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How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

eugeneyan.com

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Re: How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

#11

Post by stefan_ »

dx87 wrote: post #5

When I was doing a cyber training exercise in the military, we had an Air Force general tell us that the best technical officers they had started out with non-technical degrees. They said that officers with undergrad degrees in things like IT, Software Engineering, and Computer Science, weren't very good at thinking outside of the box because everything they did was fairly low level and had a provably correct solutio…

And if there is a place like no other that needs out of the box thinking, it must be the military. This sounds like a shtick. The kind of mentality that made them put STOVL in the requirements for the F-35.

Re: How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

#12

Post by brenden2 »

Getting to VP level at a "top startup" has little to do with data science, and everything to do with your ability to play the networking game. Depending on the size of the company, VP level jobs are more about management skills than technical proficiency.

Re: How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

#13

Post by CuriouslyC »

bcrosby95 wrote: post #9
dx87 wrote: post #5

When I was doing a cyber training exercise in the military, we had an Air Force general tell us that the best technical officers they had started out with non-technical degrees. They said that officers with undergrad degrees in things like IT, Software Engineering, and Computer Science, weren't very good at thinking outside of the box because everything they did was fairly low level and had a provably correct solutio…

As a technical person, I find it interesting that so many technical people are that way. I start to get into a motivational rut if all I'm doing is working on a list of technical things to complete. Engineering disciplines are some of the few degrees that provide you the ability to both directly solve other people's problems and have close customer contact - that was a major reason why software engineering attracted…

I don't think it's so much that they are that way innately, as we select for it then drill it in further.

For junior and even mid-level engineers, your performance is generally evaluated on checklists of mundane shit. Code is passably neat and organized? Check. Code has and passes tests? Check. Feature checks requirements boxes? Check, check, check.

Re: How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

#14

Post by pirate_dev »

brenden2 wrote: post #12

Getting to VP level at a "top startup" has little to do with data science, and everything to do with your ability to play the networking game. Depending on the size of the company, VP level jobs are more about management skills than technical proficiency.

This exactly. I can't begin to list off all the rich dumbasses who had all sorts of titles in startups because they went to the same school, knew the founders, etc. I've had such people have no idea what model they even use for large chunks of their pipeline. Obviously they hire the actual talent and these guys get the credit.

Re: How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

#15

Post by dominotw »

brenden2 wrote: post #12

Getting to VP level at a "top startup" has little to do with data science, and everything to do with your ability to play the networking game. Depending on the size of the company, VP level jobs are more about management skills than technical proficiency.

> VP level jobs are more about management skills than technical proficiency.

I would say this is true for all mid-management and up. Tech proficiency is largely irrelevant once you go into management.

Re: How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

#16

Post by 7d7n »

omarhaneef wrote: post #6

One of the interesting aspects of this account is the role of online classes (Coursera and edX). I always thought that those kinds of things are useful and should be effective but (online) anecdotes suggest they are not. Seems like there is a missing step and the author was able to find that step. (Branded company work?)

Author here: I believe the missing step is being able to APPLY the knowledge and skills (learned from online courses) to create value.

It's not difficult, you just need to know that creating an artifact is not the end of your job--it needs to be used to benefit customers and generate value. Remember to measure the impact after your feature/system is launched.

I've seen many interview candidates struggle with this (missing step) too. Those that get past it were hungry enough to want it, as well as followed up with proper validation and measurement.

Re: How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

#17

Post by rjsw »

stefan_ wrote: post #11
dx87 wrote: post #5

When I was doing a cyber training exercise in the military, we had an Air Force general tell us that the best technical officers they had started out with non-technical degrees. They said that officers with undergrad degrees in things like IT, Software Engineering, and Computer Science, weren't very good at thinking outside of the box because everything they did was fairly low level and had a provably correct solutio…

And if there is a place like no other that needs out of the box thinking, it must be the military. This sounds like a shtick. The kind of mentality that made them put STOVL in the requirements for the F-35.

> The kind of mentality that made them put STOVL in the requirements for the F-35.

It isn't clear to me whether you think this is good or bad.

Re: How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

#18

Post by humanlion87 »

dx87 wrote: post #5

When I was doing a cyber training exercise in the military, we had an Air Force general tell us that the best technical officers they had started out with non-technical degrees. They said that officers with undergrad degrees in things like IT, Software Engineering, and Computer Science, weren't very good at thinking outside of the box because everything they did was fairly low level and had a provably correct solutio…

Lately I have been realizing that this is true for me. I can get stuff done on time when there are existing guidelines/checklist. If not, I tend to struggle and take much more time to complete tasks.

I do have a technical degree. But I think my underlying problem is because of how I was brought up. I had strict parents and family members and was always told what to do. Questioning things was not something I was taught and I grew up to always follow the "rules".

And I think that has (kind of) led to my current state where without rules I struggle to make decisions.

Re: How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

#19

Post by 7d7n »

ahuth wrote: post #3

Curious how the author got better at communication. What are good resources or books for doing so?

I didn't recall any books helping much on communication.

With regard to presentation and speaking, I had great leaders around me who provided candid feedback the presentation was off-point, too long, or had to be re-ordered (e.g., when presenting to non-tech folks, results before methodology). It was also useful to "rehearse" any conference presentations at meet-ups and get feedback.

Feedback to improve written communication is harder to come by. Few people feedback on your design documents or reports. For this, I find blogging and seeking feedback from writers whose writing I enjoy to help the most.

Re: How I Did It: From Psych Degree to VP of Data Science at Top Startup

#20

Post by levanify »

Awesome post! Thank you for taking the time to document down your learnings along your journey of pursuing data science. What I really like about your journey is how one thing manages to lead to another in the most amazing way. Some people attribute it to luck, but I guess in your case you really have made your own luck by taking actions to move towards your goal! Congratulations on your accomplishments thus far! I just have a few questions which would love if you can elaborate further on.

Firstly, it seems to me that the online course enabled you to reach top 3% of a Kaggle project which led to a series of career opportunities. However, I believe that being able to reach the top in Kaggle competition is not an easy feat. This kind of process is not really replicable especially for the people who are just starting out in Data Science. In that case, what would you recommend them to do?

And secondly, what is the end goal of a data scientist or at least for you as a data scientist? Would it be going into research? Continue to climb the ladder till you reach the top of the company? Data science and engineering in general are great as a form of intellectual challenge. However, personally sometimes I feel that there is a lack of meaning in the thing that I am doing as engineer/data scientist (especially if the culture of the company is very bottom-line driven). Just want to hear your thoughts! :)

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