Tosapol moved from Thailand to London to study Business Analytics and now works in Bangkok as a Customer Marketing Specialist at Agoda. Tosapol shares how his master's degree transformed him from someone with a finance background to someone who had all the tools he needed to thrive in the tech industry.
Why did you choose to study MSc Business Analytics at Queen Mary?
I remember it was a big decision for me when I decided to pursue an MSc in a completely different area from my background, which was Finance. Despite knowing that this was my direction, I had some concerns about adapting to this new field as I would have to start everything from scratch. After I studied for a few curriculums from different places, the one from Queen Mary seemed to be most suitable for me in terms of the studying plan. Moreover, we would have a chance to collaborate with an industry partner and work on a real business case in the final module. This was what stood out the most for me. I considered this to be very advantageous compared to a dissertation, because it would give me a practical understanding of business analytics.
What aspects of your degree did you find most enjoyable and was there anything that surprised you in your studies?
What fascinated me during my studies was the fact that I had a chance to play around with different datasets in different ways, and there was no boundary towards how I could approach them. The only thing that we had to think about was how to make the most appropriate assessment of the data. I know this might sound boring, but you will love it once you become intrigued by it. The one that sparked my interest the most was the one we used in the time series analysis module, where we had to find a trend of pollution levels to forecast future directions.
Can you describe your career path to date and touch on your current role?
Since graduating from Queen Mary, I have been working within the Performance Marketing team at Agoda. Currently, I am working in the role of Customer Marketing Specialist. At the core of my work, it is all about experiments – and this is where the fun happens. We continuously perform data analyses from the database to generate insights. We then think about how we can improve it and develop a framework to test our idea. Finally, we experiment to validate our hypothesis, which later leads to optimization.
My degree has completely transformed me from someone from a finance background to someone who has everything I need to thrive in the tech industry - from programming languages, data analysis, experimentation to logical thinking skills.
How did your degree help prepare you for your current job?
My degree has completely transformed me from someone from a finance background to someone who has everything I need to thrive in the tech industry - from programming languages, data analysis, experimentation to logical thinking skills. Starting from zero, I quickly learned the different programming languages (R, Python, SQL, VBA) and how to combine them with different types of data to extract insights. Apart from that, I also learned a lot about experimentation, which relates directly to my current role. Lastly, the degree has given me a very strong foundation in programming languages. I was able to adapt quickly when I had to learn additional languages relevant to my tasks, which I would not be able to do this well otherwise.
What made Queen Mary stand out for you and what do you think you gained from studying at Queen Mary that you may not have found somewhere else?
For me, the diversity is the answer. I had the chance to meet, work, and study with people from different parts of the world. Getting to know them and learning the cultural differences made me into a very adaptable person, and I still benefit from this until today.
What was it like studying and living in a different country and what advice would you give to prospective students thinking of studying in London?
I had some past experiences studying abroad but they would never be comparable to this one. I had to adapt to so many things, from working to studying style, mainly due to the diversity and cultural differences. For me, this was truly beneficial as it helped me to become more agile and open-minded. I would like to encourage others to do the same – make friends, talk to professors, and be open to changes as much as possible. Moreover, living in a different country on your own comes with a lot more self-reliance. Therefore, I would suggest that you try to manage your time between academic and non-academic tasks efficiently. Do not forget to enjoy London too – make it a memorable year of your life that you will never forget.
What are some of your favourite memories from your time at Queen Mary?
I think it must be the night when our cohort hung out together at the Old Bank of England Pub - big thanks to Professor George, who organised this. We did not usually hang out a lot outside of classroom time, so I had a lot of fun that night exchanging our views on various topics together - including our thoughts about our paths towards the future. That night made me feel a closer bond with my friends and classmates, and I am still in contact with many of them today.
How does your current job allow you to explore the things you’re passionate about?
For me, my passion is to keep expanding my data-related skills. As my current role is very data-centric, I have a lot of resources to begin with. By spending a lot of time working on them, I find myself naturally developing more complex analysis skills – either by having a better understanding of them or an increased querying skill. Consequently, I can keep generating more and more meaningful insights, which eventually creates a business impact. I would say that this is what keeps fueling me to always feel excited about my job and never give up on any challenges that occur along the way.
How can students make the most of their time at Queen Mary?
I would encourage others to get to know and exchange experiences with your classmates. Not only will it be fun, but you will also have the opportunity to learn and understand different cultures, which will be beneficial in the future, especially if you are going to work in an international firm. Moreover, the university has a lot of optional clubs that we can join, ranging from dancing to consulting clubs. It is up to you how you make use of these activities, but all in all, I would say that it will give you a good balance of both the academic and non-academic life of your study.
If you would like to share your story in an alumni profile, please contact Alumni Engagement Coordinator, Nathalie Grey at n.grey@qmul.ac.uk.