Don’t prioritize certificates when becoming a data scientist

I like to think of myself as an entrepreneur now. I no longer report to a line manager or boss, nor do I have a set time in which I must report an office – although I set a time for myself to enforce self-discipline.
Ever since I was laid off from work 8 months ago, I have been constantly looking for ways to evolve myself and become better; I never want to feel as though I must put my faith in a job for security ever again.
Besides, I value my freedom!
As a result, I am constantly investing in myself and learning new things, whether it’s through books, conferences, MOOCs, etc.
Recently, I completed a course about investing in the stock markets – it’s always nice when you can put your money somewhere and it does all the work for you to earn more. Upon completion, I was rewarded with a certificate to congratulate me for completing the course. GREAT!
I stared at it for a few seconds… Then I closed my laptop. No big deal.
But it got me thinking.
Did it cross my mind to share it with LinkedIn?
Absolutely!
After thinking about it, I realized it made no sense – "Will sharing this do anything for me, my career, or to take me closer to my goals?" Quite frankly, the answer was no so I did not share it.
If an ego tickle is all you are looking for then by all means share your certificates with the world
Let’s just be honest…
When we share our accolades and successes with the world, it’s usually for our ego, but for some strange reason, I’ve had people message me telling me that they’ve just completed a course and when they shared it on their LinkedIn, nobody messaged them for a job so I should refer them to companies – this is a whole different issue in itself (I’ll get to it another time).
Look, I am not saying do not share your success. I share my success in Data Science on Twitter and LinkedIn all the time, but there is a major difference in my intent. I am not seeking any new opportunities when I share my acknowledgments, I am aware I am seeking validation – I know my post will be received with lots of "congratulations" and "keep going".
My point is that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with seeking external validation for something you’ve achieved as long as you are aware that the only result of doing so will be an ego boost. Not a job!
If you are seeking to break into Data Science then there are 3 things I’d recommend anybody could do;
1 Start a Blog/Vlog
Data Science blogs/vlogs have been extremely helpful in my development. Not only do I spend 20–30 hours a week writing new content, but I also consume a lot of content to help me with 3 things;
- Idea Generation
- Education
- Guidance/Mentorship
If done correctly, there is no reason why you can’t use your Vlog/Blog content as part of your portfolio when seeking Data Science jobs.
2 Create Projects
Taking a course and doing nothing with the learned knowledge is like filling up a car’s tank with fuel and never driving it.
A complete waste of money!
Ensure you are putting your knowledge to the test by creating well-thought-through projects then sharing your findings with the world (i.e. share on Github, share on LinkedIn, write a blog post, etc.).
5 Ideas For Your Next NLP Project
Sentiment Analysis: Predicting Whether A Tweet Is About A Disaster
3 Participate in Competitions and Hackathons
Data Science competitions often get a lot of stick by practitioners because they fail to capture what it’s really like to be a Data Scientist. In my opinion, there is still a lot of value to take from participating in competitions – Of course, the goal is not to become a person that competes but cannot provide real-world value.
From competitions and hackathons, you expose yourself to lots of different ways to approach problems and you can take from these ideas and glue them to your own solutions in the future for similar problems.
A friend of mine, Vetrivel_PS, recently wrote an article that details the Top 25 Machine LEarning & AI Hackathons for Anyone to move to Data Science.
Final Thoughts
From the list of activities, you only need to select 1 and devote a couple of hours to it each day. The most important this is that you are actively employing what you’ve learned from the courses that you’ve taken, as well as seeking new ways to improve your skills and approach to problems.
Additionally, I am not saying taking courses is pointless – You’re going to need to take courses to level up your skills – nor am I saying that you should not share them with your social following online. You absolutely can! The point I wish to put across is that solely depending on certificates to land you opportunities is completely absurd. You’ve got to put what you learn into action if you wish to see results.
Thanks for Reading!
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