Nov 30
Student of the Fortnight - Tanuj Maithani
By Saheli Roy Chowdhuri
Be it running a marathon to winning a datathon, Tanuj Maithani’s enthusiastic spirit has been a driving force behind his every achievement. Always intrigued by how one can get so many insights from a chunk of data, he has applied analytical reasoning to draw many conclusions with accuracy –including his own career path. Tanuj carefully crafted his career strategy and successfully shaped his future by bagging a job offer from Nielsen, a global leader in market research.
Tanuj’s story is no less than a guide to better career planning and for his outstanding achievement, we crown him as Manipal ProLearn’s Student of the Fortnight.
Preparing the foundations
Tanuj’s analytical mindset drew him to streams like AI and data security from the beginning. He says, “I really wanted to learn about data security, risks associated with data leaks and how data is handled and manipulated.” He decided to top his engineering degree with a course in either data science or cyber security.
As many institutes were providing a classroom course in data science or big data analytics compared to cyber security, Tanuj took the decision to pursue data science program from an institute with full time classroom course, industry interactions and exposure. He said his search ended with Manipal ProLearn’s Post Graduate Diploma in Data Science program.
Executing the career master plan
Manipal ProLearn’s curriculum for the data science program suitably matched with Tanuj’s expectations. With subjects such as, big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence, the curriculum prepared him for the in-demand opportunities offered by the industry. He excelled through the program and was part of the team that was a semi-finalist in the “Global Academia Datathon” conducted by Data Science Society.
On a lighter note, Tanuj revealed that even before entering the class, he had correctly deduced what the batch would be like. He claims it was his first step towards data analysis. He rightly guessed the batch’s age range and their diverse background. Having studied with a diverse batch that included ex-army official to professionals with 9 years of work experience was a distinct experience for him.
Successfully establishing a career foundation
Tanuj has bagged a job offer from the global research giant Nielsen. He recollects the nervous moments when the HR from Nielsen announced the names of the selected candidates. “My name was second on the list and when I heard it, it took me five minutes to actually believe that I was officially placed,” said an ecstatic Tanuj.
Tanuj proudly states that Nielsen is a hub of data and all other firms need data from Nielsen, be it for their market research or sales. He believes it’s a great opportunity for him.
Flashbacks of a beautiful time
Away from the comforts of his home, Tanuj found a life he had never experienced before as it was the first time that he had left home. He specially mentioned his hostel life as it taught him many things like doing his own laundry, adjusting to new food and more importantly managing his time.
During his stay at the hostel, Tanuj also found a gem of a roommate who he felt was like an elder brother. Tanuj also gained industry experience from his roommate as the latter had 4 years of work experience before joining ProLearn. After college, everyone walks a different path, but Tanuj and his roommate kept the bond intact by keeping a track on who has more Marvel character’s T-shirts.
A proud moment for the family
Tanuj’s family members were also happy to know about his achievement as it was his first job and that too in a reputed data analytics company like Nielsen. His friends didn’t miss the opportunity to give him some bumps as a celebration custom they follow, he joked.
We congratulate Tanuj for his amazing feat and wish him luck for his every future endeavour.
