How did you hear about the program, and why did you decide to attend?

I first heard about it while researching programs on data science and artificial intelligence with the chief digital officer at my company. We had been tasked with developing our company's growth in these areas. Since neither of us had a deep background in analytics, we wanted a program that would help us better understand the fundamentals of data, analytics, and machine learning on a technical level. We also wanted exposure to ways of thinking that would help guide our opportunity analysis and operational approach. Competing on Business Analytics and Big Data stood out because it was recommended by a colleague and seemed to deliver on our goals.

Which insights from the program resonated with you?

There were endless learnings, but one in particular stood out. In class, we talked about how success in analytics comes from a combination of art and science. Coming from marketing—where we have people with a broad range of skillsets working together—it was heartening to orient our thinking around a partnership of these two approaches. And because I'm more of a humanities person, the class gave me the tools to understand both sides—the art and the science.

How has that insight helped you at work?

Before coming to this program, my team had the challenge of developing a common language among our employees and clients around this very technical subject. In our research, it seemed like every person we talked to and every source we read had a different definition for terms like machine learning, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence. So, while we were comfortable with these concepts, we didn't fully understand their technical meanings and the nuances of how they worked together.

The program demystified these terms, which gave me a new and more holistic grasp of them and the work involved in executing them. Not only did this enable me to start building this common language at my company, it also helped narrow down the areas we’d need to focus on for growth.

You attended the program with a colleague—the chief digital officer from your company. Did you find that valuable?

It was extremely valuable, as we work very collaboratively on this initiative. At first, we thought about taking separate programs and sharing our learnings, but I'm really glad that we had this experience together. Gaining exposure to the same information in the same way gave us a common understanding that we could build upon through discussion. During the breaks and after class, we would immediately talk about what we learned, what we thought was important, and brainstorm how we could apply the learnings to our work. In the week we got back to the office, we were already implementing some of the next steps discussed while at the sessions.

What did you enjoy most about the on-campus experience?

I think there was something really unique about stepping outside the office and being immersed in an educational environment 24/7. The learning didn't stop when the class ended. In fact, one of my favorite parts was the opportunity of getting to know my classmates better through continued conversation after the day’s sessions were over. The class comprised people from across functions and industries, so it was both thought provoking and helpful to be able to share perspectives on what we were learning.

What's more, my classmates were happy to spend time talking through business challenges we faced and share learnings and ideas of how we could solve those problems. We would have never gotten exposure to so many different perspectives and backgrounds at once had it not been for this experience.

What advice would you give to future participants?

The biggest advice I'd give is come to the program with specific goals for what you want to learn. It also helps to have some idea of the role you think that data science could play in your business—and think about what does or doesn't work for your business.

The other thing I'd say is make sure you engage with all of the smart and varying perspectives around you. It can be tempting at the end of a long day to head straight to bed, but you'll get tremendous value from spending time with your professors and classmates after the sessions. Ask questions and soak up the knowledge around you. When else will you get the opportunity to learn from so many experts at once?