AI and Data Science at University of Northampton

Who am I?

My name is Kelvin Adjei Rounce and I am a student from the AI and Data Science Programme. In the new age of change, I can only speak from a subjective view when it comes to adapting and preparing for it, to best understand my ideas, we need to start with who I am and where I am going.

Who am I? This question leaves a lot of room for reflection which is key when it comes to being prepared for change. I am an individual that takes on the mindset of ‘knowledge seeking ignorance’ Irrespective of the amount of information I may have on any given topic, I aim to maintain this mindset as it allows me to be open-minded which leads to structured change by learning from others.

The Benefits of this Mindset. 

There is an abundant number of benefits that I have reaped from this mindset but the ones I will list will be to do with practical exposure and invaluable experience.

Learning from others – When I first started this journey of wanting to understand Artificial intelligence and Data Science for the changing world, I bombarded my brain with everything all at once: Python, neural networks, Excel, NLP, Big Data, etc… as you can image this approach didn’t really benefit me, why? Because there was no structure.  As a result of not gaining from that approach, I used the mindset I mentioned to purposefully leave my comfort zone and reach out to people on LinkedIn (highly recommend).

I am no stranger to rejections, and I will talk more about that later in my professional experience section, but asking for help on LinkedIn was the beginning. I could list over 30 names that I never got a message back from when looking for a structured approach to learning about the changing world, however, 1 or 2 messages back can out way all those rejections, and for me it certainly did. For privacy reasons, I will not name the names of the individuals that helped me but feel free to message me on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/kelvin-adjei-rounce-06b34824a) for their information or any advice. The Mindset allowed me to leave my comfort zone, be patient, and above all else have resilience. I was able to learn the structure needed to be successful within my learning and the approach I need to take to be most effective when it comes to the changing world.

Professional Experience.  With this mindset, I am blessed to be able to say in my first year I have had the opportunity to expose myself to many different industries and see firsthand how technology is changing the world of corporate. How? This mindset is the core foundation of everything I have been able to do, and networking is the most beneficial result of this mindset.  I want to be practical and give back as I believe that is the best way to spread knowledge so,  through applying to different company events via websites like Bright Network,  Upreach, and SEO, I have had the opportunity to attend and receive offers for insight days and spring weeks at companies like (PwC, KPMG, Reply, Deutsche Bank, Amazon, and American Express)  The is no secret formula to being chosen for these events, and to completely transparent it takes a lot of rejection( insert image here) however I would advise that in your first year, you take advantage of LinkedIn Learning if you have access to it and gain the necessary certificates to stand out in the application process. Within my experience at PwC and Deutsche bank specifically, I got to see first-hand how technology is changing the corporate world form automating mundane tasks to making transactions more effective and using data to benefit the client and the organization.  

Why apply for these programs? Well for one most of them are paid 😊, however, the main reason is that in the changing world, degrees are not all that employers look for. Having practical experience on your side means the likelihood of getting hired skyrockets, alongside this, from personal experience, you can often convert your spring week into an internship for the following year meaning you do not have to stress about application season and can solely focus on your academia. Last but certainly not least in terms of reasons, is the people you meet and the understanding you get form practical exposure.

What I am working on for the rest of 2023.

I am always trying to be best prepared for the changing world and as a result I am currently working on increasing my technical knowledge. Thanks to my professor Dr Mu Mu, I have had the opportunity to start an AWS course on the fundamentals of machine learning, alongside with this I am working on: Watching and Completing Harvard’s CS50 course on YouTube, learning the fundamental’s of all the modules I will be partaking in second year and last but not least preparing for an internship in 2024.

My Aim in this life.

It may sound cliché, but my aim is to help as many people as I can achieve and strive in the changing world, there is a lot of fear surrounding where the world is heading especially in the realm of technology and I want to bring peace, solutions and help individuals understand that there are ways to position themselves to be best prepared for the changing world. I want to use myself as an example and show people that it is possible to break into industries that they may not feel they belong in, I didn’t feel like I would be able to get into an investment bank on the technology side as the offer rate is less than 3% but I was able to do so by the grace of God and I want to showcase that it is possible for anyone as long as they are prepared for the changing world.