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Ask HN: Which new skills for a data science career?

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Ask HN: Which new skills for a data science career?

#1

Post by dsbyaccident »

Hi HN, long time lurker with a throwaway here:

I recently quit academia (social sciences) and I plan to transition into a data science career within the next year or so. This is the part I liked about my academic job and the stuff I am good at (statistics, analytical problem solver, data wrangling/modeling).

Reading through job ads the technical skill palette for DS seems overwhelming: python (+pandas, scikit, ...), R, docker, k8s, PowerBI, Tableau, PostgreSQL, DevOps/pipelines, different cloud providers, maybe add some javascript, various ML toolkits (Tensorflow, etc.).

I have 15 years of experience as a statistician (R/STATA/Linux/SQL) and a sabbatical year in front of me, which new skill(s) should I learn/prioritize?

Edit: I have a PhD.

Thanks!

Re: Ask HN: Which new skills for a data science career?

#2

Post by jstx1 »

Do you have a PhD? If you do, it's going to help a lot with the transition.

Skills for someone like you to work on - Python, the Python data ecosystem, machine learning, deep learning, being a good software developer.

Things not to worry about right now - Kubernetes, DevOps, cloud providers.

You don't need JavaScript. Don't learn any Tableau/PowerBI and don't apply for jobs that require them unless you want a more analytics/business intelligence focused role. Or do learn them if you want to go in that direction but those jobs are quite different even if they have the same job title.

(If a job description asks for TensorFlow/PyTorch and PowerBI/Tableau, it means that they have no idea what they're looking for whatsoever.)

Maybe I should have started there - figure out if you want a more analytics/product/decision-making kind of role or more of an applied ML kind of role and then focus on that skillset. For the applied ML kind of data science job, you need the skills that I listed, for the other kind you need the stats background that you already have, some SQL, much less coding and a couple of BI tools.

Re: Ask HN: Which new skills for a data science career?

#3

Post by andersource »

I don't think there's a definite one-size-fits-all answer to that, it will depend on what's most enjoyable to you, what jobs you'll be applying to etc. My personal recommendation (which is based on my n=1 subjective experience) is:

- python DS ecosystem; fundamentals: numpy pandas matplotlib seaborn sklearn scipy. From there you can branch in many different directions - interactive visualization libraries (e.g. plotly / bokeh), stats / probability stuff (statsmodels / pymc3), NLP, sklearn addons, ML explainability, ...

- solid "software engineering" - writing good code, unit tests, documentation, logging, basics of deploying a service

- TF / pytorch if you want to get into the deep learning hype

Best of luck, and more importantly, enjoy!

Re: Ask HN: Which new skills for a data science career?

#5

Post by te_chris »

jstx1 wrote: post #2

Do you have a PhD? If you do, it's going to help a lot with the transition. Skills for someone like you to work on - Python, the Python data ecosystem, machine learning, deep learning, being a good software developer. Things not to worry about right now - Kubernetes, DevOps, cloud providers. You don't need JavaScript. Don't learn any Tableau/PowerBI and don't apply for jobs that require them unless you want a more an…

This is very good advice. There's a world of difference between building and deploying models and doing BI.

Re: Ask HN: Which new skills for a data science career?

#8

Post by nonrandomstring »

I've got a slightly left-field suggestion that I think might better fit your existing expertise and mind-set. Skip all the mechanics and go for a high level understanding of the relevance and use of data. Take Scott E Page's course on Model Thinking Download NetLogo and go through all the examples. Then learn Python and take at least one good course on Systems Thinking. Best of luck.

Re: Ask HN: Which new skills for a data science career?

#9

Post by faizshah »

I think everyone’s advice here is good, I also want to throw on your radar that with your background you can also try targeting Applied Scientist roles instead of Data Science directly e.g. https://www.amazon.jobs/en/landing_pages/ops-tech-applied-sc...

Generally the highest value for your background will be Python (do a bit of leetcode), Pandas and Sklearn. PyTorch would also compliment your existing skill set.

A lot of the other stuff you can just learn on the job like cloud, dev ops etc. it all differs by where you work. It’s also the shiniest stuff that you can get distracted by and waste time on for less value.

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