What attracted you to the Master's Degree Programme in Assessment, Measurement and Evaluation?
After studying mathematics teaching in college, I was searching for a new challenge, and a master's degree in Assessment, Measurement, and Evaluation looked like the best option. Because I was fascinated by education, statistics and data science. I believed statistics and any statistical modeling can be applied to any field.
What did you write about in your thesis?
I wrote my thesis about students problem solving patterns with a single task. All students interactions are captured in a log file with time stamps when using computer-based assessment. Based on this, I attempted to discover students various problem-solving processes and possible relationship to their problem-solving performance. This was done so that we may assist teachers in tailoring their instruction to meet students needs and develop automated feedback teaching tools that provide immediate feedback. It was a really fascinating topic.
Where do you work now, and what is your job title?
I work as a junior data scientist at CPM analytics, a marketing research firm. I started the job in 2021.
How did you find this job?
I discovered a job posting on LinkedIn and applied for it. They contacted me to inquire about my interest in a position with the firm. I was interested in understanding user behavior or clustering at that moment. In order to get the job, I went through two rounds of interviews.
What are your current tasks?
Daily problem-solving. In essence, I try to solve the clients' issues together with my colleagues. The use of data for problem solving or decision-making can range from data scraping through data wrangling, exploratory data analysis, data visualization, modeling, and production. We try to satisfy the interests of our clients by utilizing machine learning techniques. The interest of clients and problem vary considerably. It's really exciting to develop connections with customers and show them how machine learning can help their business.
How do you make use of you Master's Degree in your current position?
Despite of the fact that I have not gotten a chance to use IRT or measurement models at work yet, I think all of my courses have improved my work skills. Specifically, I learned R, basic statistics, fundamental linear models, how to interpret/present statistical results on the basis of MAE4000 Data science. I never had a coding experience before my master, and now I am using R at work everyday. In addition, I always try to cross check the quantitative result with other sources of information bearing the reliability and validity in mind, which I learnt through MAE4011 Principles of Measurement. Also I developed good presentation skills and the ability to criticize papers thanks to MAE4050 Current Topics and Debates in Assessment and Evaluation. These abilities were all put to use when writing the thesis and even now. I felt studying for my master's degree to be challenging at the beginning as I did not have much background. But everyone starts somewhere. Not only did I learn all the sophisticated statistical models in the end, but I also learned how to study subjects that are unfamiliar to me. In addition, I could improve my communication and arguments, collaborations skills through the process.
If you were to give some advice to new students in this program, for example as regards to finding a job, what would you say?
When you visit LinkedIn, you might feel overwhelmed by all the requirements. I was not sure whether I had all the essential skillsets to land a position in the private sector, but I made it. Companies do not expect that you will fill all requirements listed in the advertisement, they are rather looking for someone who is not afraid to learn new things as the field is changing so fast. I had no knowledge of python, time series modelling or NLP at all. All of these skill sets were developed based on fundamentals from my master program. Learning new things is challenging, but I decided to give it a try. Constantly expanding one's knowledge is fun. Consider thoroughly where you want to work, whether it is in academia, private sector or research institutions. Additionally, visit LinkedIn and attempt to educate yourself on the requirements listed for jobs. You might think the master program is a bit far off from the data science, but the data science is all about problem solving. Every research or industry has data. If you know how to apply data science, you can work in any industry.
Is there anything you like to add?
My two years in this master's program were actually a ton of worthwhile time. Without the master's program, I would not have the opportunity to explore all the sophisticated statistical assumptions and theories. This genuinely affected the way I think, argue, and work with people. I hope you will find what you are looking for, just as I did.