Saqiful Alam went from a teaching career to working as a data scientist at what the video title calls a top social media company. He has advised Bangladeshi startups such as 10 Minute School and Intelligent Machines, has worked with Brac, LightCastle Partners and Bdjobs, and has published research in international and local journals.
In this episode Ahmed Fahad talks with Saqiful about his childhood, his time at IBA and how he got into teaching, including his time as a faculty member at NSU and a TED Talk. They cover why he moved to the corporate world and his life at TikTok, then spend much of the conversation on data science: the core skills data professionals need, from clear thinking to storytelling and soft skills, how local startups use data, and what makes a good leader and a good teacher.
What the conversation covers
- Being a faculty member at NSU, a TED Talk and getting into data
- Why he moved to the corporate world
- Life at TikTok
- Core skills for data professionals
- How to think clearly, and tools to get better at thinking
- Why storytelling matters for data professionals
- Traits of good leaders
- How local startups use data to evolve
- How a good teacher can influence students' lives
- Soft skills, and under-promising and over-delivering
The conversation is in Bangla.