Finding Career Guidance Beyond the Classroom

Integrating projects, experiential learning, and real-world problem solving into the academic experience has helped Ananya Bhooplam Praveen (M.A.S. DSC 2nd Year) build a professional network and become career-ready while earning a Master of Data Science degree.

“There is a supportive culture where students have access to faculty, mentorship, and opportunities to explore their interests both inside and outside the classroom,” she says. “This balance is important because it prepares students not only with technical knowledge, but also with the confidence and practical skills needed to navigate professional environments and make a meaningful impact.”

While at Illinois Tech, her experience beyond the classroom includes participating in a startup accelerator and a summer internship, which helped her apply data-driven thinking in real-world settings. Being involved in student organizations allowed her to collaborate with peers, learn from industry professionals, and stay connected to emerging trends. These connections helped her attend conferences such as Coalesce and TechCrunch, as well as take part in hackathons.

“My team placed first in the data track at the UCLA Hackathon,” she says. “These experiences strengthened my problem-solving skills, teamwork, and connections to academic learning with industry-focused applications.”

Ananya took the data engineering lead of a five-member team to compete at AnDackaThon 2026, a 24-hour hackathon hosted by the Analytics & Data Oracle User Community at San Jose State University. The team took first place by building a real-time marine risk intelligence system, which connects ecosystem data with boat traffic to protect marine wildlife in the San Francisco Bay.

“I walked into the hackathon not knowing the tech stack at all,” she says. “And 24 hours later we had a working system and a first-place win.”

As an Oracle analytics intern at Calix, Ananya focused on improving the reliability and performance of analytics workflows by auditing existing reporting agents, optimizing SQL-based queries, and helping maintain automated reporting pipelines.

“The experience strengthened my understanding of how well-designed data systems support decision-making at scale and complemented the applied learning I have gained through my coursework at Illinois Tech,” she says.

Working on a startup called Deleg8, a smart calendar assistant that brings multiple calendars into a single workspace to help users manage their schedules, she took part in Illinois Tech’s startup accelerator program that introduced her to entrepreneurship. She learned to pitch ideas, present solutions clearly, and understand the broader aspects of building a startup, including finance and legal considerations and professional communication.

“This experience was especially impactful because it gave me a new perspective on innovation and showed me how technical skills can translate into real, user-focused products,” she says. “Each class focused on a different aspect of building a startup, from shaping an idea and understanding user needs to pitching, presenting solutions clearly, and learning how to conduct yourself in professional and collaborative settings.”

Studying in Chicago has made it easier for Ananya to attend industry meetups, tech talks, and professional events. Ananya has also been able to expand her professional network and stay informed about industry trends during events hosted by companies such as Chase, Microsoft, and CCC Intelligent Solutions.

Late-night study sessions at the Paul V. Galvin Library and the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship, as well as being part of student organizations such as Association of Computing Machines and Product Management Club, has allowed her to connect with students from diverse backgrounds who share similar goals and a shared curiosity about technology and problem solving.

“These interactions created opportunities for meaningful conversations, collaboration, and mutual support, both inside and outside the classroom,” she says.

By taking part in Illinois Tech’s project-based coursework, applied learning experiences, and exposure to industry and real-world challenges, Ananya says that she feels confident transitioning into a professional career where she hopes to design reliable, scalable data systems and use data to drive meaningful, real-world impact.

“Being an Illinois Tech student makes me feel challenged in a positive way while also supported throughout my learning journey,” she says. “The collaborative environment and focus on real-world problem solving has helped me grow more confident in my skills and clearer about my future goals.”