NYU Center for Data Science Incredible Alumni: Yassine Kadiri
Data science is a rapidly growing area of study, and yet many people are still left asking, “What actually is a data scientist?” If there were a simple answer, data science wouldn’t be all the rage it is now. What makes data science so unique, among other things, is the vast application of the knowledge and skills it takes to be a data scientist to an interdisciplinary array of studies and professions.
Data is everywhere, and data scientists are following. CDS gives students the tools and networks necessary to set them up for success in whatever industry they enter. But don’t take our word for it… Allow us to introduce the first of NYU Center for Data Science’s Incredible Alumni: Yassine Kadiri.
Yassine graduated from the Masters in Data Science program at CDS in 2019 and is now working at Snapchat. He spoke with us about his experience at CDS, struggles unique to international students, and how he arrived at CDS in the first place.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Tell me a bit about your background.
I grew up in Morocco until age eighteen. Then I moved to France where I studied engineering at École Polytechnique. This school was a blessing as it opened a lot of doors, gave me a strong alumni network and helped me broaden my choices.
As soon as I entered Polytechnique, I somehow felt that the next move was to go to the US. I considered a lot of schools but NYU caught my attention.
How did you get to CDS and what made you choose NYU?
First of all, a few students from my school went there before and they all praised what they’ve found at NYU. Second, Yann LeCun being French, I had heard about him before all the ‘hype’ surrounding deep learning. To have such an outstanding faculty be a founder of this program is definitely a strong signal so I was really interested in joining a program led by someone like him.
Finally, the other argument for NYU was that I received a scholarship from DeepMind. This showed me that beyond academic excellence, the program had incredible connections in the industry. Also, receiving such a prestigious scholarship gave me a lot of confidence and I felt that it was quite a good start to my American journey despite me not having set foot in the US yet.
For all those reasons, I chose to go to NYU even though I had earned admission from other schools like UC Berkeley or Columbia. It turned out to be my best decision, the years at NYU being probably the best years of my life so far.
Which company are you working for now?
In my last two semesters at NYU I applied to many positions. One thing led to another during interviews and I got the position I now have at Snapchat where I work as a Data Scientist.
I was hired at a more senior position than the usual new grad position, which means I have more responsibility but also more freedom to explore interesting and impactful projects so I’m really focusing on my role here. It’s a great position at a fast-growing company in a really diverse city so I truly feel blessed to be here.
I moved to LA because I felt it didn’t have as much tech as other cities, which makes it easier to stand out. My intuition was right in a sense as LA is becoming the next big tech hub in California.
On a more personal level, being a big cinema and comedy enthusiast, I felt that LA was the next stop for me after observing and enjoying the New York scene for two years.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced on your journey so far?
The first thing that comes to mind would be the lack of information. I was always surrounded in college and graduate studies by people who seemed to know where they were going — not that I didn’t know where I was going — but for me it was much less precise especially after entering Polytechnique. I wanted to go to the US, sure, but had no idea on which field or university to choose at the time, for example. I just happened to enjoy Mathematics and Statistics, spoke to an alumn who studied at CDS and there I was studying too at CDS.
That lack of information is something that affects many students and while everybody tries to project this kind of confidence in their choices, I now realize that many just don’t know where they’re going past a certain point in their studies.
How did you overcome this challenge?
Honestly, this is a constant challenge as it just pops up every time you take on a new step or objective in your life. I would say that overcoming this comes by networking with people and compensating the lack of information, thanks to the network effect.
For example, once at NYU, the next step was to find a job after graduation. As an international student in the US, I felt this lack of information once again and even more than ever while looking for a job, as the professional culture here is quite unique. Finding a job in the United States is about meeting the right people, networking, how to get your foot in the door. It sounds obvious and easy but it’s not before overcoming this step. I didn’t know much about the job hunting process here and had to make significant efforts to make it favorable to me, especially as I wanted to go to Los Angeles where the tech scene isn’t as important as in New York or San Francisco.
Do you feel your education at CDS has helped further your career?
The program is a great addition not only to your resume but also to your skillset. In France, studies really emphasize on advanced theory — especially at Polytechnique — and that was helpful but NYU helped me get a more practical sense of what I studied until then. I was surprised when I arrived, as studies at NYU were more practical, more straight to the point. Dealing with data means that you get your hands dirty at some point and NYU kind of forced me to get there, whereas in France I may have stayed at a more theoretical level — even though things have changed a lot in France since I left.
Another great thing about this program is the specificity of it. Data has become a really valuable asset for companies so spending two years all about machine learning and data is more necessary than ever. NYU’s program is very specific to machine learning and data science, which sets it apart from other programs. It’s a statement made by NYU and Yann LeCun to say that data — a very generic term given all the applications it encompasses — deserves a graduate program.
NYU also made me more autonomous and aware of the fields impacted by data. While I was at CDS, I took a class about data at the law school, another in the economics program, another in the psychology department. This underlines how much CDS offers. The university also gave me the chance to meet people from so many schools and fields: law, cinema, economics, psychology, medicine… that’s just insane at the school’s scale. Add to that the fact that you’re in New York and you can understand that those two years were intellectually, socially and academically fulfilling way beyond what I expected when joining this program.
Finally, the professors and the staff were the best component of the program. The staff is always there for you. The professors are all outstanding in their respective fields and yet they are all very humble and open to chat or help in any way they can.
What were some of the most useful and interesting classes you took at CDS?
That’s a tough question given the quality of classes the CDS offers.
The machine learning class by Professor David S. Rosenberg is obviously very useful and detailed, and covers all the aspects of machine learning you want covered before going into an interview. Many companies ask you super detailed questions about the models and why they work, so this class was useful for that. As long as you have your ML in check, mathematically and ‘pythonically’, interviews go generally well.
This course was very useful, along with the probability and statistics class. Some might argue that those are basic classes but even at the very competitive companies or super specialized startups, people expect you to have those basics strongly in check so that you can learn on top whatever the company wants you to learn.
Then you can have more fun, especially during the second year! My favorite and most enjoyable class was probably Advancing Artificial Intelligence through Cognitive Science taught by Professor Brenden Lake. Classes like this are so useful, especially if you start looking into a more research-based position, as you will want more advanced and specific knowledge. This class was basically a comparative study of AI and Human Intelligence, so I ended up learning so much about Deep Learning and the subtle paradigms some architectures have while also learning more about how the human brain works. It’s really life changing, to say the least. The class covers NLP, Computer Vision, Reinforcement Learning, all the topics you want to deep dive into if you’re interested in AI. This is the class I would recommend from all those offered at the CDS.
Do you have any advice for current and future students?
First, talk to Loraine and Kathryn. They are the real superheroes at CDS. Go to them if you have any problems, they are always there to listen. I spoke with them countless times about my job search and many other things an international student in New York can face.
Attend events! CDS hosts a lot of professional, academic or research-oriented events, it’s important to attend all of those as you meet remarkable people.
But don’t stop there. Even outside of events, try to talk to people or professors, work with them if you can, show your quality and they’ll end up helping you in your job search. Also, outside of CDS try to use LinkedIn to connect with people, know the industry better. If you connect well with people they end up referring you to positions at their company which is what you generally need to get interviews in the first place.
By Mary Oliver
