28/08/2026
Turning years of industry experience into a new career direction, MSc Business Analytics graduate Simon Carberry chose postgraduate study at Queen’s Business School to build the technical skills needed to make the move into analytics.
After working in sales and account management within the sporting goods industry, Simon wanted to build on the analytical side of his previous roles by developing skills in programming, statistics and data-driven decision-making.
“I had some early apprehension about being a mature student and tackling computer programming, but I’ve really enjoyed it. A year ago I hadn’t even opened R programming, and I've now just recently spent three months working with it intensively on my dissertation. Over the past year I’ve developed skills in R, SQL and machine learning, and now feel more confident and credible when positioning myself for roles in this field.”
One of Simon’s highlights was the opportunity to combine his interest in sport with his growing analytical skillset through his dissertation, working with real-world, elite-level football data.
“Collecting and modelling real-world data was a valuable experience that helped me understand football data structures, their challenges and the analytical techniques best suited to them. While sports analytics is an area I’m passionate about, the skills I developed are highly transferable to other contexts.”
As Simon looks towards a career in analytics, he leaves Queen’s with a combination of industry experience and new technical skills that he hopes to continue developing in his future roles.
Congratulations, Simon, and best of luck with the next step in your career!
To find out more about postgraduate degree opportunities, visit: https://ow.ly/534K50ZG2ge