“I am a mum to two wonderful children and the last time I set foot in a university was 10 years ago. Before I started the MSc (and while completing it), I have been working in Government roles that have very little to do with Data Science.”
I chose to do an MSc in Data Science because I truly believe it is an emerging field that will become more important in the future. As technology becomes more sophisticated and data far more widely available, having the skills and knowledge to be able to produce something meaningful will become even more important.
I’ve really enjoyed learning about what felt like a hidden world. The topics have been interesting, and wide-ranging and the emphasis on the development of practical skills was good.
My dissertation will combine different publicly available datasets that help to identify the needs of disabled children and adults, aiming to show how services are meeting those needs.
With family and work, it has been a challenge to ensure I have enough time in the week to dedicate to studying, and it has been tough to attend lectures (they weren’t always at child-friendly times). Lectures being recorded really helped mitigate this and lecturers have been really responsive in other ways.
I’d like to see how I could apply what I’ve learned in this course to the world that I work in. I don’t think I’ll change career, but I would like to continue studying in this area.
Without the bursary, I simply wouldn’t have been able to afford to do a Masters. Even more helpfully, they’ve made sure that there is money to purchase equipment, a real bonus as it makes such a difference to be working with up-to-date equipment!
There aren’t that many generous grants going around like this one, so don’t miss out. If I can do it, I genuinely believe anyone can – children, work, life etc aren’t going to hold you back! Don’t let doubts and concerns be reasons why you don’t go for this opportunity.