Studying statistics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provided me with the education and resources necessary to help jump-start my career in today's data-driven economy. The department's active relationship with the university's Research Park allowed me the opportunity to apply my learnings outside of the classroom. It was there while interning at State Farm RDC that I decided to pursue a career in data science.

Since graduating I have been working for the market research firm, Nielsen. My work entails performing segmentations, A/B testing, predictive modeling, and much more. Despite the wide range of project scopes, each requires me to utilize skill sets I learned while at school.

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t limit your education to just your statistics curriculum. Enroll in CS courses to learn how to program. Complete a few business classes to build up your product sense. Lastly, take full advantage of the visibility, access, and opportunities the university provides its student body.

'13 B.S. Statistics