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Ask HN: How do I maneuver from data science to software development?

22 points by turndown ↗ HN
I am a recent graduate w/ a degree in CS. I got decent grades, but was not able to get a job in software development but somehow managed to get one in data science at a major consulting company. Regardless, I have literally zero interest in this. I think one major reason I didn't get accepted for a development job was simply because there were few available jobs at an entry level that I could apply to, and that my projects portion(having no experience) was relatively weak for getting a more senior position, which is to me totally understandable.

My current job title is Software Engineer(though this is just a designation and in reality means very little) so I think I can work here for some time and simply massage my resume a bit on what I did at work, but I do believe there is a clock ticking and if I can't manage to get out of this particular path fast enough I could be pigeon-holed into it permanently. What do I need to do to make myself more attractive for development jobs? Other than working on projects, which I will begin dedicating more time to as I settle into this job.

13 comments

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max_hammer
By development, I assume you mean product development.

Generally for enterprise product development language like C++, Java are preferred. You don't need to develop own "project" to get better in programming. You can contribute to open source projects.

I would suggest to keep applying for development jobs. Polish your resume and cover letter.

MeinBlutIstBlau
Contributing to open source is not as easy as people say. It's like saying "here's the death star Lego set completely built, try to add to it." It doesn't teach you anything besides making a contribution...of which you'd only know how to do if you understood more about programming for that thing.
max_hammer
Reading good code improved my knowledge more than writing.

Instead of adding feature to complete build of Lego set, of you try to solve bugs, improve documentation and try to understand who it was built will surely help you

MeinBlutIstBlau
It can help you become a better coder if you know how to code. What it doesn't help you with is teaching you how it works. For example, the first time I learned VS MVC, none of it made sense, especially looking at my leads codebase. He had to walk me through a lot of it.

Could I have figured it out on my own? Probably. Would I have been able to in the same amount of time as my lead showing me? Absolutely not.

beforeolives
Considering that you have a CS degree and your current title is software engineer, it's just a matter of applying for software development jobs and interviewing well. It's hardly a big pivot.
readonthegoapp
I suspect this sounds like a bit of a blow-off

It is

But it's probably also true

Or at least substantially if not wholly and completely true

Which no statement ever is

My advice

Based on my EXPERT opinion

Is

Do what this person said

If you actually want to get hired at some point, then tell your interviewers what they actually want to hear

Be a bit of a salesperson

A lot of the times, imo, what I think interviewers are hoping for is someone to be alpha -- "I don't know shit about the stupid specific esoteric shit you're talking about but I can tie my gd shoelaces so I'll figure it out, ffs, wtf is wrong with you, did you bump your head as a baby?"

I mean, keep it light, but your confidence will go a long way.

If you're not a white male, pretend you are -- it's that kind of "I _deserve_ to be here, Fuckers" confidence that can get your hired.

mcv
There's always chances to change careers later. But there's also plenty of room and need for software engineering in data science. The real data scientists are often terrible software engineers, but they still need reliable software running on a reliable platform.
fundamental
Honestly the transition from data science to software engineering has seemed like an easy one to me. As long as you have language proficiency in the area you want to go into it's a much lower bar (on paper at least). In my past job hunts I've had to spend a fair amount of time filtering out software engineering positions to stay on the data science/ML/etc track.
SilurianWenlock
Why no interest in data science?

How important are side projects for getting entry level jobs?

turndown
It simply isn't my interest, I have a family member involved in a heavy statistics field and don't find to be very attractive/interesting. I feel like side projects are decently important when you have no other experience, but that's just me.
boltzmannbrain
Data scientists are too comfortable with R, while software engineers won't touch it with a ten foot pole. So to move forward in the career you allude to, definitely use Python in your current role as much as possible, and push yourself with engineering-like tasks/skills (e.g. volunteer to work on that CI/CD pipeline, don't just use numpy but understand how it writes to memory, etc.).
rajacombinator
Very easy just start interviewing. Grind leet if you want to be serious about it.