Approximately 3 years ago, I watched a video on YouTube that lit a spark in my mind. That spark has grown and enlightened my path to become a data scientist.
It was a big challenge for me to make a career change after the age of 30. I had to spare time for learning Data Science in the evenings or on the weekends. Nevertheless, it was fun and I’m glad I made a career change.
It took me about 2 years to land my first job as a data scientist. During this journey, there were times I questioned my decision. In this article, I would like to write about the things that almost broke my motivation.
1. Am I too late?
I was 30 when I took my first step into data science. Even if I managed to find a job, I would start as a junior. Considering I was about to get a title at my current job, it was a big concern for me.
I kept on going. After a few months, I applied to a boot camp organized by voluntary people. I passed the initial screening and was invited to an interview. When I went to the interview, the question about the timing hit me again.
Most of the people who came for the interview were young students. I think I was the oldest one there. I asked myself again. Am I too late?
Yes, I might have been a little late but data science was not such a popular field when I was in college. Even if it was popular and I ignored it somehow, it would not matter. I was 30 years old and learning something I really liked.
I did not let this motivation breaker stop me. My goal was to become a data scientist and I was determined. If you ever feel the same, think about the joy of doing something you like at your job.
Better late than never!
2. Is it too much to learn?
Data science is an interdisciplinary field that consists of 3 main components. These components are statistics, Programming, and math. Each of these components have several concepts and topics that are related to data science.
After I made some progress, I felt overwhelmed by the amount of material to cover. It was literally impossible for me to have enough time and energy to learn all of them.
Was it too much to learn? Yes, absolutely. However, I did not have to learn all of them. Nobody does.
The entire scope of data science is just extreme. Although the fundamentals are the same, the applied techniques vary depending on the domain. For instance, how data science is used in finance is much different than natural language processing (NLP) techniques.
If you try to learn about every topic, you will either end up quitting or wasting your time. Focus on the core concepts and try to master them. This will substantially increase your chance to find your first job as well.
3. What if I can’t find a job?
I think the most challenging part of switching careers is landing your first job. What employers value the most is prior job experience which you don’t have.
I did not expect to find a job in the first months. However, after I spent 6 months studying, I started to worry. What if I could not find a job and my efforts would be wasted?
It was ok to worry because I was spending a good amount of time studying. However, I could not let this concern prevent me from keeping on. I ruled out this motivation breaker with the following actions:
- The problem was not getting the chance to demonstrate my data science skills or knowledge, not me failing to learn. Since I did not have prior job experience, it was difficult to reach potential employers. Thus, I focused more on ways to showcase my knowledge.
- Even if I had to spend a few more years to find a job, it was not a huge problem because I enjoyed learning data science. I could even start my own business or implement a project with high potential.
I was able to take this motivation breaker out of the way as well. I kept on studying, learning, and applying for jobs. Two years after I took my first step, I landed my first job. It was the best decision in my professional career to start learning data science.
Conclusion
If you are learning data science or plan to make a career change, you might experience some motivation breakers as well. You might also have some concerns that make you question your decision.
You should not ignore them. Instead, you should try to solve them with reasonable arguments. It is definitely ok to have such concerns but try not to let them break your motivation.
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Thank you for reading. Please let me know if you have any feedback.