Graduate Studies Blog
MSC BUSINESS ANALYTICS
How An MSc In Business Analytics Helped Me Land An Internship & Boost My Career
As an engineering graduate with several years of experience at EY—one of the big four accounting and professional services firms—you’d be forgiven for wondering why Yacob Chaly felt the need to enroll in a master’s degree.
A native of Kerala, south India, who held a keen interest in technology, Yacob focused his bachelor’s on tech and carved out a career in data and analytics consulting at EY after graduation.
But, having developed a passion for data, after five years he decided that he needed to expand his scope while also learning how to apply his skills towards business decisions.
“I realised that in order to grow in my career and become a subject matter leader in data analytics, I needed a bigger picture of the data ecosystem,” he says.
Yacob decided pursuing a Master’s in Business Analytics would offer the chance to do this.
Why the NTU MSc in Business Analytics?
When choosing where to study his MSc, Yacob was attracted to Singapore as a key business hub within Asia, and a country that was not too far from home.
“Singapore is a regional hub and so you have the brightest minds in APAC over here,” he explains.
Searching for a suitable degree, he found the MSc in Business Analytics at Nanyang Business School, a programme that mixed technical learning in areas such as advanced programming and machine learning, with broader business modules.
Yacob was intrigued by the programme’s various practical opportunities, which included undertaking data-led business simulators and projects, and embarking on an internship.
He successfully applied for the programme, and was immediately impressed by this focus on applied learning.
“I liked the fact that most of the modules had an individual or group project, and these were based on real-life data,” he says. “The course was focused more on the application of concepts.
“Professors were also very helpful, they would drive interactions and encourage you to ask questions,” he adds.
With a broad curriculum ranging from analytics strategy to data visualization to cyber security, the NBS MSc in Business Analytics helped Yacob successfully expand his data expertise.
“It helped me grow horizontally and equipped me with concepts of data science and business, because I already knew the database side of things.”
How can business school develop your experience?
Beyond his modular learning, Yacob’s time on the NBS MSc in Business Analytics involved a range of eye-opening experiences that helped expand his development.
Having left India to live and study in a new country, the immersion in a new culture involved a large adjustment during the early stages of the year-long programme.
“Considering the fact that I’d never moved out of Kerala, it actually did open my eyes,” he says. “In the first few weeks, I realized that people here have dinner at 6pm, and back home we have dinner at 8pm—it’s all kind of a cultural shock.”
Within a cohort composed of 90% international students and a near 50% gender split, the diverse classroom meant Yacob could enhance his cultural understanding while working closely alongside his fellow students.
“When you’re working in groups and you are on campus, you meet a lot of people from across the world, so it helps you to network,” he says. “You also learn about different cultures because they become your friends, so you learn more about them. It’s a wonderful learning experience.”
Alongside networking with his peers, designated sessions organized by the Graduate Studies Career Development Office (GSCDO) throughout the year meant Yacob could network with recruiters.
The GSCDO also helped connect Yacob and his fellow students with employers to secure those all-important internship and job opportunities that would provide their next steps after graduation.
How can an internship offer your career a boost?
While applying for internships, the GSCDO connected Yacob with a data intern opportunity at Mindshare, a global media agency, before providing additional support during the interview process that helped him secure the role.
A firm largely focused on media and marketing, Yacob was initially daunted by the challenge of entering a new sector. However, the internship provided him with a platform to gain experience in a different industry while also employing his holistic data skillset.
“When I started off the internship, I had basically zero knowledge about marketing. So this internship actually helped me slightly bridge that gap,” he explains. “You are an employee, but you’re actually a student as well.”
After impressing his superiors over a five-month period, Yacob was offered the chance to take on a full-time role, which he began shortly after finishing his degree.
Today, he is working as a data and analytics manager, employing a broad range of skills including building dashboards, designing data pipelines, and writing code using Python. A key focus is using data knowledge and skills to benefit the business.
“It’s a mixture of what I used to do before, and what I learned during the programme,” he explains.
Reflecting on his journey, Yacob feels that his drive to continue learning has helped boost his career and allowed him to have a greater impact at work. He advises that others channel the same thinking in their own careers.
“The main use of data analytics is to solve a business problem, and the tools that we use are just learned so that we can achieve that,” he explains. “Technology is an evolving space, so you should always have that curiosity to keep learning because the tool that you use today may not be valid tomorrow.”
