Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease – it’s something that I’m personally terrified of. Not only is it the 6th leading cause of death in the US – the progression of the disease is just a horrendous, drawn-out process for everyone involved. On the plus side, there seems to be an …
Blog Posts
Sometimes, I know I’m going to have to work a relatively difficult technical problem. The kind of task where a few minutes of inspired work could easily be more productive than 8+ hours of me mindlessly grinding at the same problem, getting frustrated about how I’m not getting anywhere. Not …
There’s a ton of variance in how data science interviews are designed – sometimes even within the same company. Different groups from the same company could be looking for completely different things – and that variance could be due to more than just managerial-style differences. On the one hand, one …
With all the hype currently surrounding the data science industry, we’re increasingly seeing people from a wider range of backgrounds thinking about whether they should themselves become a data scientist. A challenge for many new potential entrants is that they haven’t really considered whether they’re comfortable with the mindset required …
If you’ve never worked as a data scientist before, it’s relatively hard to get that first data science job. Probably way harder than it should be; more on that below. Put another way, it’s way easier to get data science job offers once you’re already working as a data scientist. The …
Something I’ve been thinking about lately is how many data scientists seem to be underemphasizing the importance of non-technical skills. Specifically, if you can’t effectively convey the value of your work to a non-technical audience…it’s going to be hard to be successful. Your client or user needs to understand why …
I’m starting to get the feeling that most data science education programs are underemphasizing the role of non-technical skills – and sometimes by a significant margin. I was talking to my little industry group about this – and we didn’t quite agree on what I say below. However, we did …
Probably the best way to ensure you have a mediocre data science career is to believe that your personal abilities are largely static, and high performers were more or less just born that way. In other words, thinking it’s all about just kind of having talent – vs the acquisition …
As the title implies, I have a pretty strong opinion on this one. And it’s not because companies aren’t placing enough emphasis on hiring data scientists with high passion (vs just great technical skills). No, I’m more saying passion is undervalued because I’m hearing more about companies who are actively …
In an age where we can’t even agree on what facts are anymore, it can seem like a lost cause to even attempt political fact-checking. And to be fair, right now things don’t look great. However – and this is a topic that I have a history with – I …