Ryzal Kamis

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Driven by the determination to excel at what he does, Ryzal Kamis made the most of his internship opportunity and eventually landed a full-time position at his company. He reveals more on what spurs him on to success.

Fill in the blank with the adjective that describes yourself best:

I am multifaceted

Please elaborate on why you chose the adjective above.

Before my involvement in data science and artificial intelligence as a career, I participated in areas such as the performing arts where I performed and even directed a theatre play. In my career, I have worked on multidisciplinary domains such as natural language processing and computer vision, both of which are utilised across different industrial applications.

Why did you choose to pursue a banking & finance degree?

When I was in National Service, I got interested in finance, specifically Islamic finance. However, halfway through my studies, I fell in love with data-centric programming and I chose to pursue another line of work.

What was your most memorable experience being in SIM GE?

In my final year, I took the chance to represent SIM at a National Data Visualisation Video Challenge- a national competition. Through that competition, I created my first ever web application and animation video and I managed to clinch the runner-up position.

I was even given a shout-out by Member of Parliament Dr Janil Puthucheary on Facebook! That was the peak of my SIM GE stint and it led me to greater things leading up to graduation.

You interned at AI Singapore. How did you manage to secure the internship?

I applied for AI Singapore’s AI Apprenticeship Programme and managed to get through the rounds of screenings. However, due to some complications with my graduation date, I couldn’t accept the offer. Then came the opportunity for the internship role which I readily took up and it eventually led to full-time employment.

What was your role as an intern at AI Singapore?

I was an AI Project Engineer intern. I worked on a computer vision project relating to IoT and facial recognition technology, as well as a smart reception solution.

How did the internship turn into a full-time role at AI Singapore?

At the end of the two-month stint as an intern, I had to present whatever I had worked on to an audience of software engineers and data scientists. That was sort of a screening process and I guess the directors were happy with the results and decided to hire me. I got offered a full-time position in the month that I was taking my finals and started working very shortly after I took my last paper.

Has the UOL degree programme at SIM GE equipped you for your current job?

The statistics and maths electives are incredibly relevant and I still refer to the topics I’ve learnt from time to time as they form the fundamentals for data science.

What do you think are the important factors for one to thrive at their job?

One should learn to prioritise his or her own battles when it comes to multitasking and having to shoulder a multitude of responsibilities so that burn-out doesn't happen. I try to live by the old and clichéd adage: work hard, play hard. Also, rest hard whenever you can.

What do you hope to achieve in the next three to five years?

I would like to use my technical skill sets to aid non-governmental organisations, non-profit organisations and voluntary welfare organisations in bolstering their workflows, specifically for organisations which are tackling the issue of modern human slavery.

#IChoseTheSIMPathway #ThisIsMyStory

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Posted online, 02 May 2019