6 things I learned being a Data Scientist in the U.S.A
6 things I learned being a Data Scientist in the U.S.A
1. Plethora of jobs
There will be a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 data science jobs this year in the US alone! So you are lucky if you chose to be in data science but…..
2. Finding a job is a job
Finding work straight out of college is tough and sadly it never gets easier. Also, it does not help that employers have unreasonable expectations from candidates. Most entry level jobs require prior work experience (talk about catch-22) and some positions require 10–15 years of work experience in a technology that is less than 3 years old!
I see job postings like these all the time:
Company X is looking to hire a “Deep Learning Engineer” with 10–15 years of experience in Tensorflow, Keras and Theano…..etc.
Ahem….Tensorflow was first made public in 2015!
3. Certification means competence
If you work in Hadoop, become a Hadoop Developer and get a certification. If you work in BI try to get certified in Tableau. If you make AI models, enroll in a data science certification track. Certifications matter to recruiters and this will differentiate you from the pack.
4. Learn by doing
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man and you get my point! In all my years on this blue dot, I have learned the most when I code myself or use a software myself. So stop reading theory and start practical work. You can always use Stack Overflow when you get stuck.
5. Buzz words are impressive
Yes, sadly we are inundated with buzz words all the time. A few years ago it was all about the “Cloud”, then it was “IoT”, then came “Machine Learning” and these days its “Deep Learning”. Although buzz words do become monotonous you will have to use them to communicate with your non-technical clients.
6. Be patient be optimistic
Not trying to be too philosophical, but things will get tough. You will get passed on that coveted promotion. You will not receive the increment you were promised. The work will get repetitive and boring. The customer will drive you completely bonkers. You will have a nervous breakdown (that’s a coin-flip so chances are 50–50!). And yes you may get fired , if you work in the industry long enough.
So buckle up and remember life is a journey , there is no destination. Take it on the chin, fall on your ass, and get right up. If you do get depressed, don’t try to be brave, go find professional help.