Pls Tell me what you know about Data Science or Data Analytics

[ha98ed14]

I'm exploring changing fields. I have a BA and an MS. My sister has the same but in a different field. She is recommending to me that I go back and get a certificate in Data Science or Analytics. I am coming up on 44. When I was in school, we didn't even have Data Analytics. Anyone know what it is and how it is used? By the time I finish I will be 45. Will I be competitive with the young people coming out of school? Is it worth it to invest the money in a new skill?

[Liziz]

I know nothing about Data Science/Analytics, but I've been following your other thread, too. I just wanted to suggest that before looking at actually spending time and money to go back to school/get new certifications (in an area you're not even sure about vs. something you know you'll love) you might want to try to apply to some (non-retail, imo) positions that you don't seem qualified for, but which you think you could figure out and enjoy. It sounds like so far you've been looking in a super narrow field, but perhaps you have some skills that can be parlayed into another type of position. For example, I worked in healthcare and hired a lot of manager-type positions. I obviously liked applicants with lots of healthcare experience most, but I also definitely hired people that had the management skills I was looking for, even if they didn't have the healthcare experience, if I was really excited about their management skills. In other words - look at a ton of job postings, and apply to any jobs where you think "that could be interesting, and I could figure that out" even if you don't have the skills/qualifications the posting is looking for.

That being said -- I know you're already super burnt out from trying to find something in your own field. The strategy I'm suggesting above could definitely yield a really great job -- but it will also absolutely come with a lot of rejections. You might not be up to that at this point, and that's okay. But for me, I'd just be super hesitant about spending any time or money on new certifications/education to change fields unless I was really positive it would be substantially easier to get a job.

[ha98ed14]

You are right on every point. I feel very beaten down. The idea of applying for more jobs feels like an eternal hampster wheel--wasting energy, going nowhere and having poor mental health while doing it. The idea of taking a class, just one to start out with to get my feet wet, sounds very doable. I was a great student, and I consider myself a lifelong learner. I'm sure I would learn something interesting in taking a class. But I agree, it's only worth it to do a program if it's something I would be competitive in after finishing. I'm not sure what will make me competitive at this point. Maybe nothing. I have an only DD in 7th and I need to be doing something constructive.

[georgiegirl]

I have a friend who is getting a masters degree at 42 or 43 (can’t remember her exact age). Can you afford to go back to school? Do you think you’d like data analytics?

[sariana]

It’s in huge demand right now. Have you checked the prerequisites? It requires a strong math background, which I assume you have since you have an MS.

[niccig]

I changed fields and went to grad school in my late 30’s. Do a cost benefit analysis. How much will it cost for the education, what is the salary, what are the job prospects, and will you like the work. It took me 4 years, I used student loans the last 2, which I’m still paying off. I earn more than previous career, have more job opportunities, I chose an area of the field that has hours suited to our family, and I enjoy what I do. So even with loans, it’s paid off for me.


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[echoesofspring]

What's your MS in? I'm not a data scientist but the company (fintech startup) I work for has a large DS team. It doesn't particularly strike me as a field you sign up to get a cert in w/out knowing that you're interested in it, but it does seem like a potential career shift opportunity if you are already coming from a quantitative field (computer science, science, economics, stats, etc. are the ones our job openings list) and enjoy working with large data sets.

My understanding is that the job is a combination of statistics and programming - I didn't pursue DS when I was thinking about it a couple years ago in the middle of my job search, wondering if I should be retooling a bit. While I really enjoyed working with data in SQL and have the programming background, I'm weak on the stats front and starting from scratch was overwhelming to me, having not ever used anything I picked up in intro to stats 20+ years ago. But perhaps if I had stuck with it I might have found a back door into the profession so I wouldn't use lack of experience in either of those things to discourage you, particularly if you think you'd enjoy it.

As far as what the DS folks at my company do, they do everything from setting up queries and metrics to track how we're growing, what customers that growth comes up, what are the trends we're seeing, etc. to helping other teams establish 'canonical' queries for they are trying to answer. For example, if a product team was trying to understand the impact of a change to a feature, they would work with someone on DS to understand usage trends of that feature, etc. I think it's safe to say there are few areas of our company the DS isn't involved in some way.

If you're not sure it's your thing I'd recommend taking an online programming or DS course or two to get a sense as to whether you'd enjoy the work. (Sidebar - as a software eng I feel the same way about all the career recommendations to 'become a programmer'/take a coding boot camp - when I took my first programming class I loved it, so it was a natural progression for me. But it can be a very isolating and frustrating job if you don't love programming, especially for women since there are so few of us in the field).

[ha98ed14]

Thank you for this EofS. This is really helpful. I am going to look in to taking a college class in it. I have the time and Can swing the cost of a class. I went to a fundraiser for a friend tonight. (He bought a table.) I ran into a guy who I knew from years ago and he used the word "retool"... it's the first time I've ever heard it and the 2nd time I've heard it today.

[tamie]

I haven't posted here in a very long time, but wanted to chime in. Check out linkedin learning for more information about data analytics. They have some great free courses that you can take for a better understanding. Good luck!

[wendibird22]

In work in HEd and “data analytics” is definite the hot program for colleges to add. It’s basically a marriage of computer science and business.


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