ERGO Experience Stories: Data Scientist - Armin
What connects you with ERGO and how did you come to ERGO?
For my Master's degree, I studied in Munich, where Munich Re is a massive presence. However, since I moved back to my home in the German state of Franconia after my studies, it was very convenient that Ergo Direkt (which is part of the Munich Re Group) is located in Nuremberg. I looked for potential openings there and was lucky; the Advanced Analytics division was recruiting at the time. After a very quick and straightforward application process, I started working at Ergo Direkt in June 2018.
What is your job at ERGO?
I work as a Data Scientist in the Advanced Analytics division. Our task is to develop statistical models that improve existing processes and make them more efficient. For example, we have developed artificial intelligence that is able to "read" incoming e-mails and assign them to the right department. This relieves the departments enormously, as incorrectly addressed e-mails no longer have to be forwarded manually.
What is your academic background?
For my Bachelor's degree, I studied sociology at the Otto-Friedrich University in Bamberg. This is very quantitatively-based there, so this is where I discovered my passion for analyzing data. In order to consolidate this passion, I then applied to do a Master's degree in "Statistics with a focus on economics and social sciences" at the LMU Munich as a career changer and successfully completed it.
What do you want from your current or future employer?
Independent work on projects, fair and respectful interaction between colleagues and superiors.
What do you particularly appreciate about ERGO?
My colleagues. In order to develop our models and bring them to life, we work together with many other departments (specialist departments, IT, etc.). It never ceases to amaze me how motivated and helpful the whole team is in driving the project forward and bringing it to a conclusion.
Which ERGO experience do you remember most?
The B2Run 2019 in Nuremberg, where we competed with a large team despite the sweltering heat. The event was also a great opportunity to get to know colleagues from other departments better.
What would you like to give students to take with them on their way?
Not to be afraid of "detours" or to adjust the direction of your studies if your own interests change. For example, at the beginning of my sociology studies, I never expected to end up working as a Data Scientist.
This article is published in cooperation with ERGO. It was originally published by Lehrstuhl für Finanzmathematik Technische Universität München. You can read it here: Data Scientist – Armin - Lehrstuhl für Finanzmathematik (tum.de)