Meet EngD alumna Lei: “The EngD program has a strong emphasis on continuous learning and personal development”
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Meet Lei Li. Lei is an alumna of the EngD program in Data Science at JADS. In this interview, she explains why she finally chose the EngD program after considering a PhD position as well as a commercial job. In addition, she shares her experiences as a trainee at JADS. Discover what she is doing now. Don’t forget to also scroll down to watch the video of Lei where she shares more experiences with JADS in general!
Why did you chose JADS?
“I chose JADS because they offered an EngD program in Data Science. Unique is that the program provides a platform of lectures and learning methods to deepen your data set skills. But also, it provides you a lot of real world challenges, allowing me to apply my knowledge to real-world projects.”
Why did you chose the EngD program?
“I chose the EngD program, because I think it was perfect for me at that time. After my Masters in Applied Economics and transition to the Netherlands from China, I recognized there was a gap between my academic background and the dash industries requirements. The EngD program provided a perfect opportunity for me to fill this gap. This program not only strengthened my data set skills, but also enriched my understanding of local work culture and also the multicultural collaboration dynamics.”
Why did you chose this EngD program instead of an PhD program?
“I seriously considered to apply for a PhD position, but when I moved to the Netherlands, I spend one year to really think about what I wanted. At that time, I found my true self. I discovered I wanted to do practical things to get my hands dirty, make some visible contribution and help people with heir challenges. Applying for a PhD only allowed me to do research, so I selected the EngD program. With this program, I had the chance to work with real world challenges in multiple domains and I felt satisfied with it.”
Why did you chose the EngD program instead of a full time job?
“Of course finding a full time commercial job is quite appealing because of the higher salary and you will work on real world challenges. But why I chose the EngD program is because this program has an emphasis on continuous learning and personal development. It is also a bridge between academia and industry with a focus on research. So in this case, I could not only gain practical experience, but I could also experiment with ground breaking techniques of Data Science to try new things. I think there can be some limitations of full-time working and within the EngD program at JADS I can freely explore.”
What appealed most to you about JADS?
“The most important take away for me from JADS is the network and the relationships with peers in my generation. And I do not want to forget the architecture and location. The chapel is really beautiful and campus is a 10 minute walk from the train station. This makes it very convenient to go to JADS every day.”
What is the most valuable thing you learned at JADS?
“The most valuable thing I learned are communication skills. For example, we do a lot of case studies with stakeholders who have a problem and are looking for solutions and support from us. Most of the time they are quite clear in what they want, but sometime they don’t even know by themselves what they really want. In that case, we have to ask them questions and we have to understand the background of the problem. So we strengthened our communication skills to really find and understand the ‘Why’ behind the problem. After that, we were going to solve the problem.”
How did you experience the working environment at JADS?
“It was a very safe environment. We got guidance from our coaches to provide us with soft skills and we could trust each other. This way, we could be our true self. We were also not afraid to make mistakes because our coach pointed them out to us in a safe and appropriate way. Besides, the peers in my generation are still very close friends of mine. We meet regularly to share our challenges, things happening in our personal lives and we still help each other.”
What did you do after your graduation?
“After my graduation, I stayed in the same team that I was in when I finished my final year project. So I have a full time job now and can continue working on my project and get the chance to really industrialize it to put it into use.”
