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Job title: Supply Chain Analyst
Company Name: Amazon
Job Description: Reconciliation of Operations and ERP Data Management systems. Dashboard design and creation for operations and e-commerce.
Proudest Accomplishment: Getting a job at Amazon.
How did your experience in DSA help you find your first job?: My work with SQL and Dashboards such as Tableau helped a lot. All the courses also helped train and reshape the way I thought about and used data.
How did the DSA program contribute to your success: The entire journey made me into who I am today.
What was your favorite part of program?: I enjoyed dashboards and creating visualizations the most. Geospatial programming was probably one of my favorite parts of the program. Using machine learning and pairing that with geospatial visualizations during my professional lab and internship was a highlight for me. I also appreciated all the professors I had during the program, they were amazing.
What did you enjoy most about Buffalo?: Making new friends who will be apart of my life forever.
If you had to do it again what would you do differently knowing what you know now?: I would like to have had more experience with SQL and creating Tableau Server Dashboards with live custom SQL queries.
What advice do you have for current students?: Be passionate about everything you do and you’ll eventually find your favorite one.
Job title: Strategic Data Analytics Analyst
Company Name: M&T Bank
Job Description: For the most part, I'm involved in standard reporting and analytics. I use Microsoft SSMS to query various tables for exploration, and then ultimately build reports and visualizations in Excel and Tableau. A significant portion of this involves submitting monthly reports as well as presenting found data and analysis to higher-ups.
Career Summary: It will be very brief in the sense that I was offered my job a few months after graduation and that's what I've been doing since. I was unfortunate enough to be leaving grad school during the height of the pandemic, so there was a stretch of time where I was simply job hunting.
Proudest Accomplishment: Nothing compares to when I accepted the offer at M&T. It was a company that I had been interested in for a while in a vertical that really interested me (finance).
How did your experience in DSA help you find your first job?: I took a course in my final semester with Matt Nagowski and Eric Hanson (I don't remember the exact name, but it was something involving forecasting and analysis using SAS). After graduation, I kept in contact with Matt and he had a direct hand in getting me multiple interviews at M&T. I owe everything to the skills I learned in the program and the individuals I met along the way.
How did the DSA program contribute to your success: There are a few areas. For skills, I grew in my technical aptitude in the programs and languages I use today at my job. When working at my internship, I further grew my network and resume to help me land a job. As for networking, I quite literally wouldn't have the job I do today without it.
What was your favorite part of program?: The courses were great and the material was extremely interesting, but I would say the people were my favorite part. I still stay in contact with some of my classmates and professors (and hope to continue to).
What did you enjoy most about Buffalo?: This question is a little lost on me because I'm a lifelong Western New Yorker. There are so many things I love about my home, with the food and "Rust Belt" culture near the top of the list.
If you had to do it again what would you do differently knowing what you know now?: I would have taken more opportunities for learning SQL. I chose electives that seemed to align with my passions. While I don't regret that decision, I do wish I had a stronger skillset in SQL before starting my position. It's probably 80% of what I do daily.
What advice do you have for current students?: Take more technical courses. Molding your analytical thought process will be a work in progress until you retire. I had a few interviews where I was required to whiteboard code on the fly while people watched. Get strong technically. Also, I would make sure you become friendly with the professors. You never know who could directly impact your life (through an emotional bond or direct employment).
Job title: Data Analyst
Company Name: CCNY Inc
Job Description: At the current moment, I handle everything involving our data warehouse, developing access databases for external clients, managing various dashboards, designing custom SQL queries, developing and designing dashboards, developing data management scripts and automation, and managing multiple junior analysts.
Career Summary: Right out the gate I joined CCNY as an analyst and have been with them ever since! Here I was able to learn various new skills such as R development and PowerBI.
Proudest Accomplishment: My proudest accomplishment has been the work I am doing with my organization as a whole. Being able to gain the opportunity to work with these awesome folks gives me a sense of pride.
How did your experience in DSA help you find your first job?: It directly helped me land my job through the power of networking. The program introduced me to Kim Herrington who invited me to the famous Buffalo BI Workgroup. Here I was able to meet some of the folks over at CCNY and was able to interview with them, allowing me to land a job with them directly. But, networking was only one of the puzzle pieces that assisted me in landing my first job. The emphasis on data analytics's social and ethical sides resonated with my employer and gave me the extra edge when landing my job.
How did the DSA program contribute to your success: Yes, it directly opened my doors to the Buffalo market with its emphasis on local-based data analytics
What was your favorite part of program?: My favourite part of the graduate programs was the versatility of the courses. The whole program was designed for those who have a daily life outside of school, allowing them to fit in this opportunity to their busy schedule easily.
What did you enjoy most about Buffalo?: Buffalo to me felt very foreign. I was honestly reluctant to explore and discover buffalo during my time at the graduate program. This all changed once I spent time learning about Buffalo through my work in the classroom. The data made me curious about various locations and sights such as parks and restaurants. My favourite place to go was the coffee shops on elmwood. They provided me with a relaxed atmosphere.
If you had to do it again what would you do differently knowing what you know now?: I would have waited a year or so before going into the program. Don't get me wrong tho I am astronomically glad I did this program but being the first cohort meant that there were still some things that were in development. I am a tiny bit jealous of the type of courses available to the students now.
What advice do you have for current students?: Use the available industry connections affiliated with the program. They are there for your benefit and will gladly give a helping hand to those who seek out their guidance.
I am Mohammad Haque, I am a Canadian and have specific knowledge on how to extract the most from this degree from a Canadian perspective. This includes Visas, travel, and housing. If you are a Canadian and are looking into doing this program don't hesitate to reach out with your questions!
Job title: Software Engineer
Company Name: Modo Labs
Job Description: I develop and maintain web applications written with a Ruby on Rails.
Career Summary: I graduated from the PACM program in 2011. Shortly after graduating I got a job working for Academic Software Plus as a Junior Software Engineer. Academic Software Plus was bought out Liaison International where I continued to work for the next 7 years. At Liaison I was promoted through their entire engineering career ladder; from Junior Engineer, to Software Engineer, to Senior Engineer, to Principal Engineer, and finally Software Architect.
In 2020 I decided to leave my job with Liaison get the DSA Certificate. After graduating the DSA program I was hired at Modo Labs where I currently write software using the Ruby on Rails framework.
Proudest Accomplishment: Being promoted to a Software Architect.
How did your experience in DSA help you find your first job?: Fellow students at Buffalo State help me land my first job as a Software Engineer.
How did the DSA program contribute to your success: The graduate program looks great on my resume, and it also helped me meet other professionals in the Buffalo area.
What was your favorite part of program?: Hanging out with fellow students off of campus.
What did you enjoy most about Buffalo?: Going to a bar on Sunday morning to watch the Buffalo Bills play with all the local Buffalonians.
What advice do you have for current students?: Don't just go through the classes, spend time with your fellow students off of campus.
