How the Master in Business Analytics and Big Data shaped Jan P. Thoma’s professional career

Its practical focus provides the expertise, the real-world experience and business focus that recruiters are looking for, and Jan is already enjoying its benefits. He has secured a position as a senior data science consultant at multinational tech firm Capgemini Invent.

Inspiring people with a passion for data

Jan has always been a data enthusiast. It’s a passion, he says, that includes “enabling others through data and digital transformations, making people and organizations better at what they do best.”

So the program was a natural fit for him. He certainly threw himself into the IE University community, not only excelling academically but becoming Vice President of the Big Data & AI Club. And it’s from there that he retains some of his favorite memories of his time with IE University.

As an expert with considerable self-taught skills coming into the program, Jan was quick to help others in his role with the club. “We had sessions where we were teaching other students SQL and Python, two programming languages. Other students approached me, saying, ‘Thank you, it was great to do that.’ That felt nice because you knew you were giving something back.” For Jan, this reflects his experience of IE University overall—the ecosystem and the program created an environment for him to not only enhance his own skills, but to give back to others.

Indeed the experience influenced how he approaches situations professionally now, as he has taken both the knowledge and the soft skills he developed during that time into his career. “I can’t just say ‘here’s the solution’ because I’m a data scientist and I know these kinds of things. That’s not how it works. Data and machine learning are so important, but as I previously mentioned, you need to work with people to leverage data,” he assured us.

Taking learned expertise into the professional world

Jan’s mixture of expertise, cutting-edge skills and practical knowledge, and his understanding of the increasingly critical connection between business and tech, made him highly attractive to recruiters. It’s a sector that needs people with the know-how that the Master in Big Data and Business Analytics provides.

The program starts with the basics of machine learning and programming before moving on to the more complex topics like natural language processing and big data technologies. “You learn how to process data, basically,” says Jan. However, in line with IE University’s values, there’s a business focus to the master’s that he believes was no less important “because you’re taught how to communicate these things to general stakeholders.”

Jan uses what he learned at IE University every day: “I combine domain knowledge in digital consulting, cyber intelligence, ESG and social sciences with technological skills in machine learning, data engineering and programming. Everything is around data, AI and how you can help people with data. But what also motivates me is helping people perform better in what they’re already doing best.”

He’s in no doubt that the Master in Big Data and Business Analytics gave him the skills necessary to be successful in his career. But it also helped him in becoming a better person. IE University offers students an abundance of opportunities to grow personally and professionally, and Jan took advantage of them with hard work, determination and enthusiasm.

In giving advice to anybody considering following in his footsteps and taking the program, he is unhesitating: “Make use of everything IE University has to offer with its extracurricular events, community and networking opportunities. You will love it. The world and data keep transforming, so we should, too. Use these tools to create your own roadmap. Create your own path, keep learning and see this as one of the main stops in your path.”