Student of the Fortnight – Abhirupa Lodh

From Loving Numbers to Becoming Numero Uno 

With a dream of being counted among the top ten data scientists in the world, Abhirupa turned to her love for mathematics and algorithms to formulate her success mantra. Her methodical approach to gain knowledge topped with an exponential confidence made her one of the first students of Manipal ProLearn’s third batch of Post Graduate Diploma in Data Science to get placed with a top offer.  

There’s a lot to learn from Abhirupa and we are excited to feature her as our Student of the Fortnight. 

Gifted with an analytical mind, Abhirupa was born in Kolkata to Bengali parents and brought up all over India. Her love for travelling developed from an early age. She started her career as a software developer in Cognizant after completing her engineering in Computer Science from SRM University. Abhirupa mentioned that while studying for her bachelor’s degree she didn’t confine herself to the course material and focused equally on developing skills that were not covered in the syllabus. This quality of Abhirupa played a vital role in her success later on too.

A well-calculated move  

While working with Cognizant, Abhirupa started developing an interest in data science. Her knack for mathematics drew her towards data science and she genuinely felt interested in pursuing it further. Abhirupa recalled that her father suggested her to get a degree in data science and that’s when her career took a definite shape. Abhirupa soon quit her job and decided to join a data science course. 

Zeroing in on the best 

Abhirupa decided to pursue her passion with Manipal ProLearn. “Manipal has good brand value so I decided to give it a shot. And I’m not disappointed,” she said. 

Abhirupa being a consistent top performer in her batch credits ProLearn for providing a learned and experienced faculty for the course. She said that each day at ProLearn was a new experience.

She further added, “My day started with revising through the notes from the last class and skimming through the present day's plan.” At times she felt that some subjects required more time than given, so she would make it a point to study more about them by herself. She advised, “ProLearn’s role is to introduce the students to the field of data science, but to truly master it they must dig deeper and get in-depth knowledge.”

Make every effort count 

Abhirupa disclosed that her success strategy lied in helping others replicate her achievement. She disclosed her secrets and stated that the key elements to remember and practise are:

-Try to see the beauty of the field. If you don't like what you are doing, your work may start appearing mundane.

-Don't stick just to the academics. Constantly dig deeper into the concepts introduced in the class. There is so much to explore in this field since it is constantly evolving. 

-Always collaborate and work in teams. Data science is also about art and ideas. You get to know about the different ways of solving a problem.

-Always teach your fellow mates. Their doubts and question will help you keep your knowledge on check.

Cracking the code – The interview 

Abhirupa revealed that the interviewers always try to see how the candidate approaches a problem, how detailed the thought process is. So it’s important not to miss out on statistical details while answering questions. She mentioned, “If you have thorough knowledge about the subject and a good understanding of statistics and its application, it will help in taking you a long way.”

Summing it up in style 

Abhirupa proved to be the numero uno in every way. She not only bagged one of the highest offers in her batch, but was also the first one to get placed. Abhirupa shared her moment of victory with her father first as he was the one who encouraged her to take up a course in data science. She recalled, “I told my family that I was the first one to be placed. And my father could not hold back his tears.” 

Excited about her new career Abhirupa said, “I love my job. I get challenging tasks and have bagged myself a very important place in the organization. I am constantly learning and most importantly, I enjoy what I do.”

Abhirupa’s success story gives an insight into passionately following your dreams and also offers tried and tested ways to win. We congratulate Abhirupa on her amazing feat and wish her all the best for her future.