Day in the Life: Samirah, Data Scientist at KPN
From time series forecasting to barista-made lattes, Samirah’s role as a Data Scientist at KPN is a perfect blend of technical deep-dives and team collaboration. Working within the Mobile Billing team, Samirah is the engine behind the insights, using machine learning to predict the future of mobile subscriptions. Whether she’s fine-tuning models, syncing with her sprint team, or hitting the gym to reset, Samirah’s day is all about precision and progress. Follow along with Samirah to see how she’s coding the future of connectivity, one data point at a time!
Name: Samirah
Job: Data Scientist
What do you do in your role?
I work as a Data Scientist on the Mobile Billing team, which handles the daily operational side of mobile subscription billing. My current focus is on time series forecasting and generating data insights for the team.
Here’s what a day in Samirah's life looks like!
8-9 AM
One of my office days today! After a short commute by scooter and train, I arrive at the office around 8:45 AM.
9-10 AM
I settle in, fill my water bottle, and go through my emails to see what the day has in store. At 9:30 we kick off with our daily standup, a quick 20-minute sync where the team shares updates on their finished tasks and what is on the agenda for today.
10-11 AM
Probably my favorite part of the morning. I go downstairs to our barista and grab my caramel latte. After some good coffee, I get back to my project and have a meeting with a fellow Data Scientist to work through some issues I was dealing with.
11AM-12PM
Every Monday I have a weekly check-in with my manager to walk him through the latest developments on my machine learning project. We go over the progress, discuss any feedback, and align on the next steps.
12-1PM
Time for lunch! KPN has a really nice restaurant in the building, but I still like to bring my own lunch (fitgirl). After eating, I head outside for a walk with some colleagues. I really enjoy these moments because the conversations are just completely different outside of a meeting setting (and it is a great excuse to get my steps in too).
1-2PM
Back to work. I fine-tuned one of my time series forecasting models and worked on some PowerPoint slides to present to my team.
2-4PM
Every Monday afternoon we have a sprint refinement, where the team comes together to go through the upcoming tasks and stories on the backlog. We discuss what needs to be done, break things down into smaller pieces, and estimate how much effort it will cost us. It sounds very abstract, but it really helps to keep everything running smoothly.
4-5PM
Wrapping up the day. I finish any remaining tasks, check my emails one more time and update my stories. Around 5 PM I pack up and hop on the train home.
How do you unwind at the end of a workday?
At the end of the day, I like to hit to the gym or go for a run. This is my me-time of the day where nobody can disturb me. Headphones on and only focusing on my workout.
What do you love about your job and your employer?
What I love most about my job is the freedom and trust I get to pursue my own ideas and turn them into real projects. KPN gives me the opportunity to explore, experiment, and figure things out along the way, which means a lot especially since I am just starting my career.
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