The world’s leading publication for data science, AI, and ML professionals.

Top 5 Tips for Starting a New Data Science Role

Being new to a company can be scary, but it doesn't have to be

Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash
Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash

I ran across a post earlier this week on a Facebook group from a student working her first internship. As I read the post, it reminded me of my struggles of being new to a job and field. Her post discussed where she was working and continued to say she felt there was "no guidance, no teaching, no tutorials." Looking at this, I wanted to share my top 5 tips for starting in a new role when you are new to the job or field.

1. Network

I used to hear this said repeatedly when I was in college, and I didn’t understand its importance. Networking is huge, and this is how you will meet your team and others within the company you are working in. A key advantage to networking when you are in a larger company is finding people working in the same field and on different projects. You get to experience different perspectives of what you can do in Data Science and engineering. If your company offers them, join communities of practice, journal/book clubs, AI/ML forums, and more! You will begin to open your eyes to so much more that is out there.

2. Have 1:1’s.

Starting in a new role, a great thing to do (similar to networking) is host 1:1’s. Meet with your manager, each individual on your team, and any critical people on other teams you will work with. Use each 1:1 as a way to introduce yourself, get to know the other person, and understand how your two roles will interact. If your manager or team leads, make sure you know their expectations for your first 90 days. Do they want you to start developing immediately and have a working feature? Do they want you to come up to speed on a specific aspect of the project? This is your time to make sure you know what you need to work on.

3. Ask Questions

Asking questions is the best advice I still follow to this day. If you are confused about something, you are facing a challenge you cannot get past, or you want to make sure you understood a problem correctly, ASK. The worst thing you can do for yourself is suffering in silence. In my last role, one of the best pieces of advice I got from my mentor was:

There is no such thing as a stupid question. If you are stuck, you may not be the only one, so ask and learn.

He said this to me because I would append all my questions with, "So, I have a stupid question…." Once he pointed it out to me, I stopped but kept asking my questions. It has dramatically helped the communication of my questions and concerns to my team.

4. Research and Read.

Starting a new job can be scary, mainly when things are being discussed that feel over your head. As you are sitting in meetings and listening to the team discussions, write down key terms used. These can include specific types of analyses, functions/libraries, acronyms, and more! As you accumulate this list, research what is being discussed and read up on it. Sometimes you will not find anything on a subject if it is something internal to the company, and that is okay. Those are the things you can bring up in your 1:1’s or ask questions about to your peers.

Another great way to do some research is to ask if there are published papers or books your team has read. My current team shares published research papers often. The papers they share are closely related to the work we are doing. Often, they are pieces that have helped inform decisions or are focused on specific algorithms and mathematical concepts we want to implement. Reach out to your teammates to see what they recommend you read. Based on these recommendations, you have a great starting point for research and other areas you may be interested in expanding upon.

5. Tutorials and Documentation.

In almost every role I have held thus far, there has been an underwhelming amount of documentation and tutorials on doing things. It appears to be a common trend in tech jobs. If this is the case in the job you are working in, offer to write some. Creating documentation or writing a tutorial for how you overcame a task is beneficial for two reasons: (1) writing down what you learned ensures you understand it, (2) you leave something for the next person to use when onboarding. I enjoy documentation and writing, so this is a task I commonly take on in my roles. I try to leave things better than when I found them.


Final Thoughts

Starting a new role is scary, and it can be even more so when you feel that there is no good guidance. Instead of waiting for it to fall into your lap, take matters into your own hands and find guidance through:

  • Networking with individuals across the company who are sharing similar interests to you.
  • Having 1:1’s with your manager, team lead, teammates, or others! 1:1’s are a great way to grab someone’s time and have a focused discussion.
  • Ask questions. It is better to ask questions than stay silent and suffer. Clear up your confusions or concerns by reaching out to your colleagues.
  • Research and read. Collect terms that are commonly used and research them. Understand what is being discussed. Is it a company or team acronym? Ask about it.
  • Tutorials and documentation are fantastic, but teams don’t always have them. If your team lacks documentation, offer to write it yourself. You get a chance to showcase what you learned by providing something that can onboard the next person.

In what ways do you seek guidance and help in your roles? What tips have helped you adjust to a new job? If you would like to stay updated, I’ll be starting a newsletter!


Related Articles