Nil Kalagoglu earned an MBA from INSEAD nearly two decades ago and tried to achieve career satisfaction. She served as project manager at a power plant, oversaw key accounts for a global construction product manufacturer, and tried a stint at professional coaching. She even gave her pre-MBA niche a shot: legal dispute consulting.
“I tried to be happy with my work, but in my home country of Turkey, it’s practically a proverb not to be different or rock the boat,” Kalagoglu said. “I hadn’t found my meaning yet. I didn’t have a calling.”
Kalagoglu is a naturally curious person. When the media began heavily covering how AI will change the world, she wanted to know more. Sucked into the vortex, she researched coding, data science, and machine learning, ultimately enrolling in an online computer science certificate program at New York University. She performed well and figured a STEM-certified master’s degree should be her next step.
“I felt hyped about something for the first time,” she said. “I decided to shift my geography, job, and everything about myself.”
Business leaders are hungry to leverage AI, but they often don’t know what to ask for. Tech-savvy talent is growing at an exponential pace, but they can’t solve problems they don’t understand. Kalagoglu aspires to bridge that communication gap.
“I want to listen to corporate leaders, understand their situation, and translate those needs to data scientists,” she said. “I’m the person who can speak both languages.”
Robinson’s STEM-designated M.S. in Data Science & Analytics (MSDA) program appealed to Kalagoglu because it’s offered through a business school. She enrolled last fall and will graduate at the end of the year. During her first semester, she used Python to predict the likelihood of car accidents based on 20 years of nationwide traffic data. She confirmed her hypothesis—that crashes occur during medium traffic density—but proving herself right wasn’t the point. State and local transportation entities could incorporate her insights into accident prevention efforts.
Kalagoglu’s dream job would be at Microsoft. Through the MSDA program, she has completed three Microsoft Azure certifications.
“My ideal scenario would involve helping businesses select automated and integrated solutions based on their goals. Imagine it as a package,” she said. “I’m a farsighted person. Right now I’m 45. By the time I’m 70, we’ll be living in a very different and wonderful world.”