.png?sfvrsn=cf6a229d_6 "Sandeep Bansal Headshot")
In early 2020, Sandeep Bansal was just starting on his journey to become a data engineer, transitioning from a career in the health care field. He was studying for his first CompTIA certification and pursuing his master’s degree in data science at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Of course, what he could not anticipate was a global pandemic.
While the pandemic certainly challenged people worldwide – from job loss to illness – it also allowed many others to reshape their careers for the better. That’s precisely what Bansal did. Shifting his career from health care to data science and acquiring five CompTIA certifications, he now embraces his role in the data science industry.
Finding Interest in Data Science and Technology
Bansal was first exposed to the technology space when he was living in Virginia and working in health care. His roommate at the time was a data scientist for a large credit card company and would often share the kinds of tasks he was working on.
Bansal felt comfortable in his current career and at the time had little interest in making a change. However, after hearing more about working in the tech field and observing his roommate's day-to-day lifestyle and work-life balance, he realized that a transition to technology would be a better career move in the long term.
Although Bansal didn’t initially possess a great deal of the tech-related experience that data science requires, he realized that his health care role relied heavily on data.
"There is a lot of data science and analysis used in health care that is needed to make not only business decisions, but also decisions in regard to medications that are suggested for patients," Bansal said.
Upon this realization, Bansal decided to take his existing data and analytics experience in health care and pursue a new career in technology, specifically in the data science industry.
Transitioning from Health Care to Data Science with CompTIA Certifications
The health care industry has to change and evolve just as much as the technology industry. This led Bansal to focus on data science as a potential career. His decision was a result of exploration and the discovery that there is a lot to learn and, better yet, that he could take multiple career paths within the data science field.
Armed with his health care experience and a bachelor’s degree in biological science, Bansal said the biggest reason for his career shift was the flexibility and autonomy that data science and technology offer.
"In technology, if something is of interest, you can go and learn it without having to meet a prerequisite,” Bansal said. “Our generation is already more versed with technology intuitively than previous generations. To me, that means you can never get bored with your career. The possibilities and avenues are endless as long as you have the willpower and drive to learn it."
Choosing Multiple Certifications for a Diverse Career Path
Bansal knew that studying and transitioning his career from health care to data science would be challenging, but he was ready to take that challenge head-on. He did not possess any prior knowledge in the data science space, nor did he have any previous work experience. Despite this, he decided to teach himself and gain hands-on experience in the field through jobs, internships and fellowships while earning certifications and working toward his degree.
Bansal started studying for CompTIA certifications that he felt would provide him with baseline knowledge of networking, security and cloud computing. He studied for and passed the CompTIA Network+ exam to get his first certification. He followed that up with CompTIA Security+ and rounded out his knowledge with CompTIA Cloud+. Earning these three CompTIA certifications also earned him two CompTIA Stackable Certifications - Cloud Admin Professional and Secure Cloud Professional.
Bansal attributes his success to multiple study guide sources and his drive to achieve. He suggests regularly reviewing the exam objectives, watching videos about each certification course, pouring over exam books and taking numerous practice tests.
Learn 7 Ways to Prep for a CompTIA Exam
Integrating Learning for Career Advancement
Bansal strongly believes in being a life-long learner in your career.
"Studying is an entirely new tech role. In my experience, it means keeping up skills that I have previously learned while remaining up to date by reading research articles and connecting with other IT pros in our ever-evolving industry,” Bansal said.
There’s no doubt this IT pro feels that acquiring CompTIA certifications alongside his degree has given him a competitive learning advantage in his new career as an AWS data engineer. It provided him with baseline knowledge of many of the most critical technical roles in the data science industry.
These certifications also helped tremendously during his job search – giving him an advantage over other applicants who did not possess the same certifications. Overall, Bansal feels that certifications offer more than just a credential, but an opportunity to learn, evolve and advance your career for the better.
Ready to start your tech career? CompTIA can help you unlock your potential with training and certifications. Find out which IT pathway is right for you.
