My Journey: From Health Science to Analytics Engineering

Hello, everyone! I’m excited to share my journey with you all. It’s a story of unexpected turns, continuous learning, and the pursuit of passion. From aspiring to be a nurse to finding my calling in data analytics, it’s been quite a ride!

The Beginning

I embarked on my academic journey with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science, intending to become a nurse. However, life had other plans, and I found myself as the primary caretaker for my family, which made it impossible for me to attend nursing school.

Discovering a New Interest

During this challenging period, I discovered an interest in Python and SQL. This newfound interest led me to reconsider my academic path. Instead of continuing with an MBA in Health Administration at Lamar University, I decided to switch majors to Management Information Systems (MIS).

Learning at Lamar University

At Lamar University, I took an introductory course on Programming Business Solutions. This course introduced me to Python and its applications in Quantum Computing. I learned how to use Python to implement quantum algorithms, which are algorithms that can be run on a quantum computer. This involved writing Python code to simulate quantum systems and using libraries like Qiskit to create and manipulate quantum circuits.

In addition, I took a Database Programming course where I learned SQL and how to work with Microsoft Access databases. I created tables, inserted data into them, updated existing data, and deleted data using SQL commands. I also learned how to write complex SQL queries to retrieve specific data from a database.

I also took a course on Making Managerial Decisions, a business analysis course where I learned Excel and SAS Linear Regression. This course taught me how to analyze business data and make informed decisions based on statistical models. I used Excel to organize and analyze data, and create visualizations to help inform decision-making. I also used SAS to perform linear regression, a statistical technique used to understand the relationship between variables.

Expanding My Horizons

While nearing the completion of my MBA, I was accepted into Perficient’s BrightPath Software Engineering Bootcamp Scholarship and the Samsung Innovation Campus AI course by Samsung Electronics America. These programs provided me with a deeper understanding of software engineering and artificial intelligence. I learned about various AI models, their applications, and how to implement them. This involved writing code to create AI models, training these models on data, and then using the trained models to make predictions. For my capstone at Samsung, I led a team of 7 to create a machine learning model where music is played based on the facial recognition and emotion of Alzheimer’s patients which could help with mood detection in their treatment process. Link to the project can be found in my GitHub here: https://github.com/jelendu/face-emotion-detection-alzheimers.

Towards Analytics Engineering

With a growing interest in data, I decided to expand my knowledge into Analytics Engineering. I was accepted into the Georgia Tech Online Master of Science in Analytics (OMSA) degree program for Fall 2024.

To prepare myself for the OMSA, I enrolled in the Google Data Analytics course on Coursera. So far, I’ve completed the first module, which has equipped me with a solid understanding of the fundamentals of data analytics, including data cleaning, exploration, and visualization. I used tools like spreadsheets, SQL, and R programming to clean and analyze data. I also learned how to visualize data using tools like Tableau.

Looking Ahead

Next month, I will be starting a Branding Strategies & Business Analysis externship with Paragon One, in partnership with Beats by Dre. I look forward to learning more about branding strategies and further developing my business analysis skills. In this externship, I will conduct primary research and a detailed analysis of consumer sentiment around the Beats by Dr. Dre brand. I will recruit GenZ participants and use various data collection methods like surveys and interviews to determine social media strategy effectiveness, and advertising effectiveness, and collect insights regarding different headphone brands.

This journey from Health Science to Data Analytics Engineering has been challenging, rewarding, and full of learning. I’m excited about the opportunities ahead and can’t wait to see where this path leads me.