My Journey to Achieve New Goals: Colin Powell “A Dream does not Become Reality through Magic; it Takes Sweat, Determination, and Hard Work.”

As a Chinese proverb states, “ A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” To achieve a goal, one has to challenge themselves. As for me, my newest challenge is to obtain a degree in Data Analytics. Big data analytics involves the application of getting insight from unstructured data. The analysis of data has changed the way businesses operate especially in finance. To illustrate, a credit manager can use data mining to find out whether or not if granted a loan, an applicant will default.

I worked as a consultant for Hutong School, a foreign-owned Chinese language school. My objective was to design a management strategy and business plan to help the school open a branch in New York City. My team and I collected data from future prospects. We used quantitative methods and created managerial strategies to convert Hutong School’s potential customers into students. For instance, I ranked 253 Hutong School’s prospects by using the analytical hierarchy process, based on their attributes. Moreover, the institution provided us with raw data pulled from their Facebook business account. We used data mining with Microsoft Excel to look for possible business opportunities in the data set that was given to us. As a result, we were able to uncover which advertisements were the most efficient. Therefore, the school added 407 followers on its Facebook social media network.

This experience strengthened my desire to attain a degree in big data. The Master of Science in Data Analytics at Fordham University is one of a few programs in the country that would give me the opportunity to take electives in financial informatics. I chose to apply for a Master’s in Data Analysis at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, for I want to study data science from a scientific setting. As a former MBA student, who chose finance as a concentration. I am interested in how technology is shaping the financial industry. I also believe that having managerial skills and technical skills is crucial. I am confident that this opportunity will have a tremendous impact on my future career.

I am currently learning Python programming language to get the necessary skills to use in data analysis and processing. I have recently completed a certificate in data foundations from Udacity. I learned a great deal about Tableau, SQL, Vlookup, and Hlookup. In addition, I have completed a programmer analyst training directed by-Platform by Per Scholas, a non- profit organization. I gained knowledge of Java, Oracle SQL, HTML, ITIL, and business analysis.

I strongly believe that completing the Master’s program at Fordham University would give me exposure to experts in the field of data science and computational finance. The skills I would acquire will give me the appropriate leverage to become a data analyst. It might be difficult to obtain a new degree and switch to a new career path, yet for me, it is a new challenge that I gladly and fiercely want to pursue. Colin Powell, once stated, “A dream does not become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” Thank you for considering my application for the Master’s Degree in Data Analytics.

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