Alumni Profiles
Master of Information and Data Science and Master of Information and Cybersecurity program graduates can apply the tools and experience gained in the programs to jobs in a variety of fields. See how some of our alumni have used their degree to achieve their career goals.
Noah Randolph (MIDS)
Received two job offers and an internship by paying attention to the community and utilizing professional networks
“Use the networks. I got two job offers and an internship just from paying attention to what people put out in the community. For prospective students, live classes online (which MIDS does) are the way to go. In person classes require taking the time to go somewhere, and recorded online classes are very boring, requiring you to spend determination capital that could be used elsewhere.”
Sombiri Enwemeka (MIDS)
Working as a software engineer for Britecore and coaching a FIRST robotics team in his free time
“The most valuable lesson I learned was that the ability to convey hard data in a relatable way is the difference between merely having some data and generating tangible actions. We learned practical ways to accomplish this and I feel like I added a new skill.”
Erin Boehmer (MIDS)
Relocated to Africa and uses data to inform strategies to bring solar power to rural Uganda
“I rely heavily on the knowledge and confidence that I gained from the MIDS curriculum as I approach open-ended data science problems to inform company strategy at Fenix. As the sole data scientist in the company, I am often approached with questions that have no clear answer; my professors at UC Berkeley, however, have provided me with a strong basis in structured problem solving and critical thinking as a data scientist.”
Kelsey Clubb (MIDS)
Landed her dream job at Fitbit after graduation
“Before enrolling, I had no industry experience and I was concerned that I would have a hard time getting a job as a data scientist, let alone at my dream company. The courses provided me with a solid foundation of a broad set of both technical and less technical skills, as well as final projects to showcase and discuss in interviews. Enrolling in the MIDS program was certainly one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life!”
Milad Davaloo (MIDS)
Utilized the MIDS network when planning his next career move
“Data science problems are often viewed as purely technical challenges that can be solved with applying some fancy algorithms and the latest technology available. But I learned that it is important to pause and really consider the problem, the approach, the legal and ethical considerations, the organizational impact, and communication during the various stages of a project.”
Nikhita Koul (MIDS)
Showcased her holistic understanding of data science projects when interviewing for new jobs
“While I got a good understanding of the course content from a theoretical point of view, I also got a sense of the challenges I might face … . Potential employers are looking for people who have the academic chops, but also know the pain points of implementing a solution at scale.”
Sharon Lin (MIDS)
Expanded her current role to use data science to better inform decision making processes
“I’ve seen people utilizing data in very creative ways, in fields that one doesn’t always see a lot of data applications. People in the program come from very diverse fields, and they bring a lot of knowledge and experience that are just as valuable as the program curriculum itself.”
Sakhile Dlamini (MICS)
Proudly represented the UC Berkeley program at the Standard Bank Data Conference in 2021
“The Berkeley program stood out as the program that was designed well to fit my needs…MICS has a good balance between technical knowledge and leadership skills in cybersecurity.”
Divya Gorantla (MIDS)
Focused on giving back to the developer community
“The biggest advantage of the I School is the diversity of peers, which provides a unique opportunity to learn from each other. With the teaching faculty having years of experience in industry, they provide a great understanding of data science applications in real-world situations.”
Annie Lane (MIDS)
Leveraging data science expertise to bring new efficiencies to health care
“When you get curious about something, go explore it. See if you can apply something you’ve learned or seen elsewhere to the domain you’re curious about. There isn’t a prescribed set of steps to get to an impactful output — you’ll probably “fail” along the way, but that’s just learning what will not work so you can focus energy on what may work.”
Tim Slade (MIDS)
Combining a passion for educational outreach with data science skills
“The I School’s greatest strength is the caliber of the student body. The professors are certainly strong — we have a really well-balanced mix of academics and industry professionals, and you can generally select your class sections to get more of one approach versus the other — but it’s really your peers in the program that make it worthwhile.”