You might want to gravitate more in the machine learning engineer direction. So much of ML is building the data, training pipelines, the serving environment, model tracking, evaluation, promotion, and other general infra around modeling. Many data scientists are more analyst-plus, and don’t have strong engineering skills. But large scale ML needs more of the latter. As long as you can AB test, you don’t need strong statistical skills to tease apart effects.
Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
111–120 of 148 posts
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
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'…
> the best coder I ever hired taught herself to code while getting off heroin in a Glasgow slum Those words bust the biggest bias I realized I had/have - against addicts. Thank you very much!
I said she was a great coder. I didn't say she was trustworthy. She eventually left the industry to go be pretty at gamblers in a casino where she could earn a lot more money for a lot less effort. My co-manager's blatant sexism also contributed to this. I often wonder whether she got back into coding, but lost touch years ago (this was pre-LinkedIn obviously).
"Never trust a junkie" is still very good advice.
Talent at coding doesn't automatically come with the personality or the temperament to be a good career software dev.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#113Migrate to bigquery, twitter runs on it. No storage cost and you can plugin google datastudio, bigqueryml and automate a lot with cloud-functions. Show them how to do better and graduate on that. They will thank you for it because of the complexity you have removed for all your colleagues.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#114No post body was provided.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
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'…
To provide a third vote: My midsized company barely considers people without degrees, even if they have extensive technical work experience. Example: I had to battle hard to get somebody considered for an entry-level non-technical role, and they ended up being rapidly promoted within engineering once they got past the recruiting screens.
This is my current difficulty - I work as a neteng for a large MSP in my area.
I quit university after my 2nd semester co-op during undergrad (to work at my current firm), I have since been promoted four times and now work as a senior engineer (though I cannot technically use this title). Trying to move firms now after working for 5 years, It is incredibly difficult for other firms to accept that I've been working in the field successfully given that I do not have a completed degree. On one hand, I have skill now that I could have never earned in school - on another hand I may have gimped my ability to move deep into the upper half of the first six figures salary.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#116Do not transition to SWE thinking it will be more "interesting" or "fun". Although it appears to the outside that SWE is more interesting/fun, that's only true at junior levels, when no one expects anything out of you. If you want to progress in your career, you will have to transition to a senior engineer (needs to get things done with the least creativity possible) or management (spends all day in meetings). Every…
I agree with you. The feeling that grass is greener might play a role here, as I've already seen the 'ugly' side of DS, but not of SWE
But I thought I could easily come back to ML if I want to after SWE jobs given my prev experience. From inside the industry, I see that companies really want Data Scientists who know how to code properly
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#117No post body was provided.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
To provide a third vote: My midsized company barely considers people without degrees, even if they have extensive technical work experience. Example: I had to battle hard to get somebody considered for an entry-level non-technical role, and they ended up being rapidly promoted within engineering once they got past the recruiting screens.
This is my current difficulty - I work as a neteng for a large MSP in my area. I quit university after my 2nd semester co-op during undergrad (to work at my current firm), I have since been promoted four times and now work as a senior engineer (though I cannot technically use this title). Trying to move firms now after working for 5 years, It is incredibly difficult for other firms to accept that I've been working in…
Hmmm, have you had a lot of coworkers move through over the last five years? Following one of them to a new place is probably the easiest way to change jobs and build your resume.
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#119Start leeting and learning algo/DS. Should be no problem to get an entry level job in 3-6 months. In 1-2 years switch jobs and you’ll be doing well. Btw I should add that you’re making the right decision DS is a bad career for reasons I won’t get into here.
> Btw I should add that you’re making the right decision DS is a bad career for reasons I won’t get into here.
Can you tell us more?
Re: Ask HN: I realise data science is not for me and feel depressed
#120I can't speak about the technical side of the equation, but I'm someone who also worked very hard in a field before switching career and I get feeling like your previous efforts were for naught, so I wanted to weigh in. I can only tell you that the work you put in wasn't for nothing, even if it feels like it for now. You're learned things about yourself (what works for you, what doesn't, and why). You've learned how…
I understand that the "the work you did was not for nothing" angle of reading is comforting, but I have to disagree. Sometimes, and this may or may not be the case with the OP, but we are missing the details, we work for nothing or very little.
Yes, we get something done because every minute of life is not a minute we are dead, but not being honest with ourselves often leads to more disappointments down the road.
It took me too long to change careers (from academia to technology), and I regret not making the change a few years earlier. I'm still alive, I have a very well-paying job, the past is in the past, and I could say that "I did the best I could with the information I had available to me at the time."
But being honest about my bad choices allows me to not be careless when I'm at the next turn in the road: telling myself that, whatever, even though I made a mistake, I learned something, is a good way to accept a mediocre life.