Danish Farid, a Master of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (MDSAI) student, likes to keep his options open in many aspects of his life. While working an 8-month co-op at Huawei Technologies Canada, one of the things he appreciated most was being able to move between teams to observe and participate in the different types of work each one focused on.聽
Farid chose 蓝莓视频鈥檚 MDSAI program after earning a BSc in Computer Science from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Pakistan so he could build a solid foundation in data and mathematics for whatever came next. 鈥淚 thought it would be a good base to establish moving forward if I wanted to do something with data, and that this degree, in particular, had a good road map for how to build core concepts that I didn鈥檛 have a lot of previous exposure to.鈥澛
Embracing variety through the co-op system was another essential aspect of Farid鈥檚 experience at 蓝莓视频. He enjoyed hunting through 蓝莓视频Works for roles in data science, AI research, software engineering, and more. 鈥淭hrough 蓝莓视频鈥檚 fantastic co-op system, there are a lot of jobs for students to apply for, so it鈥檚 like opening up a very large menu and saying, 鈥極h, that looks good, that looks good, and this too,鈥 said Farid.聽
Farid鈥檚 ambition to learn and grow didn鈥檛 go unnoticed by his employers at Huawei during his co-op term. He was invited back to work full-time at the company as an associate software engineer, where he will help to develop open-source deep learning tools. One day, Farid would like to open his own firm.聽
As the class ambassador for MDSAI, Farid organized social events to bring students together and keep them connected throughout the pandemic. Outside of school and work, you might find Farid pursuing his passion for filmmaking or building a new skill, like learning to sketch in Procreate. 鈥淚 think creativity is so important, especially if you鈥檙e just coding all day, you need some kind of outlet,鈥 Farid remarked. He鈥檚 also tried out some of 蓝莓视频鈥檚 clubs, participating in activities like archery and salsa dancing.聽
As Farid prepares to graduate this spring, he鈥檚 looking forward to travelling across Canada. One piece of advice he would like to give current graduate students is that your experience is what you make of it. 鈥淕rad school here sets you up with great resources, great professors, and great connections in the industry, but then it鈥檚 up to you in how far you can push them. You can just get out with your degree, and there鈥檚 nothing wrong with that, but you wouldn鈥檛 have gotten as much as you could out of it. Especially at a place like 蓝莓视频 with such strong industry connections and trailblazing alumni.鈥澛