> The thing I like the most is actually building stuff with my hands, and I think SWE is a better fit here.
Is this a metaphor? SWE is terrible for building things with your hands.
Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
51–60 of 148 posts
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#52Take up a specialty that sits somewhere between SW and Data Science? I'm a freelancer specializing in knowledge graphs and see a world of promise in this area. It's still a very young area but promising. Get deep on some graph databases, learn the ropes with W3C semantic web, and start looking for companies that have ongoing graph/semantics projects. All the big tech companies have significant investments in this area, Pharma and science are not far behind, enterprise will bring be joining in soon as they realize their data landscapes are hopeless. And of course, finish your degree.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed. Speaking as someone who has hired hundreds of software engineers, I can tell you that having a degree at all tells me a lot about your work ethic. Sure, I'd prefer a comp sci background, but your degree is nearly as good. It's an indicator of how you think. You know what other degree I see a LOT of in SWE? Music. I've hired countless music majors.
I have the opposite experience, almost. I've hired and trained lots of people with CS degrees who think they know everything and barely know the basics. I massively prefer people who flunked university and just got a job writing code because they could. University no longer trains people to think, instead it's about jumping through hoops and dealing with pointless administrative bullshit [0]. source: I have a Master'…
Wow. Pretty strong opinions here.
Completing a degree means you can commit and deliver, IMO.
Instead, leaving for writing code just because you can tells me that you took the short path, and that your missing basics (the real ones, which teaches you University) will knock at your door some day.
My 2 cents.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#54I studied maths too, then spent 2 years in a data science role and in the last few months moved to data engineering which has aspects of both DS and SE and turned out to be what I wanted to do all along.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#55Firstly, finish your degree. For most employers, just checking off the degree is more important than exactly what it is. This is especially true for software engineering. You will have many, many coworkers who have degrees in physics or bioinformatics or mathematics and work as SWEs. Most of their stories will be exactly the same as yours, although "...but there weren't any good paying jobs so..." will be in the runn…
Hmm, re-reading your post and thinking more about the specifics, I think the next steps vary a lot depending on your personal experience and resources. You can basically break a "software engineering" degree down to three components - writing code, "core theory", and "specialist knowledge". You may already have "writing code" down well enough for entry level gigs; if not, side projects are a fine way to get you there…
For a basic intro to compilers/OS I'd recommend the Nand2Tetris course.
It's the best course I've ever done tbh, and is actually interesting. I never felt like I was forcing my way through it.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#56Firstly, finish your degree. For most employers, just checking off the degree is more important than exactly what it is. This is especially true for software engineering. You will have many, many coworkers who have degrees in physics or bioinformatics or mathematics and work as SWEs. Most of their stories will be exactly the same as yours, although "...but there weren't any good paying jobs so..." will be in the runn…
This is very true, software engineering with a Mechanical Engineering degree here...
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#57Finish your degree and don't sweat about your current job (not making little of the dire situation in your part of the world ofc). 90% of the Data Scientist work is Data Engineering so you are doing the right thing. Kaggle and others are like conferences - there are specific trainings if you wanna do good in a conference that won't get you far ahead on the job life. You can do both. Don't tell people that you are not fit for DS before they telling you what they are looking for tho.
As to switch to SWE after your degree, keep doing what you do - experiment and apply. Be safe.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#58You're already a SWE, just don't apply to data science jobs when you're looking for your next thing.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#59Well, if you're interested in a fullstack job, we're hiring at Gouach in Bordeaux (France) and are looking for people who like to build, and like to tackle climate change and sustainable mobility :)
https://gouach.com and https://www.welcometothejungle.com/en/companies/gouach/jobs
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#60Pursue what you love. If DS isn't your thing , quit it. At least you've given a shot. If you love SWE just seek for SWE!
And I know this is opposite of what most say here but I haven't seen any benefit of my CS degree, and no job ever asked for my university, so I'd say focus on real world not the university, but again this contradicts with many of the opinions. Probably a cultural thing.