February

Monday, February 4

Hi @channel, happy Monday and happy February! It’s hard to believe we are already in month 2 of 2019- the next couple months are going to fly by! Which reminds me…

BAND and DAND deadlines in 2 months!

2 months from today is the final deadline for BAND and DAND, on April 4. Many of you have been working on your Nanodegrees for a while now, and I’ve noticed that progress has slowed down a bit. This makes sense considering the holidays and length of the programs, but I want to give you all a shout-out for the progress you’ve made so far :mega: and push you to keep working towards graduation!

2 months will FLY by, so don’t let yourself fall behind or get out of the study groove for too long. To help you stay on track or catch up, we’re bringing back an old Bertelsmann scholarship favorite, #60_days_of_code!

Join #60_days_of_code and share your goals, daily updates on your progress, and cheer your peers on as they work through their coursework too! Just like in Phase 1, this is to keep folks on track for the remaining 2 months- I know it can be tough to keep motivation up among all your other life commitments, so use this as a springboard to get your motivation in gear!

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Attn: DFND students- career projects expiring Thursday, February 7!

Remember that all students’ career projects are valid for 30 days after their Nanodegree end date, which means that DFND students have until Thursday to complete their career projects! Don’t miss out on this amazing resource!

You can access your projects via the Bertelsmann Career Resource Center: https://career-resource-center.udacity.com/career-services-for-bertelsmann-scholars
Be sure you’re logged into your Udacity account, then navigate to that URL
Scroll down, and you’ll see project cards for each career project

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REMINDER: Alumni event this Wednesday!

Building Your Career Startup

Wednesday, February 6 @ 12pm PST

How would you treat your career differently if you saw it as a startup?

In this session, Front End Nanodegree Program alum Andrew Huschka shares his perspective on how you can take the reins of your own career. A current manager at ExxonMobil and advisor to Skills Xcelerator, Andrew will teach you how to apply an entrepreneurial mindset to launch, grow, and develop your own career.

Agenda

20 min - Presentation by Andrew Huschka
15 min - Moderated discussion with Udacity
25 min - Live Q&A

Learn more about Andrew’s story

RSVP here

That’s it for today everyone, but I’ll be back later this week with more updates and announcements! Keep learning!

Wednesday, February 13th

Hi @channel, and happy Wednesday!!

I hope you are all having a *fantastic* week! We are a mere *SEVEN* weeks away from the final BAND and DAND deadlines on April 4. The next several weeks are going to fly by, so don’t let April 4 sneak up on you! Here are some suggestions to keep you on track for April 4:

Feeling behind in your coursework?

Make a study plan!! This advice has been shared 100 times, but it’s more true now than ever! Don’t wait for there to be time in your schedule to study, MAKE there be time in your schedule to study!
Ask for help! Head to project-specific or #dand_live_help or #band_live_help to ask technical questions of your peers to help you get unstuck on those tricky problems
There’s a whole community for this! #turtle_squad is specifically for students who are maybe progressing a little slower than they originally hoped, but are steadily plodding forward to the finish line! Find your :turtle: friends and make study plans!

Or maybe you’re just feeling burnt out?

Set little goals that keep you moving! Join #60_days_of_code to share your daily learning goals with your peers, and updates about when you achieve them! Focus on tiny goals instead of the huge ones, and break them down into daily tasks to keep you on track.
Celebrate yourself! Everyone needs to reward themselves for hard work- share and shout yourself out in #humble_brag, or do something as simple as treating yourself to a dessert, a movie, or something else that you love after hitting a milestone or goal!
Don’t forget study breaks! Take a break and head over to #memes, #motivation, #music, or wherever else you can unwind from studying for a minute.

Remember why you joined this scholarship in the first place, and hang on to that as your north star as you keep progressing over the next 7 weeks!

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Do you have big plans for your data?!

Caroline Watson, who works closely with students and alumni to help them share their stories and promote their vision, would love to hear from students in data Nanodegree programs how they’re using data to make the world better. She is hoping to talk to students who are *building the impossible*, making the *world a better place,* and successfully *executing moonshots* - people who are working on world-changing projects or at companies and non-profits executing altruistic and incredible missions.

Does this apply to you? Would you be interested in sharing your story and possibly being featured on the Udacity blog? (this is a great thing to share on LinkedIn and social media!!) Please DM me to let me know, and I’d be happy to connect you with Caroline!

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Alright folks, that’s it for now. Keep studying, stay focused, and reach out to me and each other when you need help- you can do this!

Friday, February 22

Hi @channel, and TGIF!! I hope you all are having a *great* week!

I have an exciting announcement to share! Bertelsmann has opened applications for their 12-month rotational data science program, MEDIAn, and they reached out to encourage scholarship students to apply!

THE DETAILS:

Find a full description here
There are two rotations- one is based in New York, the other in Germany. Both may require some international travel during the 12 months, so candidates need to be able to live abroad for extended periods
They are currently accepting applications for the US-based rotation, and the EU-based rotation opens in March
US rotations start Fall 2019; application deadline for the US program is March 31, and offers will be given after interviews wrap up in April

WHO QUALIFIES?

The program is open to anyone in the world; if you do you not have work authorization for the country/region that you’re applying for, then you can apply for this if you are offered a position.
You do not need a Masters or PhD as the requirements state, however they will be looking for a comparable skill set acquired through work or other education.

WILL I BE RESPONSIBLE FOR HOUSING COSTS IF I MOVE FOR THE PROGRAM?

Participants of the program are expected to maintain a primary residence in the country they’re based in, which you are financially responsible for. If you are on a rotation that is too far from your home to commute, then Bertelsmann will cover the cost of housing.

I’M MORE INTERESTED IN THE EU ROTATION; SHOULD I APPLY TO THE US ROTATION ANYWAY?

I’d recommend waiting for the EU application to open and applying to that!

DO BERTELSMANN SCHOLARS GET EXTRA CONSIDERATION?

Unfortunately being part of the scholarship does not guarantee consideration for MEDIAn, but showing dedication to your continued growth and learning is *absolutely* a strength you should highlight in your applications, and I highly recommend mentioning the scholarship in your application- it can only help you!

INTERESTED?

Great!! Please read more and complete the application here

ONE MORE THING!

After you have applied, please fill out this very brief form: this is just to help me know who has applied!

That’s it for today, I’ll see you here next week! Please reach out with any questions- I don’t have a ton more information but I’d be happy to try to answer them!!

Wednesday, February 27

@channel Hello scholars, and happy Wednesday!

The final deadline for both BAND and DAND is a mere five weeks from tomorrow!!!

Remember, this means that all your projects must be submitted and passed by 11:59pm PT on April 4 in order to graduate from your Nanodegrees. Do not let this date sneak up on you!!!

As a final push and to bring this community together before the final deadline, we are hosting a Study Jam on Saturday, March 16 from 8am to 8pm UTC!!!

To make this Jam as impactful as possible, I want to hear what all of YOU want to see covered!

Please fill out this form before Monday, March 4 to indicate your preferences, and if you want to host a Study Jam session, please also indicate this in the form!

I know that with work, school, and family commitments, folks in Phase 2 have been working more independently, but I hope that bringing this community together for a final push helps as many people graduate as possible! We are #bettertogether!!

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