Siddharth Kumaran
Tell us about your Berkeley IEOR experience. What were some of the best memories you had here?
Studying IEOR at Berkeley has been an amazing experience. The close-knit faculty and student body was a great way for me to make meaningful connections with my professors and peers. To be honest, some of my best memories have been casually meeting new IEOR students during office hours and getting to know them as we were working on projects and problem sets.
Why did you choose Berkeley IEOR?
When exploring majors to pursue as an undergrad, IEOR seemed super captivating because it opened my eyes to a discipline that I didn’t even know existed, but I knew I wanted to learn. I found Berkeley IEOR to be a great fit for me because of the department’s focus on both theory and practicality, and its wide range of interesting course offerings.
What was your favorite IEOR class and why?
My favorite class so far has been IEOR 153: Supply Chain Management and Logistics Network Design. I think in this day and age, many of us, including myself, take for granted the intricate process that goes behind ordering something online or finding the things we need in a store. However, this class and Prof. Leachman’s detailed lecturing helped me greatly understand just how much planning and creative engineering goes behind managing supply chains and designing logistics networks. After having taken this class, I truly see the importance of why such a domain exists and how it makes our world function day in and day out.
What are your post-graduation plans? How do you see your skills from IEOR being used in the future?
I will be pursuing a 5th-year M.S. for IEOR at Berkeley in Fall 2021. This summer, I am re-interning at Amazon. After grad school, I hope to get a full-time industry job as a Data Scientist or ML Engineer.
What advice do you have for younger IEOR students?
My advice for younger IEOR students is to have an open mind about the things you are learning within IEOR and even outside. I believe college is a great opportunity to explore various courses and research opportunities. Try to absorb as much knowledge as you can and slowly figure out your passions and strengths along the way. You’ll be surprised to see how things start to connect as you further along in your academic and industry endeavors!