An exciting learning journey of programming in Groningen: Don’t be afraid of trying!

Kazue is from Japan and started her study at the University of Groningen (UG) in 2020. She finished the Pre-Master Marketing in 2021 and completed the Master programme Marketing Analytics and Data Science the year after. 

Learning programming language with almost zero experience

I never dreamed that I would enjoy programming so much. In the past, data scientists were introduced as the sexiest job of the 21st century (and the date was reported to be the most valuable resource in the world). Since then, It is obvious that the attention to job positions related to the data has increased. For dealing with the data, handling programming languages would be one of the most important skills. I learned a programming language with almost zero experience at the University of Groningen!

Some programmes at the UG require students to use one or two programming languages during the courses; my Master’s programme Marketing Analytics and Data Science (MADS) is no exception. When I was doing the Pre-Master in Marketing, I was still not sure which profile of Marketing I should follow after completing the programme (Students can choose one of two profiles: MADS which more focuses on analytics/data engineering or Marketing Management which emphasizes the field of marketing communication, customer management, and branding). 

During my Pre-Master, I gradually found myself interested in data analyses and analytical techniques more than before. Consequently, I decided to take the MADS profile; however, I was quite horrified by the start of my programme because my programming skill was almost zero although students were supposed to use the programming language (mainly R) during my Master's programme. 

Surviving the Programming Challenges

Do you think I was able to survive in the programme? Yes! Now I feel very comfortable using R and even learned the basics of other languages (SQL and Python) during the programme. How could I manage to obtain the skills? Well, the UG helped me very much! There were three important opportunities I got at the UG.

First and foremost, courses in the programme guided me to a great improvement in programming skills. I need to admit that the first block was the hardest since I needed to learn both the theory and how to code. The lecturers provided us with sample R codes and data sets in addition to the lecture slides; therefore, we could play with the data in R in order to get a deeper understanding of the structure at my own pace. Besides, some of the courses gave us individual assignments and these assignments allowed me to improve my coding skills dramatically because I needed to code all by myself and to deal with issues when some errors occurred by myself. In addition, happily, I realized that I was not the one who did not have much programming experience soon after my Master's started; hence, I could work together with other peers to figure out the next step when we had issues. Also, the lecturers were always supportive so I had never felt that I became left behind.

Secondly, massive open online courses (MOOC), in which anyone can study their favorite subjects online helped me a lot. My programme recommended that students took courses in DataCamp, one of the MOOC services; some of the courses were mandatory for us to complete. Since I could actually code on the platform and practice anytime, anywhere, I could keep learning not only in my brain but also with my hands. Also, receiving awesome encouragement from DataCamp when I completed each exercise,  I felt it was easy to stay motivated. In addition to mandatory courses, I did my best to complete several courses in which I was interested (there are numerous courses on the platform), which also helped me improve my programming skill.

Lastly, I participated in the learning community. The learning community is a one-semester course that my Faculty (Economics and Business) provides and students can take any topic they want to learn. A certificate was provided after completing the course. I took basic and advanced courses of “Programming in R.” During the course, I could get lectures and chances to work in a group. In the basic course, I learned a deeper understanding of each topic, practiced coding, and did the homework with my group members. In the advanced course, I learned how to visualize the data and could improve my visualization skills by creating the dashboard (a graphical user interface that provides the information of the data).

The Joy of Programming and Data

Programming gives me happiness when the code works perfectly. Trial and error are key elements to the great improvement in programming as it is a key element to our life. If you are currently thinking of following one of the programmes in which programming skills are required but are worried about whether you can catch up with the courses or if you are interested in programming but you hesitate to take the first step, please do not worry! The UG provides us with sufficient academic support and in the end, I am sure that you find yourself enjoying programming. The data tells us a lot of facts, insights, and findings; day by day, my passion for data is increasing.

Original source: UG Alumni Stories - Kazue Kudo