A career change by developing in-depth expertise in data science and become a cloud data scientist.

Hello, I would be applied to Columbia for the MS in data science. Could you please help me look for grammatical errors and provide me with suggestions for this Statement of Purpose? Thank you.

MS IN DATA SCIENCE - sop

I am pursuing to make a career change by developing in-depth expertise in data science and become a cloud data scientist. This aspiration can strength in my serving as a system engineer at XXXXXX. At that time, I have spent a lot of efforts in tasks including ensuring the normal operation of production machines and Linux system operation and SAP system installation, configuration and maintenance. Once in a system migration, I was first exposed to a cloud system, Google Cloud Platform. Since then I shaped an understanding of several cloud companies and realized that cloud will become our future main topic. Further, after years and years data accumulate on cloud, which cloud computing and data science turn into the critical component because numbers need to organize, analyze and contextualize to value the power from data. Therefore, through MSc in Data Science at Columbia University, I hope to build myself a knowledge system from the content like Statistical Inference & Modeling (STAT GR5703) and NLP: Computational Models of Social Meaning (COMS E6998) and burnish my professional skills from in-depth studying Python, Java and more, thereby successfully achieving career goals.

I believe my rich working experience may speak for itself for my continuation to postgraduate studies. Right after graduation in 2014, I took my first job in XXX, the world's largest provider of enterprise management and collaborative business solutions. I cherished this opportunity and managed to overcome the obstacles of specialty mismatch through constant self-learning. Then I worked as a support engineer for three years in XXX OOOO team, during which I focused on providing problem solutions and identifying potential risk to the customer system, handled complex cross-components integration test support and development as well as collaborated with testers and developers to quickly narrow down issues. I was also involved in Java development, testing and resolution and cultivated my development capacity. Thus, I believe myself a good communicator and developer as well as a quick thinker can identify problems, have high enthusiasm and intense passion for finding out solutions, dealing with complex tasks attentively and working independently. Besides, I deem it essential to analyze direction after finding the problem, and then put forward answers and explain and solve issues to customers, which is also the ability honed in my working years.

Through all these experiences, I find my passion and potential in the field of data science, and yet there are still many aspects for me to learn. If the indicators out of order or some data exception can observe through analyzing some specific data before the occurrence of problems, then we can achieve a higher guarantee for the operation of the production machines. Issues are generally piled up by many errors, so I hope to penetrate the accumulative data to find underlying or existing risk factors in the system, and thereby promoting product advancement and company operation, etc. Additionally, I am confident in my capacity in data analysis. For instance, through simply writing SQL, I can grasp which contents were viewed the most and which owns the highest user engagement, then push it directly to new users or target different users for improvement. The purpose of data analysis is to make the progress of products. While in an era of big data, more complex methods are required to realize it.

I wish to apply for MSc in Data Science at Columbia University because your program satisfies my wish for the full development of my research interests. I am deeply attracted by the top-notch Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering, which will significantly broaden my academic horizon. Besides, the program's specialized curriculum which includes computer science, statistics, and introductory courses suits me well. Equally important is that I can enjoy an inexhaustible variety of library resource. My past education and working experience have entirely convinced me that the US is the ideal country that offers the advanced education and training I need and studying in New York is convenient for me to seek internship and jobs in this field.

Additionally, the program's excellent reputation in the data industry will benefit me tremendously when I seek employment upon graduation. After completion of this degree, I will attempt to become a data scientist and keep myself abreast of the modern industrial development in my future career. Such career aspiration needs the help of Columbia, and thereby, I sincerely hope to be granted with the chance to seek more significant progress and make a positive contribution to Columbia and the global society.

Hi, Tantanisme
"I hope to build myself ... (COMS E6998)" I don't think list the course and even the course number is a good idea. Instead, focus on explaining how your career ambition and their curriculum fits.

In the third paragraph, you gave examples of what analyses you could do using SQL. But I did not see the special contribution or skills provided by you. Maybe you could work more on that part to stress you from all the analyses itself.

Thanks,

Qin

Wang, since you are going to be applying as a student interested in changing your career path, you need to show a clear progression in your statement of purpose that will indicate a direct relationship between your previous experience and Data Science. What is your purpose aside from a change in careers? What purpose did you gain from all the experience you were exposed to? What was the catalyst in your previous career, the one strongest reason you have, to believe that now is the time for you to change career paths?

There is no need to enumerate the course curriculum in this essay. That is, unless it somehow relates to classes you took as an undergraduate which can prove that you have the necessary foundation to easily learn and succeed as a student once you take these courses that you mentioned. It would help if you could indicate some academic achievements during your undergraduate years and professional awards or recognition at your current company that somehow relate to the development of your interest in Data Science. At the moment, your essay is extremely wordy, but the descriptions and information you are sharing does not help you to stand out as a candidate. Rethink your presentation. It does not have to be very long and informative. You need to have a medium length essay that contains impressive information. At the moment, your essay doesn't provide that.

@Holt Thank you for your time and advice. I read lots of time at your advice and it makes me feel refresh. I will rethink and work out a new one.

Thanks again.