Data Science career events, laying a solid foundation
Posted onNowadays, data science students don’t have a lot of opportunities to meet “real” Data Scientists and to explore their career opportunities. At the same time, the demand for Data Scientists is high and businesses and organizations struggle to present themselves and connect to students. There is a clear need for Data Science career events.
To bridge this gap, in December 2020, JADS and and the study association D.S.A. Pattern celebrated the start of the Data Science Days foundation (DSD). DSD is a collaboration between JADS employees and students, specializing in data science focused career events. We talked to Jolijn Martens, secretary of the DSD board.
An impression of the Data Science Experience Day 2018, the main Data Science career event
A need for Data Science career events
“We saw a real need for events that connect Data Science students to professionals and organizations. For business economics students, for example, there is the LED, that draws students from all over the country. For Data Science, there was no such thing. That’s why JADS and Pattern started organizing Data Science career events three years ago. Recently, this collaboration was formalized in a foundation.”
The board of the Data Science Days foundation
Data Science career events in every stage of career orientation
“We tried to think about the needs of students in different stages of the academic year. So we came up with three different events that flow nicely through the year. In October, when students are just getting started and finding out what they want in the future, we host the DEX (Data Science Experience Day). This is our biggest and most extensive event. Students can meet data scientists, participate in presentations and attend workshops by companies and organizations and just get a taste of what it is like, working in the field of Data Science. This event is really about exploring, making connections, gathering information. In February, we host the Start-up night, when startups introduce themselves to the students. This event is small scale and focused on startups. Finally in May, we host a Talent Fair. This is more of a matchmaking event for students who are looking for a concrete internship, graduation project or job.”
Focus on content and interaction
“What makes these events interesting for companies and organizations, is that it gives them a chance to interact with students and build a relationship through the year. There aren’t many career events where the focus is on the content. At our events, we give the opportunity to Data Science professionals to present cases and projects, to really collaborate with students. It’s not only focused on the HR part, so to speak.”
Exploring the field of Data Science
“When we think about how to make events interesting for students, we draw from our own experience. Interacting with professionals and working with real life examples are things we really value. Students also like it when an event is informal and varied: they can check out different sectors, different disciplines. They also like the mix of a company market, keynotes, presentations but also the intimacy of a small scale event like the Start-up Night.”
Engaging online events in times of corona
“Last year, we had to move the DEX online at the last minute, because of corona measures. In that process, we learned a lot about how to make online events engaging and interesting. Fortunately, we got great feedback from both students and participating companies. They especially liked the variety of keynotes, sessions and a talk show within one event.”
Must visit events for Data Science students
“Our ambition for the future is to make these events the must visit events for all students, nationwide, who have anything to do with Data Science. That’s also why we started the foundation, it’s important to us to work together with JADS and Pattern, to create continuity and keep these events going, even if the organizing team changes.”
3 March: Startup night
It’s still possible to register for the Start-up Night, a small scale event for students. Meet start-ups and listen to their pitches. Each student will be provided a sum of fictional money with which they can ‘invest’ in any start-up they like. The start-up that manages to raise the most money at the end of the night, will be the winner!
For more information and the sign up link, go to https://www.datasciencedays.nl/start-up-night/