About
Jack Campbell's interest towards the field of data science can be chalked up to his natural curiosity and his enjoyment of keeping up with the latest tech news and releases. After a stint studying computer engineering at UC Santa Cruz in California, Jack realized that he wanted to pursue the software side of computer science. This led him to transfer to Boston University (BU) to complete his bachelor’s degree and then enter the inaugural residential
MS in Data Science Program at the
Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences (CDS).
Tell us a little bit about your background before coming into the MSDS program.
I started my education at UC Santa Cruz in California, studying computer engineering. I then transferred to BU because I wanted to pursue the software side of computing in computer science. I’m now studying data science after graduating because I felt like there was so much more for me to learn.
Did you have any professional experience in the field of data science before coming to BU?
Nope! I went directly to grad school after earning my bachelor’s.
What drew you to the MSDS program at the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences?
Initially, I was drawn to the program because the tuition was reduced for the first class admitted, and it was a single-year program. Apart from that, it was an easy decision to make, given that I loved my time at BU thus far. Staying at BU allowed me to continue my education at a university I already knew I liked. It was really nice to keep the community I’d established during undergrad and also meet new friends through my program.
How did you become interested in data science?
I've always been interested in data science, ever since high school. Technology is part of my everyday life, and I like to stay up to date with the most recent technologies that are released. I knew many of these advances incorporated data science in some way, although I didn’t know exactly how. I think seeing the results of data science, in addition to my natural curiosity, was what piqued my interest initially.
What excites you about data science?
Definitely the wide-reaching impact of the field. In my opinion, data science is one of the most interesting fields today. I think it's really exciting that there is so much more opportunity for it to develop and expand across other disciplines. I like that it is an interdisciplinary area of study that can be applied to a wide variety of areas and problems. When deciding what types of careers I wanted to pursue, I wanted a career that was dynamic and could be applied to a lot of different things. I have a large number of interests in a lot of different areas that I’d love to work in. I wanted a career that could apply to any of them, and data science allows me a certain degree of flexibility that other careers might not.
What areas of data science are you most interested in?
At the moment, computer vision, neural networks, and the ethical implications of data science.
What advice would you give to prospective students interested in an MSDS program?
Make sure to stay up to date with your emails from advising. MSDS advising has been really great all year and has been an amazing resource for career opportunities and CDS events.
What are your goals post-graduation?
Currently, I’m hoping to either get a data scientist or software engineering position in an industry that I am interested in and proud to contribute to.
Fun or interesting facts about you.
I am half Asian. I also have an American and Canadian passport.
