In this blog, MSc Business Analytics alumnus Ruoyu Li recounts his journey to a thriving career in data analytics. He highlights the crucial programming and coding skills he gained throughout the programme, and discusses the ways in which he applied this knowledge to tackle real company challenges through his dissertation project.
Ruoyu also shares valuable advice for future and current postgraduate students at the UCL School of Management on taking advantage of the School’s network and resources in order to advance their careers both in data and analytics and beyond.
Interested in developing your business analytics skills? Chat with a current MSc student at the UCL School of Management to learn more about their unique experiences and journey with us.
FROM MARKET RESEARCH TO ANALYTICS: WHY THE BUSINESS ANALYTICS MSC STOOD OUT
The UCL Business Analytics MSc programme offers the best combination of academic research and industry practices. This was incredibly important to me when choosing a Master’s programme. As I already had five years of work experience in market research before joining the School, I wanted to shift my career towards a more technical role, focusing more on the analytics side of business.
Building resilience and adaptability
The Business Analytics MSc programme at the UCL School of Management stood out to me with its focus on applying complex theories in real-world scenarios. The programme doesn’t focus its teaching on memorising theory, instead, you are constantly developing your practical skills to solve real-world problems, regardless of the scenario you find yourself in, building the vital resilience and adaptability qualities a business analyst needs.
THE DISSERTATION PROJECT OFFERS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
I especially enjoyed the dissertation period, where we were matched with companies that we were interested in and worked on one of their current issues. It was a great opportunity to incorporate some of the skills and knowledge I'd gained on the programme to a practical business challenge. This is a unique opportunity provided by the UCL School of Management, and I found the whole process incredibly fulfilling.
I gathered information, conducted my analysis, and pushed a solution toward commercialisation which could be applied to a real-life business - this was exactly what I was looking for from a Master’s programme.
Learn more about the three types of dissertation projects you can undertake in the MSc Business Analytics programme.
Coding as a tool for problem-solving
Coding is also a key skill I picked up throughout the programme. However, I greatly enjoyed that, as the programme went on, the coding served primarily as a tool for problem-solving rather than as a subject to be examined in a test. Because of the open-source nature of Python and R, I was able to accomplish many complex tasks using the coding languages that I learned on campus, from data gathering to the visualisation of my results, which would otherwise only be possible in a corporate setting with licensed tools.
These skills will aid me in developing my own data analytics pipelines - not just in my future career, but for building my own public portfolio.
Impact on my career and future aspirations: summarising my time at the UCL School of Management.
My main advice to current students would be to utilise the strong alumni and industry connections at the UCL School of Management to support with job searching. I'd also recommend connecting with students from other programmes to build your network - you never know what a simple conversation can lead to!
Overall, the MSc Business Analytics programme has been instrumental in advancing my career and equipping me with the skills to thrive in data and business analytics - I really believe it can support me in any industry that my career may take me to!
Interested in exploring other pieces from Ruoyu? Check out his profile on the UCL School of Management website. Alternatively, read more student and alumni blogs or check out our alumni activities.
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The UCL School of Management Industry Advantage
Taking advantage of our global network and strategic campus location in London's financial and business district, the UCL School of Management recently launched three new speaker series.
Our speakers come from a range of industries and backgrounds to showcase their experiences and skills. Explore what you can gain from our Speaker Series below:
Business Leaders Speaker Series
