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With COVID-19 happening, how can I get a job in the following fields: data, analytics, or business?

I am a college freshman who has experience in all three of these fields through internships, research positions, and other leadership opportunities. I'm wondering how the virus will effect me being able to get a job/internship in the future? #COVID-19 #data-science #analytics #data-analytics #business

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Vas’s Answer

First of all congratulations on entering into your freshman year, my little sister actually just started at Norhteastern so she is in a similar situation.

To answer your questions, COVID is not an issue as much as it is an opportunity. IF we get to the point where COVID affects our economy to the point where there is a prolonged impact on hiring & joblessness, then I would offer that you may be better positioned to enter into the workforce.

Bottom line is ... study hard, get good grades, find something to differentiate yourself & focus on ensuring you have good sponsors [for recommendations].

COVID has ultimately changed the way we work and the way customers consume, not the need for talented individuals to help shape the future.

Vas recommends the following next steps:

Find a sponsor that will write you a phenomenal letter of recommendation.
Rock out on your exams.
Have fun.
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David’s Answer

You have another 3 years of your undergraduate education. Don't sweat it. You will be fine. Just focus on getting top grades, being involved in clubs or societies at your school and get an internship in the field of our endeavor.
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Bhavya Raju’s Answer

Great answers here. To add to it - I think covid-19 will definitely shift tech landscapes to move more of their work into online and distributed. You have time and by the time you are done with your undergrads - there will be a ton of possibilities.

There are also a lot of open source projects to where you can contribute to data science and analytics.

I googled and I found a list of open source data analysis tools. Getting familiar with the tools and putting your work online is one of the ways in which you can show your learning aptitude.

https://medevel.com/open-source-data-science-analysis/
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Erich’s Answer

Stay focused on your current grades and activities. Our country is resilient and will more than likely have completely bounced back well before you've finished with undergrad. It's good to understand the current effects COVID-19 is having on society, but wouldn't count on it having long term effects on the job market.

Let's play worse case scenario and pretend the effects of COVID-19 last longer than expected. That would make it even more important for you to ensure you are the most marketable person for whatever internship/job you're applying for; which you should be striving for regardless of the current situation. Always be building impactful relationships with everyone possible! Always work hard and exceed expectations!
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Ray’s Answer

First of all, congratulations - you're doing the right thing by thinking about this so early. You're getting a head start on a lot of your peers by creating a plan for yourself now. As others have mentioned, the virus is unlikely to hamper your job prospects post-graduation, as we'll likely be in a much better place by then. And even in the short term with respect to internships, companies may be even more in need of help from people such as yourself.

Outside of the internship route, which can be challenging for a number of reasons (lack of pay & lack of opportunities, to name a few), there may be other alternatives available to college students such as yourself. For instance, does your university have any projects which could use analytical assistance? Colleges typically may not have the budgets for large staff and/or any analytics personnel, and would no doubt benefit from the help of their own students. If an established program doesn't already exist, it could be worth exploring the possibility with any professors and/or university-related groups you can find.

Having real-world project experience will help your cause quite a bit as you enter the job market, particularly if it's something you're able to generate on your own and demonstrate initiative along with your practical & technical skills. Sometimes that experience comes via an internship, but you may be able to find similar types of work at your university or another one nearby.
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Karthikeyan’s Answer

Short Answer! - Covid -19 has very less or no impact on the opportunity in the area of data, analytics, or business. Lot of companies have adopted to "Work from Home " culture without much issue . In fact , Market has opened across globe specifically for data and analytics area. Best Wishes!!
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Victoria’s Answer

The work from home environment is great for the types of jobs you'd like to have as all can be done remotely. This opens you up to the possibility of working for many companies, including those outside of your geographic area. I do not think COVID will have an adverse effect on future employment. Look for companies with mission/vision/products/services/leadership you can support, apply, and go from there.
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Paul Anthony’s Answer

The biggest downside to COVID in relation to where you're at in your education is that many companies limited their internship programs. Hopefully next summer companies will expand their internship programs. Since you're a freshman, it shouldn't affect you as much, since the more meaningful internship years are usually after your sophomore, and especially junior year. The good news (kinda) is that everyone is in the same boat, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. I would just keep looking for ways to get more experience using knowledge your gaining in the class room, in a business environment. The more you can make yourself valuable to an employer, the more opportunities you'll get.
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Uday Rao’s Answer

I am a college freshman who has experience in all three of these fields through internships, research positions, and other leadership opportunities. I'm wondering how the virus will effect me being able to get a job/internship in the future

Yes, COVID-19 has made lot of difference in every field. I can say its revolution across the globe but i congratulate you for completing college and welcome to corporate world which defiantly you will enjoy. one should have passion towards what he want to do and dedication which will help to grown in any field. Dont worry about this virus stay safe at home and start learning/looking job virtual try are lot of platform which provides you to explore and connect with people.

All the best!!
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Ava’s Answer

I recommend going on Angel List and applying for the data analytics start ups. I did this and it was great. Most of them are remote with flexible hours.
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Buket’s Answer

These areas are very suitable to work from home. Most of the companies currently switch from in person to work from home environment. So, you are fine unless the COVID impacts economy hardly and we see an adverse effect on future employment. However, data science is a very hot topic right now and companies decisions are based on the data and the data analytics, especially the healthcare industry.
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Animesh’s Answer

For data/analytics- would encourage you to build an online portfolio for projects that would demonstrate your skills
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Jessica’s Answer

Short answer: Don't Worry. In the data field, there's nothing you cannot do virtually. Some people I've been working with for years are from another region so it felt the same for me pre or during covid.

Companies are always looking to hire talented, driven, agreeable individuals to join their team. As long as you are curious and know the subject. Yes, there may be more competition now but I am sure in 2-3 years the demand for data analysts / researchers would only go up from here.

Currently all the interviews (internships/jobs) are done over the internet giving you more time to prepare without having to commute back and forth (which can be so time consuming!) and if you are shy/nervous in the person interview this might be a great opportunity for you to show your strength without the stress.

Read lots. Study the topics. Practice. Spend some time to work on data related projects on your own.
Best of luck!
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David’s Answer

First of all, you should focus in one making sure your grades are the best they can possibly be, that's most important right now, other than being safe. If you feel fairly confident about maintaining strong grades, I'd recommend using whatever spare time you have to look at internships (preferably paid). If you do decide to take on an internship (not right now, obviously, at least not in-person), you should focus on making sure to request (and expect) written references and potentially recommendations for future placement from internships. As someone who worked two internships in college, I can tell you that it helps to ask whomever you would intern for about paid positions either right there and then or upon graduation....if you can work or want to without impacting grades. Another thing you can do is use whatever down time you have now during the COVID-19 pandemic is use the time to study in areas that can expand upon your in-school curriculum if you have the energy and interest to do so. There are many sites online to sign up for free courses such as Coursera, Udemy, and many more at this link http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses. Hope that helps.
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Madison’s Answer

Hi Ethan! I agree with the comments above! My suggestion is to find a combination of your passion and your top skills. Your schooling will help you identify your strengths and with experience, your true passion. Keep in mind that their are many options out there and not all of them pay particularly well BUT the reward outweighs the pay check. Strong skills in business, analyzing and data science are fantastic and can be applied anywhere!! If you've been inspired by the Covid pandemic, maybe look into the biotech or pharmaceutical industries. Especially with the state of the world, nothing is more relevant. My company (Catalent Pharma Solutions) hires on average 3,000 people a year with your same skills and with a passion of saving people's lives. At the end of the day, stay true to yourself, stay in school and keep an open mind! Good luck!
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Rebecca’s Answer

I would like to echo the other responses and remind you to not worry too much. You have a lot of time left in college! Everyone is experiencing a similar struggle, so by staying on top of your schoolwork you will be right on track. While some summer internships could be impacted by the virus, I wouldn't worry that this is the case until you hear it from places you have applied to.

If you are doing well keeping up with your classes, then here are some additional things you could do to help feel like you are still advancing your career outside of class:

Network!! Make a LinkedIn profile if you don't already have one. Search people > check filters and select your school & companies you are interested in. Look at the results and reach out to people who you have things in common with (i.e. played same sport, from same town, same clubs, etc) & who also work in a position/field you are interested in. Connect with them and send them a message where you introduce yourself and ask if you could speak with them about their advice on a career in [insert what they do/what you are interested in]. Tell them you look forward to hearing back. If they agree to speak with you, prepare a list of questions (google "questions to ask a career mentor" for help). This can allow you to gain further insight into a long-term career path, company culture, and networking. After, send them a thank you email to show your appreciation. Now is the perfect time to build your network because everyone is working from home and looking forward to talking to someone new while in isolation. Building solid relationships with these new connections could possibly help you later in college when you are looking for another internship or an entry-level career. Also, look within your current network: do any of your friend's parents work at places you are interested in? Don't be afraid to ask friends and family if they are open to virtually discussing career opportunities with you. Most people love to give advice and share stories about their experiences!

Study for the SIE: If you are interested in a career that requires you to take a series exam, then you could start studying for the SIE (the pre-requisite exam to the series exams) now. Series exams require sponsorship from an employer, but the SIE does not so you can take it while in college. Once you pass the exam, you can put it on your resume. This could give you an advantage because you can take the Series exams sooner than people who haven't taken the SIE yet, and it demonstrates you have some industry knowledge. You can do an online program such as one offered by Kaplan (these are a little more pricey, but could be worth it). If you don't want to invest in a program, then you could also just get a prep book and read through it/take notes for now. This will still get you familiar with the info and you could do more serious test prep later on in college when you are more sure you want to take a series exam. There's no harm in studying for it and learning more about the industry, though! Here's some more info on the exam if you are unfamiliar with it: https://www.finra.org/registration-exams-ce/qualification-exams/securities-industry-essentials-exam

LinkedIn Skills Quizzes: if/once you have a LinkedIn, you can do LinkedIn skills quizzes to demonstrate your knowledge. These are super quick! Scroll to the "skills & endorsements" section of your profile and click "take skill quiz."

LinkedIn Learning: https://learning.linkedin.com/blog/education/10-free-linkedin-learning-courses-that-ll-make-you-a-better-prof

Bloomberg Market Concepts: look into if your school has a discount/free subscription for this. It is a course that introduces you to portfolio management, using the Bloomberg Terminal, and finance/economic concepts. You go at your own pace, watch videos, take quizzes and get a certificate you can list on your resume/LinkedIn demonstrating your knowledge. The certification is based on completion rather than grades on the quizzes, so it is low stress: https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/product/bloomberg-market-concepts/

Udemy courses in programming, accounting, data analytics, etc (google coupon codes to get these courses for under $20) you can complete these at your own pace, so they don't have to interfere with your college classes: https://www.udemy.com/

Research companies you are interested in and make a spreadsheet of their recruiting periods. This allows you to stay on track as you continue through college. Look into entry-level development programs. Note companies that have internships that progress over multiple years...some have opportunities where after interning for one summer you can do a more advanced program the following summer. Here is a link to look at to get you started. Perhaps your school has a similar resource you can try to find: https://cdn.uconnectlabs.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2019/09/Undergraduate-LDP-List.pdf

All of this might not necessarily answer your question, but hopefully, I have listed something you can try that will help you feel you are still progressing your career outside of the classroom during your time at home. Good luck, try not to stress too much & stay healthy!
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Lisa’s Answer

That is great that you already have experience in all these 3 fields already and that will help you with your resume. These 3 fields can easily be done remotely so there should not be much impact with COVID. In fact, with more companies allowing employees to work remotely due to COVID, that actually opens up more opportunities for you. Location and travel time will be less of a constraint and you can search for opportunities in more places than you would have normally have. Definitely work with your college career center, advisors, they are a great resource for you and can also help you network with college alumni to find opportunities. Companies are still having internships. Verizon kept their college internship program this summer and all interns worked remotely. Data analytics is a growing field in all companies, including Verizon. Best of luck in college.
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Alex’s Answer

Companies will still want to provide internship opportunities for several reasons. However, for you it will be important to focus on what your interests are and possibly what companies you're interested in and what they do along with areas you'd want to work in once you've graduated.

Don't be afraid to reach out to companies, especially ones that post internship openings online. They may not reply right away but if you show that you're interested in learning and working there when you initially apply or reach out, they're more likely than not to get back to you. Also, if you can convey an interest in the company (i.e. researching their website and finding out more about what they do and who competitors are, etc. ) and can answer questions like why you'd want to intern somewhere and what you feel you'd get out of working there then you'll be someone they're more interested in talking with.

It would also be helpful to reach out to your college's careers center for input on internships and any advice they may have for things like formatting a resume and cover letter, as well as possible opportunities that they may know of from companies that work with them. Your college advisor and professors may also know of potential contacts at companies from former students.
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Ayaz’s Answer

I wouldn't spend much of my energy thinking about what could be potential obstacles in future. Besides COVID, there could be other roadblocks, some even personal, when entering the job market. I would instead focus on learning as much of the fundamentals (math, programming, etc) as possible and get good at pivoting as the economy changes. Also, keep yourself healthy by watching your diet and exercise. Your body will thank you later.
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Aruna’s Answer

I concur with the responses provided above. In addition, consider looking for volunteer opportunities in data analysis. These will expose you to new technology, concepts and techniques and a network of other data scientists. COVID-19 has brought virtual volunteering to the forefront and there are tons of opportunities in this area out there. It would be a great addition to your resume. I do think employers will look for interesting things an applicant did during Covid-19. Good luck and stay positive.
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Rebecca’s Answer

As of right now you're doing great! Internships are a great resume builder! When the beginning of your senior year comes around and you are looking for full time employment, start applying in August. I got my job for Verizon the March before I graduated. It was nice being able to focus on my final projects instead of worrying about looking for a job.
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