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Abideen Opeyemi Sobanke

Machine Learning Research Assistant, Switch2 Energy Limited

A profile picture of student Abideen Opeyemi Sobanke on placement

Why did you apply to the University and why did you choose that course?

As at the time when I decided to further my education at the master’s level with Artificial Intelligence, the MSc course in Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics at the University of Bradford seemed to have a practical approach and would facilitate ease of transition to the field relative to similar courses in other Universities in the UK.
Having practiced as a Civil Engineer for half a decade in Nigeria, I had undergone this course to give me the platform to apply Artificial Intelligence to solve the 21st century challenges of Civil Engineering research and practice.

What steps did you take to improve your employability whilst at university [and/or after you graduated?

Upon starting my MSc, I knew I had no prior technical skillset to succeed in this space, warranting me to spend most of my time on building skills which were relevant to the industry. Further, I devoted time working on real life projects where I applied Artificial Intelligence and machine learning techniques to solve business problems.
Upon graduation, I had a portfolio of projects completed in double figures which gave me confidence going to interviews and showing my competence to recruiters.

How did Career and Employability Services support you during your time at university?

The Career and Employability Services were my first point of contact who provided me feedback in regards what my level of competence was, relative to the industry requirements. In addition, I had help fine-tuning my CV and cover letters to suit purpose, coupled with interview preparations for my job applications during and after my studies.

It is quite important to decide on the career path to pursue upon completion of the course, and build capacity in that space, as it could be a daunting task trying to be brilliant in all the aspects of the course.

Tell us about your current job and what makes you successful in securing the job?

I currently work as AI Researcher at Switch2 Energy limited where I am saddled with the responsibility of building scalable AI solutions to practical challenges of heating systems and heat interface units. Prior to this, I had interned with same organisation as a Machine Learning Engineer.

What advice would you give to current students wishing to enter this type of career/sector?

For students of MSc Applied AI and Data Analytics, it is quite important to decide on the career path to pursue upon completion of the course, and build capacity in that space, as it could be a daunting task trying to be brilliant in all the aspects of the course.
Also, building worthy connections with other professionals with similar career interests might be a game changer to landing a work opportunity, especially for international students.