From Online Marketing to Data Analytics📈
Since high school, I have been fascinated by technology and how it can create value for business and society. For me, technology was never a means in itself but rather a means to an end. The end is solving business problems like making customers happier, driving efficiency, or increasing profit.
Therefore, I studied Management and Technology (M.Sc.) at the Technical University Munich with a focus on marketing, digitalization, and statistics. At that time, I wasn’t aware of the increasing relevance of Big Data or Machine Learning but I enjoyed working with data and identifying new business opportunities from it. It attracted me to find the needle in the haystack and gain insights with the help of statistical methods.
To deepen my statistical knowledge, I wrote my thesis on the topic of applied regression on consumer data in which I analyzed the impact of political decisions on buying behavior. The topic fit perfectly with my interests and the thesis was even awarded by the chair of economics.
Following the Data Hype 🎉
How old are my customers? Which target group do I have to address? And which products have the biggest margin? I hoped to answer these and other questions by combining statistical and business knowledge. This led me to my first internship in 2015 at a renowned market research institute in Munich.
I learned not only how to use classic market research tools such as SPSS and Excel, but also how to create surveys, visualize data, and communicate results to target groups. This was my first professional touchpoint with data.
More and more I recognized first hand the increasing hype in Data Science, AI, and Big Data. It was everywhere. Each and everyone was talking about Big Data and AI, being the fourth industrial revolution. Companies were building up data teams and universities started to offer training in that area. Experts and top managers around the world shared the opinion that data is the 21st century’s oil and the Data Scientist is the sexiest jobs in that century.
Data is the 21st century’s oil.
Joe Kaeser
Consequently, fascinated by its potential, I followed this data hype too and gained experience as a data analyst in an IT company. Our main task was to analyze millions of customers and purchase data to identify patterns. This information served as marketing tools for large companies in the retail industry.
Further internships followed as a machine learning and data engineer in DAX-30 companies. I had the chance to gain a 360° view on data-related topics and to work on various exciting projects.
Although the activities, of course, differed greatly from company to company, I always saw the same challenge: How do I create economic value from data? To get to the bottom of this question, I decided to gain as much experience as possible in different business departments. Among other departments, I was in Marketing, Purchasing, and Finance.
I now work as a data analyst in Accounting & Controlling at Siemens Financial Services in Munich. My main task is to drive digitalization in Accounting & Controlling department. This includes the development of Machine Learning models, implement and validate data-driven use cases as well as conducting training to colleagues.
Bringing Data and Business together👔
During my stations as a data analyst and scientist, I had the privilege of getting to know data enthusiasts from various professions, academic backgrounds, and cultures who share the same passion: Solving business problems with data.
Don’t Do Data Science, Solve Business Problems
Cameron Warren
That’s the reason why I decided to write this blog Business Data Science with the intention of connecting data enthusiasts from all over the world who are willing to tell unique stories on how they found their passion for data science and create value from it.
So, if you are not only interested in models, algorithms, and computer architecture (which of course brings its own fascination) but also in the people and their stories behind the technology, you should definitely check out the rest of my blog!
