Catarina Campos Silva, University of Porto, Portugal
What inspired you to choose an EMOS-labelled master’s programme for your studies?
To be honest, I just came across EMOS by chance. While choosing subjects for my Erasmus at the University of Bologna, the ones that caught my attention were EMOS labeled. As someone who has always liked statistics and wanted to know more about the work in Eurostat and in my country's NSI, I can now say that choosing EMOS was the perfect decision. It provided me with invaluable insights into official statistics and highlighted their crucial role in society.
During your studies, have you participated in any activities dedicated to EMOS students?
During my studies, I had the opportunity to participate in the European Big Data Hackathon and complete an internship at Statec (the NSI from Luxembourg).
Undoubtedly, participating in the Hackathon was one of the best and challenging experiences of my academic journey. Those days were intense but I was able to work with my team and learn so much in such little time.
Additionally, my internship at Statec was equally transformative. It allowed me to work with real-world official data and gain hands-on experience. The experience also took me out of my comfort zone, as I went to Luxembourg alone for three months, which was both a personal and professional growth opportunity.
As a graduated student, I have had the opportunity to participate in the 10th EMOS workshop which were two really interesting days were I was able to share my experience as an EMOS student and get to know other EMOS students and people who work in the field of official statistics
Have you already completed your EMOS internship?
During my internship at Statec, I had the opportunity to work with data from the Labour Force Survey and really see how real data is like. My main focus during the internship was on research for my Master's thesis, which aimed to do a comparative analysis of labour market outcomes between different immigrant groups and the natives over time. This work culminated in the publication of a paper titled "Immigrant Groups in Luxembourg's Labour Market: A Symbolic Data Analysis Approach."
Would you recommend a fellow student to choose the EMOS track at your university?
Absolutely! Even for those who may not plan to work in the public sector—for example, at an NSI, Eurostat, or the European Central Bank—I would still highly recommend the EMOS track at my university. In today’s world, we are always confronted with enormous amounts of data, much of which can be unreliable. The EMOS track provided me with essential tools to know how to conduct robust analyses and, equally importantly, to identify and source trustworthy data. These skills are important across a wide range of careers, not just in the public sector.
Has your EMOS study experience prepared you for your future academic and career pursuits?
Through the EMOS program, I gained valuable knowledge of statistical methods for effectively working with data and I was able to improve my programming skills, particularly in Python and R which have been essential for my current job. Additionally, I deepened my understanding of the system of official statistics, I
learned about the various types of data sources, and I got to know important topics in the field of Official Statistics. This knowledge could be advantageous if future collaboration opportunities arise in this field.
November 2024
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