John Weldon, BSc in Data Science
John Weldon returned to college as a mature student and joined the first class on the new Data Science course in DCU. He has a BSc in Data Science.
John Weldon had always wanted to return to third level and get a degree and says going to someone else’s graduation at DCU prompted him to act. “It was cool to see people get their hard work rewarded. A couple of months after that I applied (to DCU) and I think that genuinely had a big impact on it.”
He was 33 going into the first year of a new Data Science course being offered by the college. John had previously started a course in Computer Science but left it as he wanted to start working. “It was always in the back of my head that I wanted to go back and get a degree, eventually I did. “
Both courses contain elements of coding and software engineering but he chose data science as it has more maths. Before returning to third level he was self-employed as a strength and conditioning coach and he was able to continue to do that in the evening time during his studies. As a mature student he went through an interview process where he explained why he wanted to return to third level. He says he is “massively” happy with that decision although at times it was “tough trying to juggle what essentially is a full time job with a full time degree.” “Around exam time it might get particularly tricky where I would have to work when I would rather be studying, but I got through it.”
The pandemic meant that third and fourth year were delivered remotely. “I didn’t enjoy that, I found it quite lonely being stuck in the bedroom on a Zoom call; it is not the same as being around people.” He was not alone in missing the in-person interactions and while “the lecturers were always open to contacting them online, for me I’d much rather talk to them in person.”
John, from Rush, North County Dublin, believes going to DCU gave him an edge because there was a shortage of the skill set he acquired. “Every company needs to get insights from their data. All the companies need data scientists.” On his course he also learnt about AI and machine learning, which are also in demand and, “that is the edge it has. It is kind of why I chose that course as well.”
He says the Data Science degree course was offered by DCU after it heard from Irish companies about the shortage of skills they were experiencing. “I think in terms of whether it is something that is in demand in Ireland, or building courses to meet demand, that is literally what happened with this course. It could not be tailored more with industry in mind.”
He did two work placements with PwC during his degree and now works for them as a Data Science consultant. Reflecting on his time in DCU he said that aside from COVID-19, “It was definitely positive.” “There was a good buzz with young people around, really good energy and the lecturers were willing to help no matter what issue you had, they were always willing to go the extra mile to make sure we got what we needed from them.”
“Overall it was a really great experience and something I remember for the rest of my life.”