What are you responsible for in your current role (@PACCAR Parts)?
My role at PACCAR Parts is Customer Experience Data Analyst Intern. I review and analyze business processes to identify opportunities for improvements by writing SQL queries on Snowflake and MS Access and create dashboards which are visually appealing and simple to navigate. This includes developing new Tableau dashboards and updating the existing ones according to the stakeholder’s requirement. I also get to certifications in Tableau and Python through their Corporate Training.
Why did you choose UP Pamplin for your Masters degree?
Choosing UP Pamplin was not a difficult decision for me because out of all the universities that I applied and got in, I chose Pamplin because of the flexibility of choosing the courses between different streams and customizing my Masters sounded great. I wanted to learn programming languages and analytics. So, I chose the courses which will help me learn both. And UP has that option. Easy peasy!
How is your degree helping you?
All my classes have tied into real world examples for my career. I have loved all the courses so far. But Business Analytics, Prescriptive Analytics and Python are my favorite and have had direct and positive impact on my goal of becoming a Data Engineer. With guidance from professors like Dr. Gudigantala, Dr. Yu, and Dr. Mitchell, it has been a wonderful journey of learning. These courses have helped me strengthening my technical and soft skills which played a major role in landing my internship at PACCAR Parts and an offer to extend my internship part-time.
Advice for someone considering a graduate degree?
Think about your career goals and get specific. It is okay to change your field of study. It may be worth your while to envision your goals. Do not be rigid about the degree titles, instead do your research on the curriculum. Be organized and set realistic expectations out of yourself.
What do you like to do for fun?
Outside of college and work, I love travelling and I spend most of my weekends travelling. I am a mountain person, and I recently went on a wilderness backpacking in Enchanted Valley in Washington and I absolutely loved it. Definitely doing it again! love exploring new coffee places and reading books on fictions. I am also a huge foodie and love exploring different cuisines.
~Contributed by Chandini Ashwath