From a Systems Engineer to a Data Scientist at Fractal Analytics – Uma Karukonda’s Story

Uma Mounika Karukonda (BDVA Class of 2018) recently aced her interviews with Fractal Analytics, landing a job coveted by many. What is her success story? We caught up with Uma to find out.

Hi Uma, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your course at SP Jain?

With roughly 3 years of work experience in the IT industry as a Systems Engineer, I joined Batch 08 of SP Jain’s Big Data and Visual Analytics in early 2018. The course played a huge role in helping me gain proficiency in Python and SQL. While the program helped me learn Machine Learning, Statistical Modelling and Data Visualisation, it also helped me improve my public speaking skills, which was a pleasant surprise.

You recently cracked the interview at Fractal Analytics and got placed even before completing your course! How did you achieve this?

I used to practice coding everyday as advised by all my professors at SP Jain. At Fractal Analytics, the first interview round is a coding challenge and my diligent practice was the only reason I could crack this round. I paid attention to the statistics as well the intuitions of Machine Learning concepts.

The guest lectures held during the term also went a long way in giving us exposure to the real-world applications of Data Analytics, while throwing light at different contemporary business cases. Additionally, we attended several workshops and mock interviews, helping me build my skills as a speaker and an interviewee.

Did you receive adequate support from the SP Jain community during this process?

Beyond adequate! The teachers at SP Jain were extremely knowledgeable and approachable, which helped us clear our queries instantly. The course coordinator and Director were also receptive to our feedback and were always striven to offer their best to us.

What tips would you want to give the current SP Jain students who will be preparing for their placements?

First, focus on your statistical concepts – never waver. Second, ensure that you are extremely thorough in the projects that you’ve worked on. The interviewers are always interested in your projects, as it showcases your learning experience outside the walls of a classroom and helps them evaluate you as a future employee.