Graduate Studies Blog
MSC BUSINESS ANALYTICS
From Auditing to Analytics: MSc Business Analytics Success Story
After seven years as an auditor in a Big Four firm, Bella Lau was eager for a change. “Everyone who has worked in a Big Four or audit firm would understand the demanding nature of the job,” she reflected. “I felt it was time to explore a new professional avenue.”
As an auditor, one of the most satisfying aspects of her job had been delving into extensive sets of numbers to derive patterns and trends. This skill translated well into a career switch into business analytics, where she could transform data into insights for better business decision-making.
Another factor that tipped the scales was her interest in coding. Bella had picked up programming languages like SQL during her undergraduate studies but had not found the opportunity to explore this passion in her auditing career. Having coding savvy would give her an advantage as a data analyst, equipping her to perform day-to-day tasks like data mining and modelling.
To pull off this mid-career change, Bella enrolled in a Specialised Master’s in Business Analytics at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU). We chatted with her about her journey from auditing to analytics, and how her experience in the programme led to her current role at AI software firm Transparently.AI.
Getting hands-on with data analytics
Coming from Hong Kong, Bella had her eye on pursuing her master’s degree in Singapore due to its similar culture and the job opportunities available there. NTU stood out to her due to its “highly prestigious ranking in Asia” – the university clinched fourth place in the QS 2024 ranking of Asia’s top universities.
NTU’s MSc Business Analytics (MSBA) curriculum also offered one unique feature: a data analytics practicum. Scheduled for the third trimester of the programme, this three-month internship enables participants to gain hands-on experience with industry partners and take their learnings from classroom to workplace.
For someone making a career switch like Bella, the practicum was an invaluable opportunity to kickstart her new career path in data. “Given my age and previous work experience, I faced hurdles in securing an internship,” she explained.
To overcome this challenge, Bella turned to the career coaching services at NTU’s Graduate Studies Career Development Office (GSCDO).
The GSCDO’s career counsellors worked with her to clarify her career goals and interests, and subsequently matched her with an intriguing new role – one that would let her wield both her auditing experience and her newfound data analytics skills.
Diving into the dynamic world of AI
This data science role was offered by Transparently.AI, a Singapore-based AI software company breaking new ground in the detection of accounting manipulation and fraud. Powered by proprietary machine learning algorithms, Transparently.AI’s solution can analyse millions of data points and deliver forensic accounting reports on over 80,000 companies across the globe.
“The practicum experience introduced me to the world of AI,” said Bella. “Prior to this, I had never considered engaging in anything related to AI. Working at Transparently.AI provided the perfect opportunity to leverage my domain knowledge in auditing while utilising machine learning tools.”
NTU’s MSBA programme also provided a foundation for her journey into AI. With future-ready modules like ‘AI and Big Data in Business’ and ‘AI with Advanced Predictive Techniques in Finance’, the MSBA curriculum is designed to help participants stay on the cutting edge of the latest technologies reshaping businesses.
In the face of the internship’s many challenges, Bella seized the chance to put many new learnings from her MSBA journey into practice. “The MSBA programme equipped me with knowledge of the ‘hottest’ and most commonly used programming languages, such as Python, R, and Tableau,” she shared. This stood her in good stead during her internship, where coding was a significant aspect of her everyday tasks.
Another challenge involved adapting to working in an engineering team with a completely different routine than what she was accustomed to. “Despite always considering myself a business student, I lacked the mindset for data analytics projects,” Bella explained. Fortunately, her experience with group work in the MSBA programme helped to ease the learning curve. “MSBA created an environment for collaboration with course mates of diverse backgrounds, allowing me to gradually adapt to how an IT person thinks and works.”
Her hard work ultimately paid off. By the end of her internship, Bella had secured a full-time position at Transparently.AI as a Research Manager in Data Science.
Reaching new heights with the right foundations
As a Research Manager, Bella performs accounting research and pinpoints best practices to develop and enhance Transparently.AI’s machine learning system. The role calls for a thorough understanding of accounting data and audit analysis, alongside strong data modelling knowledge and coding skills.
For Bella, it’s also an opportunity to bring her love of coding to life. “I’m really enjoying the satisfaction of successfully building code and transforming something I know into a function,” she said.
In one recent project, she was tasked to develop new features for Transparently.AI’s system utilising insights from her auditing experience. “I leveraged my coding skills to build functions for each feature, which were then deployed into our system and thoroughly tested to ensure their functionality,” she explained.
She attributes her ongoing career success to the strong foundations she acquired at NTU. “The MSBA programme has played a crucial role in building a solid foundation in data science for me,” she recalled. “Not only has it enhanced my understanding of the fundamentals, but it has also helped me familiarise myself with the essential routines of software engineering.”
“Armed with this foundational knowledge, I’m able to continually advance my skills by engaging in more advanced programming techniques.”
Achieve career change with an industry-relevant programme
Getting your foot in the door of a new field is never easy, but Bella’s MSBA journey has helped her close the gap. With a practicum that offers extensive industry exposure, participants can sharpen their classroom skills and gain an edge for a fulfilling career in data analytics.
“Whether you’re a recent graduate or someone with working experience like myself, my advice is to leverage this opportunity to gain experience in a data-related job,” Bella shared. “Make the most of this chance to delve into the world of data and maximise your learnings. This can help you understand more about your interests in data analysis and data science.”
