When it comes to landing a Data Science role there is tons of advice regarding the generic interview process, the type of non-technical questions you could be asked, as well as the technical ones so it makes sense to leave that department.

When I was going about my landing my internship, which would have been my first role related to data, I knew that my CV wasn’t appealing since I had no prior experience and I didn’t have a compelling academic background to lean on.

As a result, I was forced to come up with creative ways to get my foot in the door in a fashion that could potentially bypass the generic interview process where I’d be competing with much better prospects or at least get my name in the mix so that I could go up against them as a candidate. Either way, it didn’t matter. My theory was that if I could have more opportunities then the chance of me landing a role was higher. …

So I’m working through the Deep Learning Specialization on Coursera. Andrew Ng, the course instructor, has been going on and on about Numpy Arrays — to the point where I could picture what it looks like in my head.

Suddenly, he said, “this is a tensor”. I looked at the output… Stopped. And thought… “Dude, it’s just a bloody array… Why couldn't you just say it’s an array. Showoff!”. …

Careers, Data Science

You’ve tirelessly iterated over your CV, you’ve worked on multiple projects for your portfolio, you’ve sat in countless interviews, and one day you receive a call from an unrecognized number. You pick up —

“Hello”. “Hi, am I speaking to ________ (fill in your name)?”. “Erm, yes… who’s speaking please?” you confusingly mutter. “Helloooo, it’s Lisa from youareabouttogethired.ai We are contacting you to inform you that you’ve been given the role and we are going to be emailing confirmation and contracts via email. When can you start?”. “Yes… I mean yesterday… I mean I can start ASAP”. Lisa laughs at your excitement and reminds you to keep an eye on your emails before cutting the line. You instantly let out a sigh of relief — “Finally!!”. …

The world of Data is a lucrative one, no doubt. Dubbed “the new oil” by British mathematician Clive Humby all the way back in 2006, 15 years on and it seems as though now people are really beginning to witness the impact Data can have in commerce and now everyone wants a piece of the pie.

“The amount of data we produce every day is truly mind-boggling. There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day at our current pace, but that pace is only accelerating with the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT).” — How Much Data Do We Create Every Day? …

We’ve seen that Data Science is still an exciting career in 2021. We’ve also seen some of the subjectively “boring” aspects of Data Science and you’ve decided this is still what you want to do — Continue reading.

Especially when you’re new, learning Data Science and becoming a professional Data Scientist in industry can almost feel as though you’re navigating in a maze. The internet doesn’t help in some respect because there is so much noise in the Data Science arena. Some say you need a degree, some say you don’t. …

The easy answer to this question is simply No! There are numerous people that are working in Data Science that have no academic credentials to justify their role — I am one. However, as time has gone on, my strict stance against Bachelor's degrees, Master's degrees, and Ph.D. schemes has quite interestingly softened.

Well, sort of. I don't find them completely useless now… I still believe focusing on somebody's practical work experience triumphs over their education to some extent, and even if we look at some of the greatest achievers in the tech space, many of them were dropouts — Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates, & Steve Jobs to name a few. …

Introduction

We often say that someone is “blinded by love” when they’ve become so infatuated with the person they love that they overlook serious red flags. Essentially, becoming oblivious to the mere fact that they are only human, just like them.

Intimate relationships are not the only place I’ve recorded this feat. I’ve also seen this occur in the workplace. Okay, we may not call it “blinded by love” but how does “blinded by hype” sound? …

Introduction

The increase of data being produced each year was the provocative gesture that enlightened businesses to take more action and use the data at their disposal. Although data-driven decisions were around before 2012, a reputable write-up published in Havard Business Review attracted the attention of many.

“Their sudden appearance on the Business scene reflects the fact that companies are now wrestling with information that comes in varieties and volumes never encountered before” — Havard Business Review, 2012.

With a title such as Data Scientists: The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century, It’s not difficult to understand why this piece may have been an influential factor in why many people want to become Data Scientists today. However, as we rapidly approach a decade since the original piece was published, I was curious to determine whether Data Science may have lost its sexiness over the years and whether it is a good career to pursue. …