When Jinson Xu started working after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management from the Singapore Management University (SMU), he found that analytics was progressing rapidly globally and demand for analytics was high, but the local analytics market had yet to mature.
“These meant that even relatively junior analysts in the workplace had to develop a business value-oriented mindset in order to manage the C-suites, with both technical breadth and depth to pull off project implementation and management,” said Jinson.
It was with that revelation that drove Jinson to delve deeper into analytics, “I decided that taking up NUS-ISS’ Master of Technology in Knowledge Engineering (KE) will provide me with the structure and discipline in obtaining the knowledge that I need to progress my career in analytics,” said Jinson.
The NUS-ISS MTech KE programme emphasises concepts, techniques and methods of Intelligent Systems, and their application to the development of data analytics applications. It equips participants with the essential knowledge and practical experience to become a knowledge engineering and data analytics specialist, and lead the development of intelligent systems to provide effective and optimal business solutions for businesses.
“The NUS-ISS MTech KE programme is different from other programmes in that its main aim is to teach students the techniques and approaches in building knowledge based systems, whether through the use of traditional expert systems or through analytical models built from data,” shared Jinson, “Operationalised knowledge-based systems are the end products of analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) related projects, both of which are in high demand these days. Students of the MTech KE program are thus amongst those who will be building AI-related systems and apps that will be one of the biggest disruptors in our society in the next two decades.”
Jinson is currently working in Accenture, specialising in Research & Development (R&D) and in the delivery of data science and AI-related digital assets, and occasionally giving lectures on AI in Accenture’s campus outreach events.
“The NUS-ISS MTech KE programme has helped broaden and deepen my knowledge and understanding in analytics, especially in the areas of simulation, optimisation, analytics for logistics and web, and in computer vision,” said Jinson, “All these come in useful in my daily work at Accenture.”
A central element of the NUS-ISS MTech KE programme is the final year project and internship module, which provide students with hands-on experience working with real-world organisations. “For my final year project, I built a bot in StarCraft, incorporating various techniques we learnt in the course and through our research,” said Jinson, “We worked closely with an Assistant Project Manager at Barclays, who was our project team lead.”
As a part-time student, juggling different roles and responsibilities is one of the biggest challenge Jinson faces. “It’s challenging to juggle work, studies and relationships at the same time, as each demands a lot of attention,” he shared, “But thankfully, I had the good fortune of understanding superiors and colleagues at work, supportive and cohesive project group mates, emphathetic lecturers and an accommodating girlfriend.”
According to Jinson, though it’s hard work, joining the programme is a decision that he’s never regretted. “Other than the skills and experience that the programme has imparted to me, one of my biggest takeaway from the programme is the lasting connections with the faculty and course mates.”
For those who are considering a graduate programme, Jinson has this to offer, “Digital disruption will hit many industries in the next two decades. Instead of resting on your laurels now and then complaining later when you’re disrupted and jobless, take charge of your own future by getting the education and experience you need to shape the future economy. Technology-related disciplines, such as software engineering, data science, and cybersecurity, are all good bets which should provide you with relative job security for the next few years.”
Application for the NUS-ISS Master of Technology in Knowledge Engineering programme January 2018 intake is open till 31 Aug for overseas applicants and 15 Sep for local applicants. For more information, click here