Data Science Career Advisor
Sections
[Click here to schedule a session]
Introduction
The world of data science is evolving fast. Understanding the different career paths is not possible for those outside of the analytics field. Whether you are a recent high school graduate or a professional pursuing a career change, having an insider perspective is critical. More importantly, understanding which technologies are in demand, which graduate program aligns with your goals, or the differences between a data analyst and a junior data scientist can be a full-time job. In fact, it is my full-time job because my career depends on it.
I believe your career should be treated like a business because that’s what it is. You need skills that provide a sustainable advantage against competition to guarantee a steady cash flow. Advice from a teacher or counselor is questionable and the return on investment is clear once you bring thousand dollar decisions onto the table. In order to identify the most appropriate career path, education program, or in-demand skill, advice from a data professional is warranted.
This inspired me to launch a career advisory service, where I’ve since engaged in over 50 valuable conversations with both aspiring and seasoned data professionals from diverse backgrounds.
Why you would want my advice?
Throughout my career I have had experiences across the entire spectrum of data analytics careers, hence the name “The Data Generalist”. My job responsibilities have mirrored those of business analysts, data analysts, data scientists, analytics managers, data engineers, data modelers, product managers, backend engineers, and UI/UX designers. While a specialist is more useful in many roles, a generalist should be your preference for career and education advice — especially one who recently spent 100+ hours going through the job hiring process.
Outside of work, I am obsessed with reading about the newest software tools and upskilling my abilities across different technologies and methods. This includes following experts on Twitter, reading blogs, listening to podcasts, attending conferences, and taking graduate-level courses in the MS Analytics program at Georgia Tech (OMSA).
Here is a brief summary of my relevant experience:
- Work Experience:
- 10+ years as a data professional across multiple fortune 100 companies and the federal government
- Data Analytics Mentor at the Thinkful Bootcamp
- Education
- Tools, Technologies, Methods, and Soft-Skills
- Python, SQL, R, Excel, Tableau, Spark, Databricks, PostgreSQL, Azure ML, AWS, and more
- Machine Learning, Statistics, Data Modeling, Data Visualization, Data Analysis, Database Design
- Project Management, Stakeholder Management, Requirements Gathering
- Published Work
- Published “When to Talk and When to Listen” article in 97 Things Every Data Engineer Should Know
- Contributor for Practical Time Series Analysis
- Published articles on TowardsDataScience, Seeking Alpha, Medium, and Hackernoon
More details are visible on LinkedIn or my About Me page.
What is included in the advisory service?
Advisory Topics
- Career Options across Data Science and Data Analytics
- Education Options for Upskilling
- College Major, Minor, and Course selection
- Resume Review
- Interview Preparation
- LinkedIn Profile Feedback
- Building your Personal Brand
[Click here to schedule a session]
How much will this cost?
| Session Type | What’s included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Intro Chat | One 15 minute networking and exploratory chat. | Free |
| Offline Resume Review | Offline resume and LinkedIn profile review with feedback provided via email. The recommended option for resumes/profiles that require minor edits. No meeting required. Email me to start a dialogue. I will need you to send your resume (Word Doc format), personal portfolio, and/or LinkedIn profile to get started. The process typically takes ~3 days for a review. | $40 |
| Resume Review + Video Chat | Resume and LinkedIn profile review with feedback provided via email followed by a 30 minute video chat to discuss my recommendations. A maximum of 75 minutes in total will be dedicated to this effort (i.e. offline feedback + video chat). Please send documents in MS Word format so I can use “track changes” for edits. | $60 |
| Career Development | One 45 minute video chat and one follow-up email with my notes from the session. We will walk through career paths, education options, your strengths and skillsets, or any other advisory topics listed above. | $60 |
Referrals: If you refer someone to a Resume Review or Career Development session, your next session will be 20% off (Up to $12 value). The person needs to mention your name prior to their session.
Contact Information
If you want to schedule a session, please click here.
Reviews
If you would like to submit a review, please click here and fill out the form.
Summary of Reviews
Helped me research for a new career
I was impacted by covid and lost my job. After finding TheDataGeneralist on twitter I asked to meet for a guidance session on data analytics. I am a SaaS Account Executive and was looking into getting into Big Data. TDG(TheDataGeneralist) took time and educated me on the field and what I need to be thinking about. In his recap of our conversation he provided detailed resources and questions that I should be thinking about as I move forward. If you’re looking for insights don’t hesitate to book a session, I just came from my interview and the recruiter was beyond impressed and is moving me to the next round!
Career Advisory Session
Steven’s advisory session was exemplary in every way. His professionalism was evident from how he meticulously reviewed all the documentation I provided, including my past diploma supplements and several syllabus of potential bootcamps/master courses. Steven’s deep knowledge of the topic and insightful approach helped me to develop a detailed career plan that clearly outlined short, medium, and long-term goals tailored to my personal situation. He provided practical advice and some actionable steps that could be applied to my current job and that could already help me to put things in motion, I found this invaluable as my current employers lack of the technical/industry knowledge to help me to upskill. I left the session feeling confident and clearer about my future career choices. It was an invaluable experience, and I truly believe it was money well spent.
Steven helped me see my own experience in a different (more positive) way
Steven, through actually helping to modify my CV and cover letter, taught me quite a few important principles:
1. He made me see my own experience in a more positive way. For example, he told me to not just state what skills/techniques I know. But, through experience descriptions, show the use of those skills/techniques.
2. Always correlate what I write on my CV to which part of my experience will be interesting to the prospective employer.
These tips and more have helped me change my CV and cover letter, and I hope this helps me become successful in my job hunting.
Helped me to set career goals
Steven’s guidance has been key to have a better understanding of which are my strengths and weaknesses, and how can I be more valuable for the market . He gave me a clear picture of where I am standing as a Data Analyst, which are the different paths I can take, and what should I focus on. All in all, what I think it was more valuable about his mentoring is that he helped me to set my goals for the next months/years and to gain confidence in general to get a new job.
Helped Me Immensely
After years in the same quota analyst job, I’ve been looking for a way to set myself up for success as I look for something new. The Data Generalist helped me crystalize exactly where I am (including experience, strengths, and weaknesses), what I am suited to right now, and what I can do to improve my skills and broaden my horizons. I now have a much better sense of my goals and what I need to do to achieve them, and I’m moving forward with much more confidence.