Gaël Grasset, Class of 2016

After three years in a B/L preparatory class, I undertook two parallel courses: an engineering school in statistics and a master's degree in sociology at Sciences Po. My interest in sociology stemmed from two aspects that I discovered during my theoretical training in preparatory classes.

Firstly, I was particularly attracted by the methodological toolbox of sociology. This discipline requires us to stand back constantly from the data, from the conditions under which it was collected and from what we can deduce from it. I was also fascinated by the concepts developed by Pierre Bourdieu, such as dominant/dominated, habitus and symbolic violence.

Secondly, I was fascinated by the field of sociology. Studying people means studying life, the real, the concrete. For me, it's a bit like the applied science of philosophy. Sociology doesn't just ask why, it also looks at how.

Sciences Po is first and foremost a prestigious label. Companies look at what you've studied when you leave school, but a few years down the line, they only look at the school itself. Sciences Po is a great institution, regardless of the degree obtained. As far as my master's in sociology is concerned, it gave me a wealth of knowledge and many moments of reflection and intellectual stimulation. I have particularly fond memories of methodological sparring matches, of questioning the veracity of the conclusions of articles and of a dissertation that was much better defended than written.

I'm currently a project leader at the Boston Consulting Group.

After graduating from Sciences Po, I started my career as a Data Scientist at Oscaro.com, where I worked for a year. After that, I co-founded a company with three other people, including a classmate from Sciences Po. We grew the business for four years. Then I joined another start-up, where I worked for three and a half years. I've been in my current job since the beginning of this year.

The two main contributions of my sociology training to my current role would be as follows.

Firstly, sociology taught me to always question the potential of data and to understand what it can really mean. In today's world, this skill is more than an asset, it's a prerequisite for staying relevant. Unfortunately, this ability is not as widespread as it should be. Of course, this skill also develops with experience, but I was lucky enough to acquire it right from the start thanks to sociology.

Secondly, sociology is a real pathway to responsible enterprise. As an executive and now a board member of some of France's biggest companies, sociology has helped me to never forget that our decisions have a real impact on people's lives, sometimes with terrible consequences like redundancies. This training has taught me, and often forced me, to approach these issues with the seriousness they deserve.

Whatever you decide to do, your essential ability to stand back will be a major asset, so work on it and treasure it!