BS (Data Science and Applications)
For someone whose life revolved around balance sheets, audits, and banking systems, few could have predicted that Shaival Gorgi’s next leap would involve Python scripts, ML models, and AI workflows. But life, as it often does, had other plans.
Born in Mumbai and based in Dubai for over two decades now, Shaival carved out a fulfilling career in finance – from working as a research analyst at an equity firm to holding positions at KPMG, EY, and eventually becoming a product manager at Emirates NBD, one of the UAE’s leading banks.
She had earned a master’s degree in commerce, picked up a professional certification in internal audit, and, not to forget, raised two wonderful teenagers. Yet, beneath all the commerce and corporate polish, technology had always intrigued her. It wasn’t something she studied, but it always called to her.
When she stepped away from her high-paced banking job to focus on family, she assumed she would return to her career after a short pause. By the time she was ready to return, the landscape had evolved – and rapidly so. Staying relevant needed upskilling.
But how does one enter tech after many years in finance? Based on her education in India, making such a switch across domains can be daunting – especially when your academic history doesn’t tick the “Science and/or Technology” checkbox. That’s when she stumbled upon something unexpected – an online degree in Data Science and Applications, being offered by none other than IIT Madras. It was flexible, rigorous, and welcoming to even learners who didn’t come from science or tech backgrounds.
“The beginning was exciting,” she admits. “But it demanded sincerity. It was hard, but justifiably so.” She wasn’t here for the tag. She was here to learn. With a house to run, teenagers to support, and social obligations that couldn’t be skipped, Shaival found herself building a new muscle – discipline. “Sometimes, I pull all-nighters. Sometimes I had to sacrifice plans. But every bit of it was worth it.”
At the same time, she is the first to share the credit. “This isn’t a solo story,” she says, “My parents, my husband, and my kids – they have all held the ship steady. And of course, the professors and the course team – they have been phenomenal.”
She looks back fondly on her experiences with courses like MLT and MLP, where the former was intellectually demanding while the latter brought those concepts to life through projects that mimicked real-world problems. The structure of the degree gave her space to grow into the world of data, slowly but steadily.
And then there’s paradox; something that has become her yearly highlight. “It’s more than a college fest, it’s the heart of this virtual campus. Meeting peers from different levels and backgrounds, interacting with professors – all of it brings out our community together in the most beautiful way.”
What makes this degree different, she believes, is its content, its people, and its reach.
“The structure of this program is unlike anything I have come across. The professors, they don’t just teach – they build your foundation, brick by brick,” she says, “Whether it’s programming, or mathematics, or machine learning, the courses are built with the future in mind.”
And for someone with a non-technical background, this program’s practical alignment is game changing.
“This degree gives you the tools to go anywhere – become a data scientist, an AI engineer, or even a developer if that’s what excites you. The options are wide and open.”
Currently in her BSc level, Shaival is looking forward to stepping back into the industry – this time, in tech. If the right opportunity knocks, she will be all in. And if not? In that case she would like to start something of her own – a spark of entrepreneurship perhaps? “As a child, my mother once told me ‘Attitude is something that decides what altitude you climb’. I have carried that with me through every phase of my life.”
AI isn’t the end; it’s the beginning of a new era. She reminds us that just as computers once created jobs no one could have imagined, AI will also open the door to a vast and promising future. “We are all here to learn. Keep learning.”
