Read Chen's Story (Data Scientist Graduate)

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Written by: Chen Chen

Data Scientist Graduate. Started July 2017.

“Before joining Capital One, I spent a lot of time in academia. I’ve completed a degree in Computer Science, a Master’s in Statistics and Maths, and a PhD in Physics. But I wanted to work on big data – I was really excited to apply my transferrable skills in a new field.

At the moment, a typical week for me is focusing on our project to make the model building process more efficient. We’ve created reusable packages to increase automation so that developers can focus on the areas that require human judgement. I’ll also catch up with other teams, support people who are model building, and present results to senior management.

I get to work on real and interesting projects that impact our customers. Our team ensures that our models are adaptable to economic changes; we’re always trying to make the customer experience as smooth as possible. The best moments are when I’ve finished a project and then actually see it being used across different teams.

As well as constantly learning from your colleagues, Capital One offer plenty of training opportunities online, in the UK or overseas. You could focus more on the machine learning area, programming or your presentation techniques. We also have ‘campus time’, which is essentially the freedom to explore new techniques for future projects.

In my team, there’s a clear development path set out for us with six and twelve-month reviews along the way. We all know what’s excepted of us and how we can move up – I’m excited to see where my career here takes me.”