Sanzhar Baiseitov G'22

"Before the pandemic, I was an oil and gas engineer who often traveled to work on offshore installations. Unfortunately, with the travel restrictions, I couldn't perform my job. I wanted to find a different profession that would not require that much travel and would allow me to develop professionally while applying my prior work experience.

"I was interested in data science because it is a math-intensive profession that shares commonalities with engineering. I wanted to get an online degree, but Canadian universities do not offer online data science programs. So, I turned my eyes south of the border towards the US. 

"Bay Path's Applied Data Science Master's Program caught my attention because it was already an established online program, even before the pandemic. The curriculum was well-founded and covered all areas, from basics to advanced. And the program didn't require a degree in computer science; they accepted people with engineering and economics degrees.

"The admissions process was relatively easy. They recognized my foreign diplomas. I wrote a letter of intent, and I was accepted. I applied to three universities, and Bay Path responded the fastest.

"They were the only university that had a Zoom call with me. It was a more personalized process, and that was a determining factor. Thankfully, this personal touch continued throughout the whole program. The classes were small, about five to six people, so it was like one-on-one teaching. The professors were very responsive, helpful, and prompt.

"The heart of this program are classes called Data Mining 1 and Data Mining 2 taught by Professor Rachel Blair. Professor Blair is doing a fantastic job organizing those classes, developing the syllabus, and teaching with passion. I'm also grateful to the program director, Ms. Xiaoxia Liu, for creating a great program and keeping it up to date.

"I was living and breathing data science for two years because I wanted to change my career and life completely. I gave my all to this program, and I received a lot. It was a great feeling to achieve something I didn't think I would be able to do in my thirties. I came out a more confident person.

"I wasn't working when I started school, but I got a job in my new field even before I graduated. The job that I have now is called business intelligence analyst or BI analyst. I plan to develop further as a data scientist in the areas of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

"I would say to anyone thinking of changing careers and getting a new degree – not to be afraid. Age is just a number, and you should follow your dream and become who you want to be." - Sanzhar Baiseitov G'22 #MyPath