What is Big Data? (taught by my favorite cartoons)

Managing big data is a big job! (source)

So, what is big data?

Me: Um......it's data...that's big......

Though not the most eloquent response, it's not wrong. Big data can mean different things to different people, and it varies across industries--some solely connect it to digital data while others don't want to forget the traditional form of data. This Forbes article really gets into the different types, but I'm going to go with a simpler answer: Big data essentially is a really large data set.

We keep hearing about big data whether you're talking about Facebook or the government. And part of that is because almost anything can be used as a data point--from something more subtle like the click of your mouse, to something more obvious like the census.

Why are we all so excited about big data? (source)

So if data has always been around, why are we hearing about it now?

Well, in case you haven't heard, there's this neat-o thing called The Internet, and if you want to be more specific to what's happening now, Web 2.0. With Web 2.0, we have a platform to share information (the Internet) and a bottom-up flow of information where web consumers can contribute more data points than ever before! (*Think about every Netflix show you've binged or movie you've watched and how that contributes to Netflix's recommendations for you...)

Okay, so how do companies use big data?

Again, using the simplest definition: Data is information. Information is knowledge, and knowledge powers many industries. Industries like media, healthcare, and education are all using big data to target audiences, have a stronger impact, and improve their practices. 

Big data can be used for a multitude of purposes, and almost any industry is going to be looking for someone who can demystify the data mines. I'd say that if you're interested in marketing or research, data analysis is definitely something you want up your sleeve--or something you will encounter nonetheless. Also, data journalism is a real buzz word right now, so having data analysis skills as a journalist wouldn't hurt either.

Definitely know what you're doing before playing around with data (source)

How can I get skills useful for data analysis?

For me, data analysis can be as simple as gathering survey responses and analyzing responses for trends, which is what the Tufts Trends project of Tufts Enigma is working on. Through this group, I've gained a lot of perspective on the way data can be used from learning about the Tufts community, to exploring Massachusetts's teen pregnancy stats and abortion access, to visualizing the word analytics of presidential addresses.

However, to avoid a totally shameless plug for this (great!) publication, I want to highlight other ways you can get familiarized with data both at Tufts and on your own:

• There are clubs on campus that use big data: While Tufts Enigma loves data, econ and consulting organizations like 180 Consulting do a lot with data analysis for their clients. Tufts Financial Group uses data analysis as well to focus on finance and investment.

• Practice using Excel: I know you've heard it a million times before, but I'm going to say it again: Excel is an extremely helpful tool across disciplines. You can learn from videos, websites, friends, enemies--however you can. There's a million resources out there!

• Intro to Statistics: I know, I know--it's not the most fun class, but knowing the basics will really help for jobs/projects that ask for knowledge in probability, estimations, regressions...(at this point, I don't even know what I'm writing...) There are stats classes that focus on specific social topics like Health Care and Child Development which would offer additional research and analytic skills on a topic that may interest you.

• Research with a professor: If a professor in your field of interest is working on a project, ask if you can be a research assistant. As an assistant, there will definitely be a lot of data entry and number crunching, so a learning opportunity for sure!

I hope this helped demystify big data a little bit. It seems like something that big businesses have a hold over, but in reality, big data's influence and hype comes from the fact that it can come from anywhere and be used by nearly anyone!

Analyzing big data
or goofing off on Facebook...?

Thanks for reading!
Nina Joung
Class of 2018

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Demystifying "Research"

Recently, I caught up with an old friend from high school. For years, she thought that she wanted to go into the field of scientific research. But during our conversation, she mentioned that she had dropped her Chemistry major and planned to change to Communications or English. When I asked why, the answer she gave me was simple: “It’s just too hard,” she said, “and I realized that I hate research.”

It's too easy to find these pictures. I literally
googled the word "scientist". Lab coat,
goggles, test tube. Cliche.

When most of us think of research, we think of mad scientists and flasks full of strange-colored liquids and hours of number-crunching. Images that come to mind might include cliché stock photos of people wearing safety goggles and white lab coats while holding up a test tube, or a disheveled-looking man hunched over a desk late at night, or Dexter’s Laboratory and Big Bang Theory-esque nerds programming a robot to love. We might think back to our fleeting experiences with high school biology and chemistry, and the dreaded “lab days” where we’d have to perform a titration or dissect a frog, which basically meant placing bets on the first kid to run out of the room in disgust. But what exactly is research? A lot of students come to Tufts with plans to major in the sciences, but many of these students (myself included) have had little prior research experience. Research experience is a common criterion for medical school and many other graduate programs, and a requirement for acceptance into a PhD program. But many students often jump into research projects without knowing what to expect, and some, like my friend, are disappointed by the reality. A far more common travesty, however, is the total writing-off of research by many, when in fact research is an ideal industry for many people. Through a little bit of Internet scavenging and a lot of asking around, it’s pretty easy to learn things about research that you may not have known.

Research, simply put, is the practice of inquiry and discovery: to find the meaning behind an idea or phenomenon. For one thing, research isn’t confined to the sciences – it spans across disciplines such as economics, sociology, public health, biomedical engineering, and marketing. A recent post from Wetfeet.com, a great site to peruse for career development tips and tricks, excellently explains the broadness of research in the professional world. Another common misconception is the social isolation that people imagine when they think of research. A friend of mine here at Tufts wants to pursue research in biology for this very reason. Although it is true that research is not the most “social” job in the world, interpersonal and communication skills are a definite requirement. Researchers need to relate to their peers, supervisors, and the public the significance of their findings, often through papers, publications, lectures, or simple discussions. Furthermore, grant-writing is a staple of any researcher’s livelihood – without funds, it’s difficult to perform research of any kind. It’s important to be able to communicate with others, through words or writing, and thus skills in these areas are a must.

You just can't make this stuff up. This time I googled
"researchers". Come on, Google, step your game up.

Now that we’ve examined research (only to a small degree – I claim no expertise in understanding a field so immense), how can we explore it for ourselves? You guessed it – professors here at Tufts. Most college professors are, first and foremost, researchers. They take great pride in what they do, and often they’re willing to bring on an undergraduate assistant to help them get an idea of what research is really like. As you probably know, it’s easy to find out if professors’ research interests match your own – simply at department websites for a list. (These websites may also tell you if a professor has room for an undergrad in their lab – a big time saver that will spare an awkward email or two!) It may seem scary to approach a professor. They’re smart and important and, if you’re anything like me, you feel a need to impress them and make them like you. But, as my pre-major advisor once explained to me, the nature of the culture at Tufts facilitates faculty-student interaction. It’s why many classes are capped at small numbers (finally, an explanation for why you always get locked out of classes come registration week!), and also why students must seek out advisors rather than simply receiving an assigned advisor. For the most part, any professor will be willing to spend a few minutes discussing research with you. Tufts offers incredible research opportunities, especially over the summer, for students interested in pursuing research. Or, if you’re interested in research opportunities outside of Tufts, that’s a possibility as well, and a great way to expand your network beyond the Tufts bubble. We’re very fortunate to be close to Boston and its renowned research institutions. The opportunities are certainly out there.

Like I’ve said multiple times, research is a broad realm. This short blog post does little to encompass everything about the field. At the very least, it emphasizes the importance of research experience to college students, and the impact it can have on your career. So, if you’re torn between chemistry and physics, or want to know what a marketing researcher does, or just want an experience to spend time in Boston (or at least outside of your dorm room), consider the rewarding opportunities of research.

Until next time,

Sean Boyden

Class of 2017

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Ask the Career Counselor: Salary Expectations

Okay, so you're filling out an application and you see a question asking about your salary expectations. Yikes! What now? Well, as you can imagine, you wouldn't want to address this question without doing some research. Your goal in providing an answer will be to give a reasonable range that allows for future discussion and negotiation with the employer.

Ideally, the employer will be the first to propose a salary range, usually toward the end of the intereview process. You'll then be able to use your research to determine how the employer's range compares with your estimate.

What about an online submission that requires a salary range as part of the application process? In this case, you may need to be prepared with your answer a little earlier. When given a blank text box, some candidates refrain from providing a specific number and instead say "competitive salary range." Still others provide a general statement such as "If selected for an interview, I would be glad to discuss my salary expections in person and would be eager to hear more about [name of organization]'s compensation package." Dodging the question may be a risky approach, however, so it's best to discuss your approach with a career advisor first.

Regardless of when salary enters the conversation, you'll need to be ready! What do you need to know to get started? You'll definitely want to be on the lookout for commonly used job titles for the positions that interest you. Whether it's "paralegal" and "legal assistant" or "account coordinator" and "assistant account manager," keep track of different titles when you're looking at employer websites or search engines. Check out this page - Where are Tufts graduates working? - to see survey data from recent Tufts grads, including employer name, location, position title, and more.

You can also take advantage of our subscription to The Vault Online Library for information about typical career paths and employers in the fields that interest you. For example, I might download the Vault Guide to Book Publishing to understand how career paths and job titles differ between the editorial, marketing, sales, and production areas within publishing. To access the Vault Guides, create an account with your Tufts email address, log in, and click "Guides" at the top of the page.

In addition to job titles commonly used by employers in your field of interest, know your geographic preferences and how those locations will impact salaries. You may not make as much as an entry-level consultant in Madison, WI as you would in NYC, but the cost of living is also much lower! Check out this post for resources that will help you create a budget that factors in your expected salary and cost of living.

Once you have a list of job titles and geographic locations, you can use the following websites to gather sample salary data:
Glassdoor.com
Conduct searches on Glassdoor using position titles (or organization names) and locations. To access all the info on Glassdoor, you'll need to join their community, which is pretty easy. If you've had a job or volunteer position, just provide salary information or a review of the organization or its interview process (all anonymous) and you're in!

Here are a few other sites to consider:
NACE Salary Caluculator
Salary.com

Estimating a reasonable salary range involves collecting multiple pieces of data, which could involve experimenting with different job titles, organizations, and locations. The goal of all your research is to come up with a 5K range that you'll keep in mind throughout the application process.
Remember: Career Services advisors are here to help you navigate the salary and negotiation process! Call 617.627.3299 to make an appointment (in-person, phone or email) with a career advisor.

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Focus on Field-Specific Career Sites

Welcome back to campus! We hope you're able to make some time for a hot chocolate break between trudging through the snow to your classes...
Secret tip: The Dowling Resource Library is a good study spot for snowy days. But enough about the weather, let's talk career stuff!

Today's post features some of our favorite career field-specific web resources. What's that mean? Well, sometimes you may experience frustration when combing through large job & internship search sites that have a little of everything. Sites like these work well if you have good keywords for your searches, but can be a little overwhelming otherwise, e.g., if you were to search "intern" and "New York" and come up with 3,911 results like I just did. One thing you'll want to do is talk to someone in Career Services about how to make the most of these mega-sites. Another tactic involves visiting field-specific websites.

Here are a handful of samples, organized by field, to give you an idea of what's out there:

Advertising/Marketing/PR/Publishing AdAge BookJobs Ed2010 MediaBistro Arts/Theatre/Creative jobs AAM HireCulture Playbill StageSource Biotech and Life Sciences BiologyJobs Science Careers Education NAIS SchoolSpring TeachAbroad HigherEdJobs Engineering and Technology EngIN Dice Lots of professional associations like AIChE, ASCE, BMES, IEEE, SWE, and more! Entrepreneurial Fast Company U.S. Small Business Administration Startup Journal Environmental/Sustainability CSRwire Eco.org Links from the Tufts Office of Sustainability

Finance and Consulting Create an account through our subscription to the Vault Online Library to view the following guides: I-Banking and Middle Market I-Banking Sales and Trading Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms ...and more! Government/Nonprofit/ Think Tanks Idealist.org FPRI Directory Making the Difference USAJobs WANGO Health Care and Public Health ExploreHealthCareers HealthcareSource MAHospitalCareers Law & Legal Services ABA Legal Authority Martindale Politics Democratic Gain The Hill HillZoo

Now you might be saying, "Wait - my field of interest isn't on the list!" No worries! This isn't intended to be an all-inclusive list, and finding the best sites for both career research and position listings takes time. For more field-specific information, check out our subscription to the Vault Guides (you'll need to create an account first), Spotlight on Careers, and our Career Resources by Field. Web resources aren't one-size-fits-all, so your friend's favorite site may not do as much for you. Talk to a career advisor about coming up with your own list of go-to sites.

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Tips from an Insider: HR Pet Peeves

Today's question: I've heard a number of horror stories involving job and internship applications. How can I avoid some of the most common "deal breakers?"

Answered by: Robin Kahan, Tufts Career Services

Before I came to Tufts, I worked in HR in a large corporation for years, the last 5 as the College Relations Manager. In that role, I got to see the good, the bad, and the ugly side of students applying for jobs and internships. In all your interactions with employers you want to realize you are being judged.

Use a dictionary, spell checker, grammar checker and a friend who is a good proof-reader before sending your resume and/or cover letter.
A couple of small errors can ruin your chances of getting your resume to the hiring manager. The HR person is screening for attention to detail and may reject a good candidate because he or she types 'there' instead of 'their.'

Don’t call me Mr.
Oftentimes a name does not help you determine the gender of the person to whom you are writing, examples include: Alex, Pat, Taylor, and Chris. Do not guess! Use resources like LinkedIn or call the company to make sure before sending your letter. On a related note, you should make every effort to write to a person by name (not "To Whom it May Concern," or something similar, unless the organization requests this). I know managers who devalue an application if a candidate does not even try to find a name at the company.

If you are interviewing for a job at a company, you had better know about the company and why you want the job.
There is truly nothing worse than a candidate who shows up to an interview without doing his/her homework. You want to be able to bridge your knowledge, skills and abilities with what the company needs, and how can you effectively do that if you don’t know anything about the company?

Don’t ask about salary, but be ready to tell the company your expectations.
Again, do your homework. Understand salaries based on industry, location, size of firm, job title and other specifics of the position for which you are applying. My best advice is not to make it seem like salary is the most important element of the job for you- this rarely helps you land the job. Again, not having an answer to the question on salary expectations will make an employer feel you did not do your research. You don’t necessarily need to have a specific number - a range will do.

Whenever possible give a specific answer.
Interviewers are taught that past performance is the best predictor of future behavior. You want to give an actual example for each question posed. If you remember STAR (specific) situation, task, action, result– you will give an excellent answer in 4-6 sentences.

Do not “stalk” recruiters.
It is fine to follow-up on a resume or interview, but don’t do it every day. As a colleague of mine explained, recruiters will not want to “put annoying people in front of managers!"

Obviously, Tufts students never make any of the above mistakes. I just wanted to share some of the things that drive HR people crazy.

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My Experience with the Internship Search, Part I

Oh…the days when finalizing summer plans was as easy as sprawling green sleep-away camps and elaborate beach get-aways. As we near the pinnacle of our academic paths, many ambitious students choose to fill their time-offs with fancy summer internships, valuable opportunities to experience a professional job-site first-hand. Summer internships encourage students to transfer their classroom skills to a professional, real-world environment, one that might mirror their landing, post-college destination. They’re the students’ chance to start tying together their career aspirations, even before they put on that cap and gown.

As parents and career counselors would strongly agree, the value of the summer internship can’t be underestimated. Perhaps this is why, between cramming for tomorrow’s test, student are in a frenzy about finding this golden internship, that blessed chance to bolster the resume and shed light on a future career. Of course, I continue to be among you. That fear of being swamped in rejection letters and “maybe next summer’s” is constantly boiling in my brain, always firmly etched among my other list of stubborn career-related stressors. But, what I’m here to remind you (and what I’ve realized myself) is that landing a summer internship is far from the tearful impossible. It’s stressful, sure, but if you invest sufficient energy into the process, completely and entirely do-able.

Take my experience of locating a summer internship. It all catalyzed last spring around mid-March, after a series of impossible-to-repress versions of “Uh oh, I should start finding an internship, shouldn’t I?” And there were my parents, never hesitant to inform me of yet another college kid with an opportunity up his sleeve. Frantic and without a clue where to start, I did what I considered most reasonable: I phoned Career Services and sought out a career counselor, in hindsight the best decision I could have made. After leaving counselor Donna’s office for the first time, my reaction was this: why on earth hadn’t I done this before? Meeting with Donna alerted me to the ins and outs of this seemingly impenetrable process, one that I had instinctively shied away from. I learned that landing an internship doesn’t happen overnight, or by crossing your fingers for an out-of-the-blue call. It takes being forthright, dedicated, and always-on-your-game--even in the face of obstacle and rejection.

To start, Donna spoke to me in length about my interests and fortes---and how I hope to transfer them to a concrete professional field. That part was easy; I ticked off my academic and personal loves: reading (loads of genres), writing (journalistically, creatively), and interacting with people. I told her of my budding aspirations to write--ideally for a hip, glossy-covered magazine--and use the written word to absorb what’s around me. I also clued her in to my burgeoning interest in publishing, of bringing an author’s personal words to the public light. With my basic fields of interest set-in-stone, Dona sent me home with a host of internship sites: medibistro.com, journalismjobs.com, bookjobs.com, and more. She told me to peruse each site and come back with a list of opportunities that most pique these very interests.

I returned to Donna with a long typed list of professional opportunities that seemed professionally relevant, personally stimulating, and convenient in terms of time frame. A bulk of my red circles came from bookjobs.com, a media site that offers numerous internship opps at top-name publishing companies and literary agencies. Donna and I discussed that I should try my best at some big-name publishing brands, like Kaplan Publishing and Scholastic Inc, along with some smaller agencies, including a small, NY-based agency, Don Congdon Associates.

Then, of course, came the hardest part: prepping my applications. After re-constructing my out-of-date resume and handcrafting a base cover letter, I ran back to Donna’s office for some much-needed criticism. Immediately, my once-white documents transformed into a sea of red scribbles, Xs, and cross-outs. It was exactly what I needed. After a week or so of scouring perfect cover letter openings, (and yelling at Word for misaligning my resume margins), I got Donna’s final seal of approval. Slowly but surely, I started individualizing my cover letters, finalizing my email messages, and pressing the daunting send button.

Stay tuned for Part II of Cara's experience with internship searching...coming soon!

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Ask the Career Counselor: Making the Most of Your Summer

Today’s Question: I'm looking for ways to continue my career exploration this summer, other than getting a full-time internship. How should I go about doing this?

Answered by Susannah Krenn, Tufts Career Services


Great question! I often meet with students who are concerned that full-time internships are the only worthwhile way to explore potential career paths in the summer. Untrue! There are plenty of other ways to add experience to your resume, begin building connections in fields that interest you, and most importantly, figure out how your skills/interests/values translate to the world of work. Here are 3 to consider:

Think about volunteering with an organization that interests you
Much like an internship can help you test out different kinds of work, volunteering is a great way to gain experience in an area that interests you. Use the Idealist.org Volunteer Search to look for opportunities in your area or check out the Craigslist Community section for volunteer postings.

Request informational interviews
What if I told you that there are 8,800 people who want to share career advice with you? It's true! I'm not even counting the people in your personal network (friends, family, coaches, professors, etc.) I'm talking about the Tufts alumni who volunteer to be members of the Tufts Career Network, and the summer is a great time to ask them for informational interviews. What are informational interviews? Just short conversations with people who can help you learn more about career paths you think you might like. Read more about informational interviewing here, and for a personal testimonial about the process, read Kathy's post about networking.

Conduct research using Career Services web resources
We have a ton of great information on our website, and the summer is a perfect time to check it out. Look at this web resources page for special tools we offer for Tufts students. I recommend the Vault Online Library for PDF guides that give you a sense of the day-to-day work involved in particular career fields. (We tell you all about the Vault in another of our spring blog posts.)

Have fun learning about careers this summer!

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New Resource - Spotlight on Careers

Career Services held a focus group this past Monday to gather feedback from seniors about their expectations for the year. It’s no surprise, but an overwhelming number of students expressed anxiety about the upcoming job hunt. Although this apprehension is understandable, rest assured that there are plenty of resources you may take advantage of to make the process more manageable.

Hopefully by now, all of you are aware of the Career Services Web Resources available to you through Webcenter. Some of these include CareerSearch, Going Global and Internships USA. We are pleased to announce that we have added a new tool to the list called “Spotlight on Careers.”

Spotlight on Careers is part of the Liberal Arts Career Network, whose aim is to “position students and graduates for a competitive advantage in the global marketplace”…sounds pretty good to me.

To get started on your job hunt, choose from one of the many career categories offered to you, such as Business, Arts & Communication, Education, Science & Technology, and Government/Law/Social Services (each one is further broken down into multiple subcategories so that you may hone in on the particular job you are interested in researching). Once you have chosen a career field, you can start to learn about the specifics of that particular industry. Spotlight on Careers will provide you with an overview of the field, career options, current trends, types of employers, and advice from professionals working in positions that may interest you.

After you’ve finished doing a little background work, you may then click on the Jobs/Internship link. This will present you with a list of job/internship search engines that are specifically geared toward locating employment opportunities in fields that appeal to you. Whether you’re a first year student or a senior, it’s a great career research tool!

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