If you’re reading this as a prospective applicant, you’re already a step further than I was. As an NC State undergraduate student, with no intention of getting my master’s right away, I was lucky enough to stumble into the most rewarding graduate program… which had been right under my nose all along.
As a statistics major and economics minor, I was unsure what my career might look like. My plan had always been to get a job after graduation, work for a few years, and then consider higher education later down the road. I knew that the world of data science was growing and that I ultimately saw myself in business analytics, but there seemed to be no clear path to get there.
If you’re in a similar field for undergrad, you probably understand the struggle of trying to explain this to friends and family. However, that uncertainty started to fade my senior year after hearing rumblings of a “10-month graduate program in data analytics at NC State” from fellow classmates. The appeal of getting a master’s degree in my desired field, in less than a year, and at my alma mater, was more than enough to make me reconsider my post-graduation plan. So, I began looking into it more and was in awe at the alumni statistics on the IAA website. A 100% job placement rate and 6-figure average salaries sealed the deal. Aside from some other minor investigations on the website regarding pricing and logistics, my research had pretty much stopped there, and I began my application the following week.
It wasn’t until much later that I learned how immersive the program is with real-world data and experiences via the practicum. After being admitted in January, I began attending Q&A’s and connecting with some alumni who helped give me a better sense of an average day at the Institute. However, no amount of advice from other people could have prepared me. I don’t say that to discredit their extremely helpful words, but rather to emphasize that you can’t truly understand it until you’re in it. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before, and I love every minute of it. From just the short time I’ve spent at the IAA so far, I have learned that it’s a well-oiled machine with hundreds of moving pieces all working towards one goal: your educational experience.
It sounds cliche, but the faculty here are truly dedicated to your success as a well-rounded data professional. The immersion of statistics and programming with communication and professional development is what I believe sets this program apart from others. As they have drilled into us here at the IAA, data means nothing if you can’t effectively and ethically communicate it.
While this program is rich with opportunities in networking, teamwork, career development, public speaking, AND technical skills, you must be willing and open to “trusting the process” as they say here at the IAA. What I mean is that the effort you put into it directly affects what you get out of it.
I am learning to take full advantage of everything during my time here – getting to know the faculty more personally, making friends, bonding with my classmates outside of the Institute, and treating every optional event as mandatory. Despite not sticking to my original plan, I feel like I ended up exactly where I was supposed to be.
Every day I’m here at the Institute, I grow exponentially happier with my decision to apply, more grateful for the opportunity, and more excited for the future.
Columnist Kelsy Peil