After graduating from PES University in 2017 with a degree in electronics engineering, Prathik Reddy ’21 M.S. entered the workforce. He stayed in Bangalore, India, which is where he grew up and went to college. After two years of working as a research and data analyst he decided to make a change and go back to school.
“The skills and the understanding I acquired by working at a corporate office, of how businesses collect, process and manage data to facilitate decision-making made me realize that there is a bigger analytics world waiting for me,” he explains.
This new plan brought him 8,000 miles away from home to the Whitman School of Management in Syracuse, N.Y. Reddy was drawn to the Whitman School for a variety of reasons. An important one, he says, was the curriculum. “The program offered courses that would help me develop an exhaustive understanding of the applications of analytics in various fields such as finance, marketing and supply chain management.”
Reddy also spoke with Whitman professors before enrolling, and recalls their admirable knowledge base and willingness to help. “I received a comprehensive and appealing response, which showed how dedicated and passionate they are towards their students,” he says. “This gave me the confidence that I could build close relations with the professors and gain the required skills by working with them.”
While relocating halfway around the world may not appeal to everyone, Reddy was up for the challenge, and looked forward to changing his perspective. “I wanted to meet a diverse population of students and learn more about different perspectives and cultures and become a more well-rounded person, while also noting that the extensive alumni network was appealing to him as well,” he says.
Reddy’s hope of diversifying his perspective has also come to fruition throughout his time studying business analytics. “I have truly gained an international university experience by working alongside students from around the world,” he says.
During his time at Whitman, Reddy says that he has enjoyed the varied, practical coursework within his program. “My studies have helped me dive deeper into the analytics domain and has taught me to see business issues through a data-driven lens,” he explains. “I have gained hands-on practice using the most up-to-date analytical tools and have completed various data-driven technical projects that are relevant to real-word business problems.” However, Reddy was not only a student over the past two years, but a teacher as well. He spent time as a graduate teaching assistant, and mentored his peers in understanding concepts related to business analytics as it affects management decisions.
Reddy plans on re-entering the workforce after graduation, hopefully as a data and/or business analyst. “I envision myself helping an organization gather and evaluate data to provide clear insights as to how the organization can improve its business strategy and make better decisions across various areas,” he explains.
He also hopes that his time experiencing new places is not over. Reddy loves to travel, and has already checked 10 countries off his bucket list, and nine states in the U.S. And he’s not slowing down any time soon. “Many more to go and much more experience to gain,” he remarks.
Learn more about the M.S. in business analytics program.
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