Meet the graduate
I’m Miranda, a first year Data & Analytics graduate. I’m originally from Cambridge and studied Maths and Statistics at Oxford University before moving to Edinburgh to join the grad scheme.
Were you always sure about the path you wanted to take after graduation?
No – I really enjoyed Statistics at uni and wanted to stay in a numerical field, but I really struggled to find a role that appealed to me until I learnt about jobs in data in my final year.
Describe your current role and tell us what a typical day looks like?
I’m doing a Data Scientist placement in Fraud Prevention, trying to improve the runtime of an algorithm that optimises fraud detection rules. Each day is different, but I usually spend plenty of time coding in Python, and I have a few meetings each day. There are also quite a few calls and events arranged just for grads, and I try to dedicate an hour each day to learning and personal development, which is really encouraged.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love that every day is different, and every day I get to learn something new!
What’s been the steepest learning curve so far?
I had very little experience with Python at uni, so there was a lot to learn about the development lifecycle and how to write good code.
How have you found the transition from university into work?
Since I did Statistics at university I had a pretty solid theoretical foundation for working in data, but it would’ve been helpful to have more coding experience. What’s great about the grad scheme is that it’s open to people from a wide range of backgrounds and you’ll get taught any skills that you need on the job.
Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
I’ve managed to secure a permanent role in Internal Audit which I’ll be starting in September, so I look forward to seeing where that takes me!