The new age disruptive technologies are changing the business landscape like never before. This blinding pace of technology advancement and innovation are redefining the IT career paths and the industry demands for new and advanced skills are on the rise. However, the mismatch between demand and supply of these required skillsets and capabilities is a major challenge that the industry encounters now. This is a small step from Happiest Minds to fill the gap- ‘The Next Big Step’ a Career Talk series on Disruptive Technologies. We have chosen ‘Data Science and Analytics’ as the first topic for the discussion. Here Saumar Deka, from the Marketing Team, interviews Eron Kar, who heads our Analytics Practice for Digital Transformation.

Saumar: Hi Eron, first thing first. Could you tell us a little about yourself and your journey so far in the world of Data Science and Analytics?

Eron: I have always been fascinated by the concept of data driven business decision making. When I started my career, the word Analytics was still not yet coined but a lot of industries and government bodies were using statistics and other numeric faculties to derive insights and inferences from data. I was a student of Marketing and Mathematics and Statistics. So it was but natural that I used both of these faculties and hence I started my career as a Quantitative Researcher in a Marketing Research company where I used numbers to come up with marketing strategies, post which I worked at GE where I got introduced to large scale Analytics in the domain of cards, energy and banking. Since then I have seen the industry morph and expand into various other domains in the last fifteen years and today it is at a stage where it touches almost all aspects of decision making especially in the Big Data and Digital world.

Saumar: What kind of attitude is required for people to build a rewarding career in Data Analytics?

Eron: The first and the foremost requirement is that of an inquisitive mind, a curious mind. This along with good technical knowledge in the field of programming, machine learning, statistics and mathematics are the basic pre-requisites. However, the domain of analytics has now expanded and people with skills which are not related to Mathematics also have a career option, for example people who are good at visualizations, design thinking and analysis can make a career in Visual Analytics; again people who are good at Databases and programming, can make a career as a Bog Data developer or Architect; people who are good in business can be a functional consultant like an HR Consultant for HR Analytics. The sky is the limit and there are various opportunities to contribute and make a career in Analytics.

Saumar:  Is aptitude enough to start? Or should people have certain skillsets to be able to make the shift?

Eron: The simple answer is yes, aptitude is enough to start. Thinking out of the box, curiosity about data, design thinking, creative thinking, logical thinking and a penchant for learning are typical qualities required. And then of course based on one’s inclination one can learn certain skillsets, technologies, platforms. Fundamentals need to be strong as platforms will come and go but the fundamentals will remain the same.

Saumar: What kind of roles in Happiest Minds should one apply for, if they want to grow in the field of Data Analytics?

Eron: One can be a Big Data Architect, Data Visualization Expert, Big Data Developer, Data Engineer, Data Scientist with specialization in either Machine Learning or Deep Learning and one could also be a functional and domain consultant for Analytics.

Saumar: Any final comments for young people eager to make a mark for themselves?

Eron: As Gartner says, in Analytics we are living in a world of 50:50 which means that 50% of it is well defined and the rest 50% is constantly evolving. To match with this industry one has to be dynamic too and be prepared to learn new things at every stage of their career. In addition, it’s important that newcomers get a conducive atmosphere to their creativity which is the responsibility of the organization which is recruiting them to provide such an atmosphere.

Analytics is one area where one gets to be creative as well as mathematical which means to use both your left and right brain capabilities. Everybody is not up to it but if one has a passion for Analytics, that’s all pretty much what is required. The rest will follow through.

*End of interview! *

Hope you found the interview useful. If you wish to reach out to Eron or us with your queries, be free to write to us at [email protected]

Also, do not forget to stay tuned for the upcoming interesting series of career talks, where we are planning to cover some of the most happening avenues in Disruptive technologies including Cloud Computing, Mobility, IoT, Big Data and also in the space of Infrastructure and Cyber Security.

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