A story by Anna Yusufova, Practicum graduate from the first DA cohort in Israel

4 years ago I made Aliyah. As for everyone who moved to Israel, it was very important to find a decent job. In Ukraine I’ve worked as a Business Analyst and Project Manager in IT. I decided to look here for the same roles. After months of searching, I found my first job at a multinational FinTech startup as a PM and mainly handled marketing and product analytics. It was a great opportunity for me since I knew how the business worked, how to measure its performance and what actions were required if some business areas needed improvement.

Together with this, I couldn’t stop thinking that I wanted to become a totally technical specialist, who works 70% to 80% with numbers. I have carried out research on what is required for Data Analyst roles in Israel and discovered that many companies look not only for SQL and BI tools knowledge, but also for Python. I decided to find a good course for Python and tried different e-learning platforms. But whenever I had trouble with these difficult tasks, complicated code, I did not know whom I could ask for help. I searched Google for the same task and struggled to find the right answer. All of this was extremely frustrating and demotivating. After that I decided to go to a Hi Tech college. I successfully passed a series of tests, attended my first lesson and… I didn’t like it. I felt that I was not ready to pay for the course where 20 students sit in a small class, 2 per one computer, and no one gets any personal attention.

Some time later, I ran across an article on a Telegram channel that Yandex is opening a first cohort in Israel and anyone who wants to can apply by passing the following tests: technical tasks + oral presentation + interview with Yandex Practicum. Over 3000 people who were willing to study with Yandex were added to Slack at the beginning! Yandex promised to accept only 100. Even though the competition is challenging, I thought I should try. I was delighted to be accepted by Yandex, but the challenges were just beginning.

At the start, it was extremely hard. Courses required strict deadlines and every new lesson got more and more complicated. I didn’t have any free time those days. I went to bed late at night and woke up early in the morning to complete course assignments on time. I kept going and didn’t quit.

It may sound corny, but I’d say - never give up. |n the past year | learned that the human brain would want to make our lives simpler and would resist at the beginning to every challenge that we create for ourselves. We just need to keep going, step by step. I’ve learned about myself that I’m persistent and goal oriented.

Unlike other courses that I’ve taken previously, Yandex Practicum provides a very strong student support and mentorship program. We had our group chats on Slack and WhatsApp, so that everyone who had an issue or a question could ask for help and get the answer straight away.

Students were supporting each other all the time. We had very professional mentors, who organized webinars for us and shared their expertise in data and business. All those webinars, mentorship and support fueled and strengthened my motivation to learn. I once asked my mentor for help with preparing for a job interview, and he consulted me from 10pm until 11pm! I felt that they really invested in our success. That course gave me a very strong base for Python in Data Analysis. After that I was interviewed by three companies, received two offers, and chose the best fit for me.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it. Organize your time, so tha nothing would distract you from studying. Clean code is important, but more important is to understand how business works, what metrics help to measure the success. Networking is crucial in the job hunting process.

Currently I continue studying with Yandex. After finishing the DA course, I took another one in Data Science. It is very interesting and exciting for me to get deeper knowledge in data analytics, Machine Learning, forecasting and predictions.

I think that learning is a never ending process, especially in a high-tech world. Those who are thinking of taking this course, but have doubts, I can assure: the effort invested during the course is worth the benefits gained at its end. If working with data and finding patterns among events is something that interests you, I would recommend taking the Yandex Practicum course.

l really like my job. Being a Data Analyst is like being the right hand for business owners and anybody who makes decisions in the company. It is a great responsibility and even the greatest reward. Because at the end of the day | know that | made an impact: helped users to get better service and helped the company to improve business metrics, by providing valuable insights.