On pursuing a career in technology and her motives to become a data science for social good
Ruila Puskas-Juhasz is a current Berkeley MEng candidate studying Industrial Engineering & Operations Research with a focus on Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship Strategy. For her undergraduate degree, she studied Signal Processing for Artificial Intelligence at Télécom Paris. Here, she shares her aspirations to become a data science for social good.
What do you study and why did you choose it?
I’m studying Industrial Engineering and Operations Research after a Master’s in Signal Processing for Artificial Intelligence from Télécom Paris. Pursuing a career in tech hasn’t been an easy choice. I’ve always been interested in the business and social implications of a technical solution, and scientific and managerial training are traditionally opposed. Yet, I could never split my love for data from an aspiration to work in a team and address strategic issues together. These are two sides within the same coin of my personality. This degree at UC Berkeley enables me to have dual coursework in both data science and leadership.“This degree at UC Berkeley enables me to have dual coursework in both data science and leadership.”
Can you tell us more about the artificial intelligence (AI) affinity group you are leading?
The AI affinity group features professionals currently working on issues related to AI in many different fields, namely robotics and software engineering.The purpose of this group is to learn more about how AI is leveraged on a daily basis in industry.What are your professional goals?
I aspire to be a data scientist. I would like to leverage my skills in data and project management to solve customer interfacing problems. Gathering and unveiling the story behind the data in order to spur data-driven decision-making can help companies make better and sometimes more ethical decisions.“The man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after” — Newton D. Baker
What kind of impact do you want to have on the world?
As a student aspiring to be an engineering leader, I would like to contribute to the effort of turning loosely defined customer interfacing problems into actionable solutions. I feel that companies are only scratching the surface of data’s potential. Thus, I would like to be part of this commitment to put data at the heart of all projects.What are some of your hobbies/passions?
I’ve been playing piano since I was four years old. I realized soon enough that, in addition to being a creative activity, music also has complex and intricate rules. These rules are what makes music so beautiful. You have to master the rules to be a very good musician, you have to have a structure in order to be creative. It’s quite similar to data: at first sight, data is unstructured, illogical, but when you analyze it with the proper tools, you can unveil very interesting conclusions. Connect with Ruila Puskas-Juhasz.Fung Feature: Ruila Puskas-Juhasz, MEng ’21 (IEOR/IPES) was originally published in Berkeley Master of Engineering on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.