Life has a way of working out at the right time. For Kalyan — a newspaper and milk delivery man turned data scientist — this could not be more true. A Udacity Bertelsmann Tech Scholarship recipient, Kalyan chose the Cloud Developer using Microsoft Azure Nanodegree program to prepare himself for the industry’s shift towards the cloud.
“I have very minimal experience with Azure, so I want to upskill myself by learning Azure applications and tools offered by cloud services,” said Kalyan.
Early Life: Many Responsibilities, One Dream
Kalyan lost his father in his childhood. “As the eldest child in my family, I decided to take some responsibility and support my family because of the financial crisis at home. So, I started working as a newspaper and milk delivery man. I used to also teach young kids at their homes. I did this from the age of 15 to 23. At the same time, I joined a government run college and graduated in commerce and finance.
Finally, He got a job with a reputed fintech company in India. “I joined as an entry-level professional and was promoted three times within seven years.”
A Non-Techie Data Scientist
After hearing Kalyan’s story, it sounds like everything was going smoothly in Kalyan’s career, but that was not the case in reality. He wasn’t happy with his job and wanted to switch to data science and artificial intelligence.
“I did some research on these topics and decided to skill myself in these technologies. I know that every industry is increasingly becoming data-driven and there will be a big advantage if I have domain knowledge and technical skills.
“A major challenge was that I am from a non-tech background. I wasn’t sure if I will be able to do coding, understand the math behind algorithms, and will I have capabilities to convey insights to my stakeholders through storytelling and data visualization.”
But Kalyan had made up his mind and decided that he wanted to learn.
“So, after doing some research I created a study plan and path for becoming a data scientist. I learned everything on my own by learning consistently and practicing vigorously. Soon I was able to achieve my dream and I became a Data Scientist. I was recently promoted to Analytics Manager.”
Why Udacity’s Bertelsmann Tech Scholarship?
Kalyan has successfully completed the Bertelsmann’s Technology Cloud Scholarship introductory course and is working on graduating from his Nanodegree program right now.
“The course was extremely useful and helped me understand the cloud development process, creating virtual machines and databases, and understanding the importance of security and threats by various options available at Azure.
“I got a bigger picture on how different things are organized and maintained by cloud providers vs cloud developers. Even the introductory course has brought so much change to my professional life.”
Kalyan’s organization is gradually migrating to the cloud. He has given some insights to his stakeholders on cloud migration lifecycle. “They were very impressed with my suggestions. One of the key points that I stressed upon was that most efforts of cloud migration fail due to companies not adopting it as a core part of their business strategy.”
Apart from this, another important learning for Kalyan has been time management. “Working for about 9- to 10-hours and giving 3- to 4-hours to this course meant I had to be more productive than ever. I have learned time management by participating and successfully finishing the #60DaysofUdacity challenge. And finally, the community and student leaders were always there to help around whenever I have questions/concerns. I feel lucky here!”
Turn your Life Around with Udacity Nanodegree Programs
If you want to turn your life around like Kalyan, then check our list of Nanodegree programs and upskill yourself today.
