A Data Science Internship Experience with Uber

Discover firsthand insights from a recent graduate of UMBC's Data Science Program as he shares his enriching summer internship experience at Uber. In this episode of Mic'd Up, Sebastian Carmona Angel dives into his journey from a petroleum engineer to a thriving data science student. His projects at Uber's experimentation team shed light on the importance of AB testing in product development.

UMBC's Data Science Program equips professionals like Sebastian with the practical skills and real-world projects needed to excel in this dynamic field. With a diverse and inclusive community, UMBC provides a supportive environment for learning and networking. Take advantage of this episode for valuable advice on making the most of your time in the program and achieving your career goals. Join us for an engaging discussion that showcases how UMBC's Data Science Program can empower professionals to thrive in the world of data science.

Learn more here: https://datascience.umbc.edu

Transcript

Dennise Cardona  0:00  
Welcome to this episode of UMBC's Mic'd Up podcast. My name is Dennise Cardona from the Office of Professional Programs at UMBC. Today we are talking with a current student in our data science master's program, Sebastian Carmona Angel, about his experience with the program and his internship over this past summer with Uber. I hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks so much for being with us on the UMBC Mic'd Up podcast, Sebastian. It's wonderful to have you here.

Sebastian Carmona Angel  0:30  
Thank you very much for having me. It's actually awesome.

Dennise Cardona  0:35  
So I understand that you are a current student graduate student in the data science graduate program here at UMBC. And that you had a really great experience with your internship this summer working with Uber. And so I'd love to learn more all about that and your experience with UMBC. But before we get started, I'd love to learn a little bit more about you and your background before joining the data science master's program here at UMBC. What has your career looked like so far?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  1:09  
Sure. Awesome. I'm from Colombia. I graduated, I have a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering. I worked as a petroleum engineer for a year until COVID happened. Then I started studying a little bit of a about data science. I did a lot of courses, a lot of things about data, Python, all sorts of data until I started to work as a data scientist. So I worked as a data scientist for two years until I decided to pursue my master's here at UMBC.

Dennise Cardona  1:46  
Awesome. All right, so it's interesting for those listening in before we started recording, Sebastian had asked me how long do you think this podcast will last? How long are we going to chat for and I said, 20 minutes or so. And now that you just told me that you are from Colombia, it might be a little longer. So I'm going to Colombia next week. I am leaving for a month, and I was there four years ago before COVID hit for about two months. My husband is from Colombia. And I'm so excited. What part of Colombia are you from?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  2:18  
I'm from a small town called Armenia. 

Dennise Cardona  2:21  
Oh, my God. He is too!

Sebastian Carmona Angel  2:23  
Oh really?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  2:25  
That's awesome.

Dennise Cardona  2:27  
That is where we are going. The coffee capital in Quindio and yes, his mom lives there. His brother lives there. And then we also stay in Barcelona. It's a small town about 40 minutes from Armenia. Yeah. So we'll switch between the two places, localities, that is such a small world. 

Sebastian Carmona Angel  2:45  
Yes, it is. It is it is a small world but it's great. It is great that you have seen it. Not too many people that I know that have went to Colombia, have gone to Armenia. So they always tells me that when they asked me where are you going? I'm tell them like Armenia, like, what the country? Why? That is too much for a week? How much hours do you spend on a plane like that much?

Dennise Cardona  3:15  
That is funny. You're absolutely correct. And, interestingly enough, Colombia in that area anyway, that's all I know. That's my reference point. A lot of the small towns are named after European towns, European cities. So Barcelona and Filandia. There's a Cordoba, there's a whole bunch of different places that are just wonderful to visit. And getting back to our subject of data science. So you studied data science in Colombia at a university there?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  3:44  
No, actually. So my dad is a software engineer. When I was working as a petroleum engineer in the field, I did a lot of analysis of Operation Analysis. So my dad told me, I should do something with coding because it will be easier for me to do the stuff that I do like every day. So meanwhile, I was I had a 50/50 day shift. So 50 days on the field. 24/7 that was my life than 15 days of like, vacations. So during those 15 days, I get to get get to see Python, get to learn a little bit about Python, then COVID hits. And then I start full completely on Python, SQL things related to data until I get to see what it was actually data science. And I did a lot of certificate specializations in Coursera, with IBM, Google and all sorts of that. So that is what got me into it.

Dennise Cardona  4:46  
Yeah, that's great. What initially attracted you to UMBC's data science master's program and how has your experience so far aligned with any expectations that you had of the program?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  5:00  
So when I was searching about pursuing my master's in data science, the thing that I wanted the most was not to do a thesis. Mostly because when I was interviewing my first time, for the, for my first job as a data scientist, they, every time they asked me if I had any projects, or I have a portfolio that I can show or things that I have done as a data scientist, so what I was thinking, when doing when searching for a Master's was having a project like a final big project of everything, like from the beginning of our whole data project that I can show for, like for any job interviews, and getting a job data science. So that is what made me.

Dennise Cardona  5:53  
Yeah, the hands on apply the type of learning, that's what attracted me to my graduate program at UMBC, as well as at being able to build a portfolio. So to be able to highlight and show the skills that you learned within the program, instead of just theoretical stuff. Employers, they want to know unless you go in academically somewhere, they employers want to know that you have the actual skills, the real world experience. And that can be proven within a portfolio based program that allows you to build that portfolio while you are studying and learning and growing. So yeah, that's a really great benefit. I agree.

Sebastian Carmona Angel  6:31  
Exactly. That is what made me choose UMBC. Having that, that thing that will give me like a plus from everybody else. And it's also like a very good idea, because I asked, like my past managers, what they thought about that, and they told me that it was the best thing that I can do is because it will be a big project that I can show.

Dennise Cardona  6:59  
Yeah, absolutely. So speaking of hands on type of experience, congratulations on the internship that you had this summer with Uber, could you share a little bit about what your role was during the internship and some of maybe the projects or projects that you've worked on with that?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  7:15  
Oh, sure. I worked on the experimentation team at Uber. So that is AB testing. What I did, I was a data scientist intern for three months, there are a couple of projects, one of those was checking, like the data health, how data comes from the from raw data to production data, and like how the pipeline health is. And the other project was a little bit bigger and was showing insights for users, internal users about their experiments. And by telling insights on how the experiment can be tracked how it goes, when data starter when their users asked to experiment, any insights of how that so how users can check and manage their experiment. And if they need to make any changes from what they are seeing on real time, because they can check how it's going in real time. So there were those were my two biggest projects during my internship. Yeah, yeah, that's right.

Dennise Cardona  8:20  
Yeah. And so what was your biggest takeaway? Did you learn some did you learn new things that you were like, Oh, that light bulb just went off in my head. Now I'm gonna be able to use this in a future project or something that you learned that maybe you didn't know ahead of time before that?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  8:36  
Yes, as technical things like tools, or things like that I learned about there was like a Python library made for creating dashboards that I have already used them before. But not as much as I did. This time I have read it is how I can connect source a lot of things from routing data, mostly like creating queries on the on, on the fly, doing things with connecting any type of data sources, databases, so that was something that was read during the internship that I learned.

Dennise Cardona  9:15  
So that kind of experience what's great about that is when you are interviewing for with future employers, you're going to have this vast amount of experience that you can be able to talk to and bring to the table and be able to have these kinds of examples of things that you've actually done. It's really gonna set you apart from other candidates. I just think that's a really great thing. Now data sciences is rapidly evolving field. Did your internship with Uber open your eyes to any new areas or aspects of data science that you'd like to maybe explore further?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  9:55  
Yes, when I was in my previous job that I had it before answer bring to you like pursuing the masters to study. I work in the like the inner product team. But we didn't did a lot of AP testing or testing different things on the application have been here in, like, during this internship on the experimentation team, seeing how important experimentation, AB testing, or proof or concepts of different sorts of features, or new things into our product can be so important and can get so much value to our company. So I think that makes me want to get a little bit further in the type of product by experimentation being mostly like a product data scientist or experimentation data scientist. So I that is what makes me realize what I really want to do with data science.

Dennise Cardona  10:55  
Now reflecting on your overall UMBC experience, so far, what has been some of the most memorable and positive moments that you've had, during the master's program? Have there been standout classes? Or maybe it's with your peers or instructors? Are there other standout moments that you can think about?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  11:16  
During this year, at UMBC, I think everything has been positive. Everything has been prayed for, if you ask me about two moments about something that really struck me during this last year was one moment was my first semester, I had, I had a class data 604. With Professor Charles, that that one, I continue to, I continue to think about the class in my internship, because Professor Charles tried to do something with all of us that was teaching us sequel. But other better way way to be better in performance where in easier to apply. And I did a lot of that during my internship, that was a great moment was getting to know him a Professor, which, before entering UMBC, I followed him on LinkedIn. He talked a lot about data. So that was before, before entering to UMBC, and then it was like a surprise, I had him as my professor. And the second moment was with Professor Karen Faulkner, the last semester in management leadership and communication class, she said something was like communication is everything communication is very important, and how to communicate with other people is learning how to communicate with other people is a way for you to share ideas. And that was, that was very important. During my internship, I got to get the opportunity to do a lot of presentations during my internship with a lot of people. And during that short, like, making, like brief presentations, and getting like the most important things, and during that presentation was really created during the internship.

Dennise Cardona  13:18  
Yeah, communication is such an important element to any career that you choose out there. And it's one of those things that, especially when you're interviewing, it's how you present yourself, but also as a professional in the field. In any field, you want to be able to present your ideas in a way that's cohesive, that's concise, that is understanding empathetic, all of that so that people, you're learning things and you're sharing it with people so that though you make the world a better place, you're making the work environment a better place, you're being a better team member, by being able to learn those communication skills that are just so vital to our professional and personal relationships out there.

Sebastian Carmona Angel  14:02  
Yeah, it's really great.

Dennise Cardona  14:04  
UMBC is known for its diversity and inclusive community, how has the environment enriched your learning experience and contributed to your growth as a data science professional?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  14:18  
There is something that was like when I entered the UMBC I saw that like, there is a big percentage of internationals with me, having having to get to know different cultures. After this past year, it was really like a big advantage on the internship. I went to San Francisco. I lived in San Francisco for the three months of my internship, but my like my team was my team over it was all international. And it was really great because you already know about the cultures. When you are at UMBC, and get to get into the job and share the same things, I so there like, Oh, I know this because I have a friend that is from there, like you can teach me a lot of things. So it's really great.

Dennise Cardona  15:12  
Yeah, I agree being able to be a part of a diverse and inclusive team is such a gift, we have that at UMBC. As well, it's just such a gift and to be able to learn from people through lenses that are different than our own, because we all have different ways of perceiving the world and understanding the world. And it's just so helpful when you are part of a team or part of a work environment, to be able to see the world through different lenses and to be able to apply your skills in the way that you do it best. And bringing that to a team is really powerful, because then you have like a myriad of ideas that you can all learn and grow from. So yeah, I agree. My last question to you is, what advice would you give to incoming data science students at UMBC, to make the most of their time in the program, and succeed in their academic in their career goals?

Sebastian Carmona Angel  16:10  
I'll give them three, or more. But first of all, will be make a lot of friends, get to know each one of their peers. If you have the opportunity, get to know them, every person will teach you something you think you will not they will not. But they will teach you something that you will remember about that. Make a lot of friends get to know, everybody, networking is really important. Second will be connect with those with your teachers connect with them, get to know their experience. All of the professors that I had from the past year, they are professors that are actually working in the field working as data scientists or something related to data. So they have a lot of experience. They get to teach you things that you will use, and you will be like hands on the field. So connect with them, take advantage of that. Use it. The third thing is enjoy the campus, enjoy the university, enjoy everything that a university has to give you. There is something that for me has been really important. And it is being the Career Center. The Career Center helps you a lot with looking at your CV, to help to make a better presentation of yourself to companies. You can ask them for help on like a letter like introduction letter for a company, or how to manage to make your CV to an actual job. So Career Center really helped me a lot with my search on the internship that I had on this past summer. So those will be the things that I will.

Dennise Cardona  17:59  
Yeah, those are really powerful pieces of advice. And I really love I really loved your last one the most because of the fact that it's the Career Center. And they have been instrumental with so many of our students. That's what I hear. And so if you are a current student, or you are a prospective student, reach out to the Career Center at UMBC. Because they are there to help you grow in your career and match you and figure out where you're supposed to be and help you to present yourself in the best way possible. Yes, yeah. Yeah. Sebastian, thank you so much for sharing your insights and experiences with us today. It's been a pleasure having you on the umpc miked up podcast. And I wish you all the best in your future endeavors in the field of data science.

Sebastian Carmona Angel  18:47  
Thank you very much. It was a really honor being here and get to share all the things in data science master's.

Dennise Cardona  18:56  
Thanks so much for listening in to this episode of UMBC Mic'd Up podcast. I hope you enjoyed it. If you'd like to learn more about our offerings, do a search for data science graduate programs at UMBC or simply click the link in the description.