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Ask HN: Any advice for a developer transitioning into a data scientist role?

4 points by bicx ↗ HN
I work at a small company, and there are some great opportunities to delve into deep data analysis. I'd like to transition into such a role, and I currently have a bachelors in CS with a concentration in scientific applications (which basically just means I took a lot of math). From what I understand, I technically have the foundations for the data scientist role, but I'm a bit rusty after a long foray into app development (been out of school for 6 years). Any advice or resources that current analysts may have for a data science rookie? I have maybe a year to really hone my initial skill set.

7 comments

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jndsn402
You might be interested in data science competitions, e.g. www.kaggle.com
bicx
Thanks! That looks cool once I know enough to start practicing on big data sets.
blakerson
Side question: Any advice for a stats junkie wanting to transition into data science? I did graduate statistics on small data sets so I'm missing the big data piece of the puzzle.
Bahamut
Apply to openings/work with a recruiter perhaps - I am missing the actual stats part of the experience and I scored interviews solely based on my being a pure math PhD dropout.
jndsn402
Coursera has lots of data science courses: www.coursera.org
JSeymourATL
> Any advice or resources that current analysts may have for a data science rookie?

As a practical matter, the quickest way to gain solid experience is to simply execute a few data rich projects.

Suggest meeting with the individual heads of Sales, Marketing, & Operations inside your company-- pitch them your idea as a side work project & useful learning exercise. You might be surprised how receptive they'll be. Congratulations, you've just become an indispensable internal consultant.

Here's an HBR article from 2012> https://hbr.org/2012/10/data-scientist-the-sexiest-job-of-th...