Why did you decide to change careers?
I've always had digital-related jobs in different companies. Among others, I worked 8 years in customer support, but it wasn’t a field where I wanted to evolve.
I wanted to transition into a technical profession in data science. I got interested in this field for personal taste and because it’s a highly in-demand sector in Montreal. So I started taking online courses to learn Python and data basics.
How did you hear about Le Wagon?
I met Antoine, the co-founder of Le Wagon Montréal, during a Hackernest event. He talked about bootcamps and Le Wagon's philosophy... I was hooked!
I started attending Le Wagon Talk, a series of events to meet Montreal tech entrepreneurs and some workshops. I got to know the staff very well. I even was the first participant in the
info sessions!
I really liked Le Wagon brand. It's not only a bootcamp but a community that is truly connected to the tech ecosystem.
The team organizes free workshops all year long and this shows that they take knowledge transmission to heart. I liked these values and when the data science bootcamp was launched, I didn’t hesitate to join the first batch.
What did you think of your bootcamp experience?
I really enjoyed the bootcamp because I was able to explore all aspects of data science, from collecting data to putting machine learning models into production. I also learned about jobs that I didn't know about - for example, I realized that I love data engineering.
I found it was stimulating to be challenged every day and to progress in complex areas.
It’s very satisfying to get results when learning concepts like deep learning, natural language processing, or image recognition. And finally, you realize that artificial intelligence and machine learning are mostly about probability and statistics!
How did your job search go after the bootcamp?
I realized that data analyst positions were an excellent gateway to set foot in the industry and later move on to other positions like data engineer.
Since Le Wagon gave me a solid ground to build on, I continued to expand my knowledge, especially in business intelligence, SQL, and back-end development with Python. Then, I worked on personal projects to add to my portfolio. This helped me a lot with the technical interviews!
Recruiters appreciated that I chose to put myself at risk and invest my time and money in a bootcamp to learn brand new concepts. They understood that I was highly motivated and that I put a lot of effort into getting there.
What’s your role at Ludia?
Ludia is a Canadian mobile game development company. I started working with them as a Business Analysis intern.
Today I’m a data analyst working on a specific game. When the development team launches new features or updates, I'm in charge of measuring its impact on players. For example, we look at the effect on players’ retention and behavior, or whether a new feature has generated more revenue.
For this, I mainly use SQL to analyze the data and Tableau for visualization.
How do you use the skills you learned at Le Wagon
The strength of Le Wagon’s program is that you learn how to search for information and it's vital to be autonomous in this job.
We’re always encouraged to cultivate curiosity, research, and learning. It's a mindset that I kept after the bootcamp.
I also learned how to collaborate in a team and use tools like Github and Slack, which are very useful in my job today.
Any advice for people who want to get into data science?
Start simple and experiment with small projects. Even a simple "hello world" can be a win! You have to challenge yourself to succeed in this field.
If you want to go further, Le Wagon is a great accelerator and an excellent first step to get into data science. After that, you have to keep learning to prove yourself!
Congratulations Samuel! We wish you the best in this exciting journey :)
