Cohort 10 Student Spotlight: Meet Chahak Sethi
A conversation where Chahak discusses her experience, inspiration and approach towards data science and experiences in the MSDS program at USF.
Chahak is a current student of Cohort 10 at the Master of Science in Data Science program at the University of San Francisco. She joined the program after working in the finance sector and completing her Masters in Economics from Delhi School of Economics in 2016.
Background
Ronica: Hey Chahak, How are you? Can you start by telling us a bit about your background before coming into the program?
Chahak: Hey, I am good. Sure, so I am from India. I completed my undergrad and masters, both in economics from, Delhi University. Post that, I worked in the financial sector for about 5 years, initially as a consultant, and then as a data science manager.
Ronica: Oh wow! You are already done with one post-graduation. That is so cool!
Why Data Science?
Ronica: That is great! So moving ahead, as you mentioned, you did both your undergrad and a masters in economics. I am curious about how you thought about shifting gears? Could you let us know what led you towards data science?
Chahak: Sure. My program introduced me to econometrics, one of the most important subjects in economics. That set a foundation for statistical modeling, linear regression and some time-series concepts.
While working, I got multiple opportunities to apply these concepts and understand the real-time applications of these models.
But the more time I spent in the industry, I realized there is a lot more scope in this area and not just restricted to the financial sector.
It’s just about the data. So the more and more I got into it, read about it and experienced it, I was convinced this is the thing I want to do.
But given that my skill sets were limited to doing just some basic statistical modeling, I was not too comfortable with a lot of data science stuff. Things like handling big data and deep learning were some aspects I felt the need to work on. Thus, I decided to upscale myself so that I’m able to get there and work as a data scientist in full capacity.
Ronica: It’s so amazing that how working with data inspires us to do so much more than we ever thought we would do. I am sure you’ll be a great ‘data scientist’.
Chahak: Haha, hoping for that!
Why the USF MSDS Program?
Ronica: So moving on, we know, that data science is a sought after major. A lot of other universities offer a data science program, what lead you to the MSDS program at USF?
Chahak: Definitely. It was very clear that I had to pursue data science at USF. You know, I had applied last year too, but because of covid, I re-applied and started this year! There are multiple reasons that I chose USF, one being its location, it’s in the heart of San Francisco. So, the proximity to all the companies, and the Bay Area, make it the most viable choice, I would say. And secondly, the practicum is was one of the deciding factors for me taking up this course because not many universities give the option of actually applying what you’re learning in the class.
Ronica: True, applying what we learn in class, to real-life projects and data is a great experience. Plus, you get like nine months of industry experience, even before you graduate.
Chahak: That’s true, and that is something super unique to this program!
Favourite Class and Project
Ronica: So, we’re talking about four months into the program could you tell me, what’s been your favourite class and projects?
Chahak: Yeah, so I think most of us would say data acquisition was their favourite class, and I agree. I enjoyed doing the data acquisition projects. I did not have a lot of computer science background, so data crawling, putting up my website was interesting, and new for me. It was a good learning experience. Then currently, as we are studying machine learning, I am enjoying that, as it gives me more perspective as to handle more data.
Ronica: That is so true! Whoever I have talked to, always said that the projects where they had to launch their server were the ones they enjoyed the most.
Chahak: I think it was new for a lot of people in fact that, you know, making something from scratch and then asking other people to test it out was quite interesting. I sent it out to my family members too to test it out!
Areas you are most interested in?
Ronica: So like you mentioned, you have about 5 years of financial experience, is that something that you want to continue once you graduate from the program or is there any other domain you are looking to apply your data science skills to?
Chahak: I’m specifically interested in the e-commerce and retail industry. In recent times, and especially with the lockdown, everything has moved online, so definitely there is a lot of scope and potential in this industry.
And then there are so many areas to work on, be it the recommendation systems, price optimization, cross-selling, and obviously, new things are coming up.
Ronica: Correct, real-time data is growing exponentially, so I feel the potential is endless. I think at this stage e-commerce, has to grow in the future with, you know, because everything has to be available to everybody.
Practicum
Ronica: As you mentioned, one of the major reasons you chose USF was the practicum, can you just tell me a little bit about where you’re working and what type of problem statement you will be working on?
Chahak: For Sure! I was fortunate enough to start my practicum with Target, I am glad I got an opportunity to work with an enterprise in the e-commerce/retail sector. So, I will be working on developing a recommendation system which will be recommending the ingredients based on the recipe chosen by the user, using Target’s database. We plan to incorporate users’ dietary needs and preferences like organic ingredients, non-GMO, vegan etc. while recommending the ingredients to help them shop quickly and effortlessly.
Ronica: That is so exciting! I am looking forward to hearing more about that.
Program Experience
Ronica: So how was your experience so far in the program, considering we started in the pandemic?
Chahak: As I mentioned, I had received my admit last year but I reapplied this year so that I could attend the program here in person.
I still had to do it online for the summer module but the professors made it very easy with lectures, recordings and managing the schedule based on our timezones. Now, I am here at the downtown campus, and I am excited to move forward in this course in person!
Personal Interests
Ronica: True! I’m so glad we could all meet and have this course in person. So what do you usually do on a day off to unwind?
Chahak: Whenever I get time, I usually hang out with friends and explore San Francisco. The other thing I love to do is paint, it is like meditation for me. I don’t get a lot of time with the program, but I try to spend some time on it every day.
Ronica: That is so true! I like to sketch too when I feel under pressure. It is truly like therapy, to be able to express your feelings on paper.
Talking about art and painting, do you remember the photo editing application ‘Prisma’, that used famous painting styles as filters on our pictures. It became all the rage back then. It is so interesting to see how AI is being used in such unconventional ways.
Chahak: That is true. I was reading about how major museums and collectors use fraud detection based on machine learning algorithms to identify if a painting or a sculpture, is real or fake.
Ronica: Well it’s interesting, being a data scientist, you always have an opportunity to be both technical and creative. This is one job you cannot get bored of.
