Science after earning this MS degree. The knowledge and skills learned during this Master’s degree will be incredibly valuable in the upcoming job market. I am more interested in areas related to Deep Learning like Natural Language Processing and Speech Recognition.

Would you recommend this program to others?
Absolutely! I vouch for this all the time. Because I have seen many media reports on women being under-represented in the tech field. I think while striking a balance between the personal and professional life, they are busy representing themselves more somewhere else. They have more commitments so can hardly think of committing to a program which has strict deadlines. This will fit perfectly in their lives as well. Even people from non-science backgrounds can undertake this program. There are some basic courses on Linear Algebra and Calculus, once they finish them, they can start working on the core courses related to the Statistics and Data Structures pathway of this program.

What’s one tip you have for students who are starting this program?
This is an online program so the responsibility to do this genuinely lies with us, we must be 100% honest as far as honor code is concerned. Otherwise, we are not going to land anywhere with only a degree on paper and nothing in our head.

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Justin Goff

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 20:48:17 +0000

Justin Goff Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 12/09/2022 - 13:48

With a background in programming and data analytics, current Coursera student Justin Goff found himself wanting to learn more. He began looking into different programs, and was drawn to the CU MS-DS on Coursera program because not only would his company cover the majority of the cost, but the flexibility of the program allows him to balance work, his family, and getting his degree. Below, he shares insights into his experience and advice for prospective students.

When did you first enroll in the MS-DS program on the Coursera platform?
I first enrolled on 08/22/2022 for the Fall 1 session this year. I am taking the computer science pathway. I am currently in the Fall 2 session, taking the second course, Trees and Graphs.

Can you tell us about your educational and work experience background before you enrolled in this program?
I graduated from Appalachian State University in 2007 with dual BSBA degrees in Business Management & Computer Information Systems. Since then, I have owned and operated two different businesses for over ten years, worked at Lowes Corporate as a programmer, and am currently at Aeroflow Healthcare as a Senior eCommerce Solutions Architect and Senior Data Scientist.

What initially drew you to this program?
Throughout the last 15 years of experience, I have often found myself heavily involved with various Data Analytics, Engineering, and Architect related tasks. This all came to a head while I was architecting and coding for a massive data migration at Aeroflow Healthcare a few years ago. It was so successful that Aeroflow promoted me to focus more exclusively on Data Science related Architecture and coding projects at Aeroflow.

However, it quickly became apparent how much I needed to learn. While there are many areas of data science I have a lot of experience with, there are many other areas I have little to no experience.
I initially looked to remedy this with select certificate courses on Coursera. However, as my interest in learning more subjects grew, I estimated that the list I organized for myself would take 3 to 4 years. At this point, I wondered if an official Master's in Data Science would cover the same areas for a similar period. In most programs I looked into, I found that was the case.

The more I researched the master's programs, the more I felt that it would be a more significant benefit to get official graduate credit for my courses instead of stacking a long list of certificates that don't carry as much official weight. I narrowed my search to the MADS program at the University of Michigan and the MS-DS program at 91PORN. The more manageable cost and elective flexibility of the MS-DS at 91PORN were the catalysts that made me ultimately choose it. I am interested in learning more about the Data Engineer, Architect, and Machine Learning side of the field. So I loved that there were so many options to specialize in these areas with core and elective classes. I took the recommendation to take some Python and Math refresher prerequisites courses before starting. I did those courses for about six months on Coursera, then started the MS-DS program officially during the Fall 1 session this year, 2022.

Can you tell me how the MS-DS on Coursera program fits into your life?
In a nutshell, the flexibility, affordability, and organization are my favorite parts of the program. I love how easy and manageable it is to mold the experience to my busy schedule. While at the same time, it's challenging enough to push me to learn effectively. The way the courses are organized, where you can accomplish daily bite-sized goals, helps with motivation and the ability to stay on track. Adding this extra work to my already busy schedule is hard, but not having to worry about the overall direction of my learning like I would if self-taught is enormously helpful. I am interested in learning more about the Data Engineer, Architect, and Machine Learning side of the field. So I loved that there were so many options to specialize in these areas with core and elective classes. Finally, the total degree cost of 20k was reasonable. It will likely take me about four years to complete, and my employer has agreed to pay up to 5k a year, which would cover almost the whole degree.

Is there a specific project you have worked on that stands out to you?
I have a love-hate relationship with the end-of-week python assignments. In many cases, they have been very hard for me and have taken me longer than I would like. However, this extra pressure helps me retain the information and learn different ways to solve problems that will help me later in my degree and career. This pressure reminds me of how it is at my job and past jobs. The pressure is often where you learn the most and grow. No pain, no gain, as they say!

What do you hope to do with your MS-DS degree?
I hope to fill in the gaps in data science knowledge I cannot get in my daily work. Data Science is a large field, and it's impossible to work in all areas. This degree will help me be fresh and exposed to those topics I lack exposure to at work.

Would you recommend this program to others?
Yes!

What’s one tip you have for students who are starting this program?
If you think you need the prerequisite courses, then you probably do. Don't rush things. You can take your time with the prerequisite refreshers before starting. It will pay off in the long run!

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