BS (Data Science)
The race of entrance examinations hypnotizes all into a rush of academic mania, however, Sayan Ghosh asked the question many omit. Why is it necessary for someone to hone their problem solving skills through Physics and Chemistry while pursuing Computer Science? With the allure of computer games and his fascination for the grandeur and social sphere of IITs fueling his drive, the critical misalignment made him cut his chances and look elsewhere.
The bridge from misalignment to possibility came in the form of the IIT Madras BS Degree in Data Science and Applications. While pursuing Bachelors in Computer Applications from Kristhu Jayanthi, Bangalore, his drive and goals remained set on the IIT educational experience.
From subjects familiar to those unfamiliar, such as Business Analytics(BA), the courses did not fail to imbue him with new interests, all eased by the quality in pedagogy. It was these branching interests that led him to dabble into mentorships, starting with those who could not complete the Introduction to Python Course and continuing on to mentor System Commands and then, an online mentor for the Application Development projects. For a degree that reimburses what is put in, these contributions made him a better speaker and a teacher. In pursuit of the campus experience, he opted for on-campus courses such as Algorithmic Thinking and Reinforcement Learning, which only honed the fire of curiosity in these subjects.
As someone who found meaning in genuinely helping others in what Sayan quoted ,“The best way to learn is through teaching”- Richard Feynman, he continued to surprise himself in how far he could go.
The seeds of that adoration were sown without any reason nor command; he made an eight-hour video on how to finish the Application Development Project in one go. This helped not just his immediate mentees, but every batch after. When he saw how it helped them, he knew he could do more, leading to offline bootcamps which only reinforced his self-belief.
With soaring credibility and bolstered confidence, he was asked to help the System Commands (SC) team come up with a book. What started off as an activity book, soon became the prescribed text for the degree itself. The confidence boost from institutional trust made him dream bigger and with that, came his apprenticeship under the Seekh team, for whom he now works as a full-time Webstack Developer, while being the part-time instructor for SC.
From contributions to fellow juniors, to the instructing team and circling back to how it all changed his life, the degree gave Sayan deep insight and knowledge. To him, this degree is a treasure trove of knowledge and information, a second chance for those who could not break past entrances. However, as shown through his story and his beliefs, it will not hand you everything. Comparing with an inverted funnel, where the entrance is easy and the exit, exponentially more difficult, this is a degree where the amount you give is exactly what will be given back as reward.
If one puts in honest effort and works hard, it is on par with offline IITM, despite the difference in modus operandi.“No one will nudge you; you will have to keep yourself motivated”.
Sayan is a person who questioned the system and chose his own path, leading him to aid and support this system that helps others have another go at education of the highest kind.
– written by Krishneal Dutta
