ReCAP: Krisoye Smith

Name: Krisoye Smith

Employer: CO-OP Financial Services

Job Title: Data Scientist Lead

Primary Job Functions

• Collaborate with business leaders to discover solutions to their business problems
• Provide guidance to other members of the data science team
• Deliver custom AI driven models and algorithms to our stakeholders

December 14, 2018

What is your opinion on the value of professional certifications?

They clearly indicate that the professional believes enough in their career that they would undertake the effort to complete the certification and has met a common standard that allows them to work efficiently with other professionals with the certificate.

Do you think that earning the CAP is important for students?

It is important. Having the CAP increases the likelihood that students can find an analytics job after graduation because it demonstrates that the student has knowledge across the full breadth of analytics tools and thinking.

How much time did you dedicate to studying for the exam?

I have 20+ years of working experience in analytics so I only studied for a few hours. Maybe 10 or 15.

Describe any potential barriers you see in the industry for those who are not certified.

I believe that individuals without the certificate will have a very difficult time standing out in sea where most are certified.

What is the best advice you can give to someone studying for the exam right now?

I would encourage them to take it seriously.