UMBC Mic'd Up

Thriving in the Tech World

January 19, 2022 UMBC Mic'd Up with Dennise Cardona and Guest Sandra Pinto Vera Season 2 Episode 21
UMBC Mic'd Up
Thriving in the Tech World
Show Notes Transcript

To get a true sense of the power of data and technology, one has to place themselves into the real world and apply it. It’s only then that they get to witness firsthand how the two combine to form critical answers to today’s top questions.

Sandra Pinto Vera ’21, M.P.S. Data Science searched for an opportunity to do just that. "What I expected to get out of the UMBC Data Science Master’s Professional Studies program was a hands on experience and the opportunity to expand my data science skills while working on applicable projects.”

While at UMBC, Sandra took part in a fellowship data science residency program with Women in Data where she completed a full cycle data science project. The project was on analyzing COVID-19 data sets looking at racial disparities in the COVID vaccine rollout. The data told the true story of disparities present. 

Tune in to hear more about Sandra's experience working in the tech world. 

To learn more about UMBC's Data Science Graduate Programs, visit: https://professionalprograms.umbc.edu/data-science/



Dennise Cardona  

Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of UMBC's Mic'd Up podcast. My name is Dennise Cardona from the Office of Professional Programs at UMBC. I am joined by a special guest, Sandra, and she is here to talk with us about her experience of being a graduate student in the Data Science Program here at UMBC. Welcome, Sandra.

Sandra Pinto Vera  

Thank you. Thank you, Dennise, thank you for the invitation.


Dennise Cardona  

You are welcome. Sandra, could you tell us a little bit about your educational and professional journey that led you here to UMBC data science graduate program?


Sandra Pinto Vera  

Sure, the me so I started my educational journey. Many years ago, I started out Montgomery College and then transferred to University. So Shady Grove to complete my Bachelor's degree in Management, a University of Maryland College Park, I was a candle alumni to I go to a back in 2013. And then I worked in non nonprofits, corporate, commercial real estate, different types of industries. And there was one point where I just I was not feeling I was not feeling fulfilled, that my work was no longer meaningful. It was very, I didn't feel like I felt I was no going anywhere, or that I needed to do something else or something different, something more exciting, maybe change careers. So I learn about data science, I mean, data analytics first, and I did a bootcamp in my local community college. And after that I actually I was encouraged by the bootcamp instructor to apply to the data science, the Miss masters in data science and UMBC, which I did I got in and graduating this December.


Dennise Cardona  

Oh, that's a great journey. First of all, that's a great story. I love hearing about career changers, because a lot of our students are career changers say, they feel they've had this like this feeling in the pit of their stomach that, you know, life is short, and they're not completely fulfilled with what you're doing currently. And they're seeking something because they're, they're just craving something new, something challenging, something meaningful that they can bring to the world. Right. And it sounds like that's your area. Yeah, absolutely.


Sandra Pinto Vera  

Look for something meaningful, exciting that we're in which I'm going I will be constantly learning and technology. I love data science, I love technology. I love cybersecurity, I was able to specialize in cybersecurity. In my program, I also got a graduate certificate in cybersecurity operations. And at the moment, I work as a consultant at KPMG in cybersecurity.


Dennise Cardona  

Awesome. So yeah, you're working in the field of cybersecurity, right? What you're learning in the classroom in data science, are you able to take that and transfer that learning into what you're doing full time in your day in your cybersecurity field?


Sandra Pinto Vera  

Actually, because we're constantly analyzing data, I might not be coding, I might not be using Python programming, to do the exploratory analysis or to do machine learning modeling. I'm not doing that at the moment. But I do have the opportunities as I do I have those skills to be able to be placed in, you know, later on in an engagement where I have to use those skills and apply it to cybersecurity. At the moment, I'm able to I'm the one who knows how to do you know, visualizations and dashboarding with the the tools that we're using Azure DevOps, and Power BI, but it does help a lot. I mean, even though I don't work directly, data science, I'm able to use my data skills on a daily in, in I love cybersecurity, I found out you know, by doing these, the specialization that I wanted to work in the industry of cybersecurity.


Dennise Cardona  

So, that's, that's interesting to me, because I was curious about that. So you're in the cybersecurity industry. Why did you choose Data Science over cybersecurity in terms of your master's degree?


Sandra Pinto Vera  

Okay, so at the beginning, I wanted to become a data scientist. That's why I enrolled into the master data science and AI Did I learn a lot I didn't, I do enjoy what I learned. But along the way, I found out that term security is my true passion. And UMBC gave me that opportunity to, you know, be able to even though my main degrees data science, I was able to specialize on a different field, especially, you know, specialty domain and, and I'm glad I was able to do it, because I found out my real passion, you know, having that data science background has helped me, actually, you know, being able to negotiate for higher salary when when I got the job, and also being considered more because I have both the data science and cybersecurity, they're looking for data savvy, professionals. So that actually, you know, gave me an edge, he gave me a differentiation, you know, against other candidates.


Dennise Cardona  

It's all about that differentiator, isn't it? Because there especially in this competitive job market? There, it's a very, it's a sought after career, being in cybersecurity the data science field, they're interrelated in a way, would you say? Yes. So studying and data science is helping you to get that edge to give you that leg up and differentiate you from the the workforce of cybersecurity professionals. So now you've got the credential of your certificate in cybersecurity, but now you've bet that you're going to have the master's degree in data, that's beautiful, I would think that you would really need to have a strong understanding and rooted foundation in data in order to be able to be exceptional in cybersecurity.


Sandra Pinto Vera  

Yes, because protecting data, basically, data privacy, there are so many applications, and they use machine learning to predict or analyze malware. And there are so many applications that there might not be so known because they're trying to expand on and see how much more they can apply machine learning into cybersecurity, but they're working on it to feel that it's expanding. So I'm glad that I got that under my belt, so I have that opportunity for me in you know, in also a part of the cloud community in my practice, I work part of commercial consulting. And so we work with big firms, you know, Temple telecom companies, from big companies for even small companies. But at the moment, I work for a supporting a big Telecom, but we have all kinds of clients it is it's a great place to be at consultant is constantly changing is very fast paced, you got to be able to adapt quickly. And yeah, he's still operating. That's the right word. And you're constantly learning constantly learning real fast, and really, in a short period of time,


Dennise Cardona  

do you feel that graduate work is important in your fields,


Sandra Pinto Vera  

if you come from a non traditional degree or from totally different, and again, I came from, you know, my undergrad is in business. I felt like I needed to get a masters. I always wanted to get a man, it was more like a personal goal. And also, I saw it as a better way to, you know, I have that I'm getting this credential. So I'm gonna have more possibilities in in getting hired because of my credentials. But there are other ways there are other paths that a career changer, you know, anyone who wants to break into cybersecurity or they sign in, they have signs that they can take a route. But I, in my opinion, in my experience, getting a graduate degree has helped me a lot.


Dennise Cardona  

Yeah, I would imagine so, could you talk about why you chose UMBC state of science graduate program,


Sandra Pinto Vera  

the main thing is convenience. Because UMBC has the Masters in they offer their masters in data science Chiddy row, and for me, it was so convenient. And I started my master's prior to the pandemic. So I was able to actually go into class after work. It was just very convenient and also UMBC. So very prestigious school, you know, has great recognition, even though when I started my program, he back in 2009 19. I was one of the first I guess, chords in the program as it was just being started, but never the less the faculty was great. We had really, really good professors. And I like it, they made it more hands on because, you know, in the workplace, you're going to be just doing things not taking exams the whole time, you know that you want to practice as much as you can, the whole data science, full stack cycle in. And I was able to do that with this program. And I was able to work full time and go to school part time. So I was taking two classes per semester, I was able to I'm a member of woman in data, which is a professional organization for Women in Data related careers, like they could be data analytics tools, and data science and, you know, the sub fields. And I did I completed a residency program where I was able to do a project in in healthcare related to to the COVID vaccine and in and study the disparities in racial racial disparities. Yeah, it was a great experience, I have that on my resume that that was my kind of experience. Outside of Academia, I decided to to accept the cybersecurity role, no consultant role.


Dennise Cardona  

Fantastic. That sounds amazing. What did you expect when you first entered into the data science program? What did you expect out of the program? And has it given you that


Sandra Pinto Vera  

what I expected to get out of the UMBC data science master's Professional Studies program was a hands on experience and the opportunity to expand my data science skills and worked on applicable projects


Dennise Cardona  

that you were involved in a fellowship program in the Data Science Program? Could you talk a little bit about that experience,


Sandra Pinto Vera  

I was part of a fellowship data science residency program with women in data in which we had to complete a full cycle data science project in I did on COVID-19 data set analyzing the racial disparities in COVID vaccine rollout, there were disparities back then the main reasons is because they lack of internet, you know, broadband connection, and they didn't have could be that most of these individuals, they didn't have a means of transportation to go to the vaccination sites. But the disparities existed among ethnicities.


Dennise Cardona  

And the data was able to tell you that that's the power of data science. Yeah, the


Sandra Pinto Vera  

data was able to tell me to tell me those disparities. So


Dennise Cardona  

that's, that's fantastic. What is your biggest takeaway from the UMBC data science graduate program?


Sandra Pinto Vera  

The biggest takeaway from the UMBC data science for was that I was able to learn the skills needed to be able to break into this field, and to be competitive. And to think critically.


Dennise Cardona  

That's fantastic. There's nothing better than being able to walk away with a solid skill set that maybe you had before. But because of the program, because of the experiences, interacting with peers and faculty, and even just absorb absorbing the information given to you gaming, that new knowledge, it helps to set you up to be able to dig deeper into the field that is of your passion. Yes, it is. Yeah, absolutely. Is there anything else that I have not asked you, Sandra, that you feel would lend value to this conversation?


Sandra Pinto Vera  

I will encourage any student thinking that because they don't have a background in computer science or information systems or a stem or tech degree, that, you know, there's no way they can learn data science, but that it is possible, I was able to do it. And if you really have the desire or you you have the calling to be a data scientist, or a cybersecurity professional, just go for it. And you will you will learn everything that you need by completing the Masters but there's also self study that you have to do on your own. Doing a lot of networking, networking help a lot, and you have no idea You, you can go from having no job and having made several offers by really spending a lot of time networking and learning how to do it the right way. Also, your social media is so important like LinkedIn, in this case, you wanna have a up to date LinkedIn page and do your press a personal branding in LinkedIn, like really sell yourself that you promote yourself as a professional that you you can be a great feat in any company, any great company out there and you can contribute your ideas and you're a critical thinker, you are a go getter, you you learn fast, you you are adaptable, and you're flexible. So there's all the those skills there, they don't only look for, oh, I know how to code, you might know how to code, you might be great at it, but you need those soft skills. So skills are very, very important. As part of your skill sets, you've got to be able to communicate properly, to think critically, to adapt quickly, to be proactive, and we are going better. In the in the industry, it's that those skills are going to help you succeed. There is a shortage in there's a gap in technology careers. Women only account for a very small percentage in the workplace. So and also minorities as myself, I'm a Latina, and I will encourage minorities and women, not non binary to don't be afraid to enter a field that is the representation of of men is higher in India, technology fields and anything that you feel, but don't be afraid because you will find a very supportive environment actually, they're gonna say they're a woman organizations, oh, they're a part of woman in cybersecurity, and I was able to go to the conference in Denver not too long ago. So there are communities out there for women and for minorities, then so you shouldn't be afraid to, to enter feel that way you might not find yourself represented, you might see it as an obstacle. But you will find that there are communities and their tech communities that your work will speak for itself.


Dennise Cardona  

Excellent advice. Thank you so much for sharing your insights with us today. It's just been an incredibly enlightening conversation. And you're right women in tech, it's so important to go out there and use your brains and show the world what you can do, because it's so empowering. It is. Thank you so much everyone for tuning into this episode of UMBC miked up podcast. I am so grateful that you were able to listen to some of these ideas about data science. And if you are interested in learning more about our programs in data science, then please visit us@umbc.edu backslash data science. Thank you so much.