Jenny Ney jumpstarts her second career with the Master of Applied Data Science program

Jenny Ney was a successful freelance classical musician who made her living playing for Broadway shows and in some of New York's most glamorous concert halls. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the public performance world came to a screeching halt. She realized it was time to start working toward a second career. That's when she found the University of Michigan School of Information’s (UMSI) online Master of Applied Data Science (MADS) program. 

A graduate of the Juilliard School, Jenny didn't have a traditional background in data science, but she did have an interest in coding and analytics. Rather than learning from boot camps or Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Jenny decided to look into a degree program to give her a stronger foundation. The MADS program appealed to her because of its connection to the University of Michigan, as well as the flexible nature of the program. MADS students complete courses online and on their own schedule, which was ideal for Jenny, who needed to balance her coursework with her childcare responsibilities.

The online courses Jenny took in preparation for the MADS program also convinced her that this was the right choice.

I felt the best Coursera courses were from the University of Michigan, which was a good indication of the quality of the MADS degree. I could see that U-M had the capability to create meaningful content in a virtual environment.

Read about all the ways Jenny is putting the MADS curriculum to work, including in her new full-time job as a data scientist at Gainwell Technologies, in her Faces of UMSI profile.