After a six-year career gap as a stay-at-home parent, Nithya Bhaskaran was looking to return to work. She had over eight years of experience in production support for retail companies and some data experience using excel and SQL. But she saw Tableau listed in job descriptions during her research and realized she needed to refresh her data skills.
“Tableau was the new tool on the market. I wanted to know how to use it and update my skill set. It’s essential to keep your skills current to remain relevant in the job search. I began to research data analytics certificate programs in partnership with top universities. I happened to come across the NYU Tableau Data Analytics Certificate powered by Pathstream. I reviewed the curriculum and decided it was the right fit for my goals.”
Nithya immediately noticed how the program incorporated a mix of theory and new skills through hands-on projects.
“The program was well planned. I learned the basics, built up my knowledge, and got to apply the skills I learned to projects. Our projects were real-world scenarios that you would encounter on the job. You would take large data sets, analyze them, identify actionable insights, and present your findings. I gained a lot from each course and was extremely satisfied.”
The NYU Tableau Data Analytics Certificate is an online program flexibly paced to work with your schedule. While she spent years in a traditional classroom setting, this was Nithya’s first online program.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I was familiar with the virtual environment my children learned in during the pandemic. It required a lot of handholding. Pathstream was different because the lesson plans were structured to make learning easier. Everything is accessible whenever you need it. I liked that I could do this at my own pace or reread a chapter until I understood the material.”
A Pathstream career coach reached out to Nithya as she began her final course. One of Nithya’s main concerns was how to present the career gap in her resume.
“Career Services got in touch with me, and we discussed my previous career, what career goals I had, and began to map out how I would achieve them. They helped me rebuild my resume to emphasize my data analysis experience and showed me how to reframe my career gap. With their advice, I included the volunteer work I did at my children’s schools on my resume because it was a relevant work experience.”
Nithya was also concerned about interviews and not knowing what salary to aim for since she had never worked in the U.S.
“I was on an applying spree, and I got invited to multiple interviews. The mock interviews I took advantage of through Career Services gave me the confidence to excel. One week later, I was offered the opportunity to join Management Science Associates, Inc. as a production support lead. At first, I couldn’t believe it, but I was prepared. I worked in India previously, so I was new to the U.S. job market. My career coach discussed my salary expectations, and I took their advice. I negotiated my salary and got a higher rate than I initially expected.”
Her final note regarding the extensive support Pathstream integrated into its programs:
“I never expected this level of support when I signed up for the program. When people ask me to recommend a certificate program, I recommend the NYU data analytics program because of Pathstream’s Career Services. The program equips you with the right skills, but the career coaches help you obtain the career you aspire to have.”
Her advice to prospective and current students:
“Never regret enrolling in this program. You will gain a lot of experience from it and apply data skills in your real job. These skills are relevant wherever you’re working, and this industry is booming.”
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