When SMU School of Accountancy (SOA) student Irving Yeo Jun Hui sat in in an information session on the second major in Accounting Data and Analytics, he was drawn by the programme content and possibilities that the accounting data analytics modules would offer. Today, he is well on track to complete the second major by the time he graduates this year. In a letter to his professors, Irving reflects on his journey in the second major and how he has benefitted greatly from the experience and content. We reproduce his letter here with his permission.
By Irving Yeo Jun Hui, Undergraduate, SMU School of Accountancy
Dear Professors,
I remember attending the information talks on the Accounting Data and Analytics (ADA) Second Major which piqued my interest in the modules offered.
It was daunting at first, having to learn this foreign concept called “programming” which was something that I had always assumed to be incredibly complex and difficult to understand.
This second major definitely gave me all the basic building blocks to start understanding Data Analytics, as it covers fundamentals in both Statistical Programming (R) and Data Management (SQL). I realised also the importance of self-learning beyond what is taught in class.
The ADA major equipped me with a good foundation, and when I was ready to build my knowledge further, I was able to read and understand resources like Stack Overflow from the internet thanks to my ADA foundation.
I’ve learned from my experience that it’s best to talk to either a senior in the second major or a friend from the School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) to find out if data analytics is a good fit for you.
Irving (left) at his Overseas Community Service Programme to Project Gazaab in Nepal
What I cannot recommend more though would be for future students to clear the Data Management (SQL) or Statistical Programming (R) modules quickly and to pursue an internship to get a hands-on experience in applying their knowledge in a business context.
Based on my own internship experience, I applied most of what I learnt in ADA; from the visualisation technique taught in Data Modelling and Visualisation; to recommending regression analysis and classification trees taught in Statistical Programming to my bosses; or querying and cleaning a database in SQL taught in Data Management. These provided opportunities for the application of ADA knowledge in different analyses and scenarios.
Lastly, I would highly recommend that future students take full advantage of the school’s Datacamp subscription which is provided for free for a few modules. Self-learning a language from scratch is hard, but Datacamp helps to breakdown the learning process, and has a myriad of advanced courses (some of which might help with the ADA projects that students will need to do).
Thank you to all the Professors who have been involved in developing and teaching this second major!
Best Regards,
Irving
Keen to embark on a journey with SMU? Learn more about our Bachelor of Accountancy programme today.
