July 20, 2017

Geoff Coyner

Undergraduate: University of Washington (Economics)

Part Time Student

Current Employer: Microsoft (Analytics, Supply Chain)

What attracted you to the program?

I work in BI & analytics today and am interested in moving into a data scientist role. I had a foundation in statistics, data structures and algorithms when I entered the program, but was eager to deepen my knowledge and learn about other topics like machine learning and data visualization. I found the curriculum to be appealing since it wasn’t just a coding bootcamp that focused on the application. This program takes the time to cover both theory and applied topics making it marketable and foundational for continuous learning. I was really considering an MBA, but I feel like a technical foundation better appeals to my current career interests. When I’m ready to lead an organization someday, I may still go get that MBA.

Thoughts on the Program:

I am very impressed by the depth of the material, especially the course in Machine Learning. We really spent a lot of time on math and theory behind the different algorithms. I would advise potential part time students to be prepared to devote significant time on the assignments and the course overall. I am a part-time student and it’s great since I feel like I have pretty clear goals. For those who want more time to explore, I would recommend the full-time track. My one regret about part-time is that I wish I had more time to devote to research, especially in Machine Learning, to deepen my understanding of the academic vs. applied side of this field.

Thoughts on the Student Body:

I love the diverse educational backgrounds of everyone here. It is interesting how so many people from different industries are all here to achieve similar goals. We have everyone from Finance to Consulting to Tech represented here. I also like that so many of my classmates are willing to take the risk in going for a focused degree in Data Science rather than Computer Science or an MBA. In general, the group seems very sure of their goals and excited to be here.

What are your goals after the program?

I would like to further my career in the field of data science and eventually spend some time working abroad. Hopefully I can accomplish both at the same time!