Swaroop Krothapalli came to the United States to pursue a master's degree. You can too. Find out how Fitchburg State University can help you achieve your goals. Register for our webinar today!
Why did you choose to come to Fitchburg State University?
I had four criteria in mind when I was applying for graduate programs in the United States.
The most important thing that attracted me to Fitchburg State was the opportunity to work with Dr. Ricky Sethi, Assistant Professor in the computer science department, and to be part of his diverse team. Looking back that decision paid off really well, as the research we did was published.
Fitchburg State topped my shortlist for universities in all the important factors such as the value for the money, followed by faculty, academic curriculum, and location of the university which helped me attend meet-ups and interviews with industry people. Plus, Fitchburg State had the lowest tuition among all the universities on my list.
What degree did you earn?
I earned my master's degree in Computer Science.
Did the program meet your expectations? How?
The program gave me exposure to the skill set needed by the industry. I was also given an opportunity to be a tutor in the computer science department; this helped me stand out from graduates of other universities. The guidance I received from the computer science faculty and the quality coursework offered at Fitchburg State helped me acquire two summer internships. One of them was at a chip manufacturing company and the other at Charles Schwab, a Fortune 500 company. The master’s degree in computer science equipped me with coding best practices through coursework and projects with Dr. Sethi.
The library was another important part of my life at Fitchburg State. I split most of my time between the library and the game room in Hammond Hall.
When did you graduate?
I graduated in 2017 with an internship at Charles Schwab, Austin, Texas.
Did you have a job lined up before graduation?
I landed four job offers before graduation. Choosing between a senior data scientist role at FedEx and a data scientist role at Education Advisory Board (EAB) Global, Inc. was a tough decision. Ultimately, I chose to work at EAB Global Inc. in Washington, D.C., where Fitchburg State is a client of ours.
My role as a data scientist at EAB Global, Inc. is to build systems and frameworks for large-scale data analytics, workflow tools for machine learning, web apps for data visualization, and more. The role demands a master's or Ph.D. in a quantitative field or equivalent experience with statistics and the scientific methods.
At work, I collaborate with quantitative researchers and statistical programmers to integrate research-driven statistical models into production software systems. The research work I completed with Dr. Sethi on artificial intelligence helped me with that and exposed me to cutting-edge machine learning techniques, which are valued the most by my employer.
Register for our Computer Science webinar today!
