Interns. Some companies view them as nothing more than coffee fetchers, but Schneider blew away my expectations of a summer internship. I’m a Master’s student at Northwestern with research experience at IBM, and this summer I gained some incredible real-world analytics experience. Hopefully my story can inspire you to consider pursuing an internship with Schneider.
How ‘Big Data’ brought me from Pakistan to the United States
During my time as a student at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan, I developed a deep appreciation of the importance of data in guiding decisions. I recognized the value of using science not only to analyze and explain observations from the past, but also to make better decisions in the future.
It boils down to this: Without data, you are just another person with an opinion.
My curiosity about the many domains of real-world data analysis led me to pursue a research opportunity at IBM’s Linux Competency Center in business intelligence and advanced analytics. Later, when it came to applying my interests professionally, I secured a full-time offer from IBM’s Advanced Analytics and Big Data group to perform churn prediction and behavioral segmentation for a well-known telecommunications company.
During my tenure at IBM, I worked on some other key assignments involving extensive unstructured data for operational analytics. My core focus throughout these projects remained in-depth data analysis for better pre-processing and using optimized predictive modeling and text-analytics techniques to improve overall model accuracy.
Data needs a context
All this research and work experience nurtured my passion for data science, leading me to enroll in Northwestern University’s Master of Science in Analytics program and move to the United States. This professional degree program has allowed me to acquire the necessary skills to identify and assess opportunities, needs and constraints of data usage within an organizational context.
Furthermore, I learned how to integrate information technology and data science in order to maximize the value of data while also designing innovative and creative data analytics solutions. I have also been able to polish my skills in communicating clearly and persuasively to a variety of audiences while leading analytics teams and projects.
Real impact as a Schneider intern
For the summer quarter of my graduate studies, I am working as an intern with the Engineering team at Schneider, where I design machine learning and analytics solutions to solve business problems. I am currently working with Schneider Transportation Management (STM) to build a cost prediction model that will be used to help explain different cost factors and ultimately influence pricing for the entirety of STM’s network. This model will be integral to driving margin and net revenue for the enterprise.
Overall, I believe Schneider is on the right track to determine the best ways for using analytical data techniques to improve current operations, increase efficiencies and identify new opportunities for the business. The Engineering team at Schneider builds solutions that significantly impact not only profitability but also people’s lives, and I am excited to contribute to this mission. In addition, the culture at Schneider promotes innovation, and with the era of Big Data, people here are finding ways to analyze and optimize data to continue to keep ahead of the competition.
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