Alumni Profile: Jabril Eyman, Policy Analytics Credential 2022

Jabril Eyman, a native of Riverside, CA, was attracted to the Policy Analytics Credential (PAC) because of the prospect of learning highly desirable skills that would make him even more attractive in today’s job market. “We live in a world that is becoming more data driven, so I wanted to invest in the skillset,” Eyman said. “The PAC offered me the skills I was after within the context of work I find meaningful.”

Eyman said it was while earning his bachelor’s in political science from San Jose State University in 2019 that he was first introduced to data science. “I had one friend who was majoring in computer science and another who was majoring in economics. We would often have conversations about economics, and from those conversations, I started to develop a new understanding of how data is used to inform decisions. I realized the value of it for both private and public organizations.”
Shortly after graduating, Eyman joined The Braven Accelerator as a fellow. There, he led a research team in conducting quantitative interviews and market research to identify solutions to address the user gap among eBay’s Gen Z users. "We utilized response data to develop a prototype website that would address concerns among target users and presented our work to a team of eight eBay executives."

Simultaneously, Eyman worked as a Policy Aide for the City of Milpitas’ City Manager’s Office. “That was a great opportunity to engage with all levels of leadership. I worked closely with the Vice Mayor, the Mayor, and the City Manager, mostly working on policy memos related to environmental quality and community development policy proposals.” Eyman had originally started as an intern in the office but went on to become a full-time aide. “The whole experience helped shape my understanding of how legislation works at the local level.”

These two experiences fueled Eyman's desire to bolster his quantitative skillset. "I began searching for credential programs that would teach me new skills in data analytics, and when I came across the PAC, the curriculum immediately caught my eye. I had no experience with [the programming language] R and was seeking to get real exposure to it and data analysis—and that’s exactly what I got. I appreciated how they walked us through the interface and the language from the ground up, and now R is one of my favorite coding languages."

Eyman also said the TA office hours and Capstone Project were integral to his experience in the program. “The TAs were great and always very available. And the Capstone Project was the ideal way for us to combine concepts we learned throughout the program and apply them to one cohesive project." Now, as a Data Analyst for Boumerang, Eyman says the skills he gained in the PAC have been invaluable. "Learning how to pull, clean, and manipulate data has definitely contributed to my success with Boumerang. The PAC is a great choice for anyone not quite ready to take the leap into a full-time master’s program but who still wants exposure to the type of work you could do.”