Did you miss last week’s Data Science and AI Career Pathways Panel? Our amazing alumni panelists (see below) had some valuable insights to share.
- Zachary Alerte, AB ’21 (Statistics) – Data Scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton
- Daniel Fernandez, PhD ’14 (Statistics) – Researcher, Investment Data Science at Wellington Management
- Saimun Habib, AB ’21 (Statistics) – Data Scientist at The MITRE Corporation
- Alix Winter, PhD ’19 (Sociology & Social Policy) – Chief Data Scientist at NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board
- Alice Xiang, MA ’13 (Statistics), AB ’13 (Economics) – Global Head of AI Ethics at Sony
Take Note!
- Data science is a broad field and can allow you to engage in different interests like applying a technological background to finance or government. Data roles can focus on econometrics but also on machine learning and AI.
- Trends in the field include AI and ethics, NLP and deep learning. There will be more roles in these areas emerging.
- SQL is an important skill to learn for aspiring data scientists. Some recommended ways to upskill in this area include:
- https://www.w3schools.com/sql/ (Recommended by panelists D. Fernandez & S. Habib)
- LinkedIn Learning: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/topics/sql (Free for Harvard students!)
- https://www.kaggle.com/learn/intro-to-sql
- Another great skill for data scientists– communication! One challenge that was mentioned was how to communicate to stakeholders why your data results are important. It is good to focus on building your soft skills as well as your technical skills.
- Create a LinkedIn profile and set it as open to work. This encourages direct messages from recruiters!
- Networking is crucial—staying in touch with friends from school is important as they might know of new opportunities. Also, connecting with alumni on LinkedIn is a great plan! Don’ t be afraid to reach out via cold email.
- Check out our OCS networking resources to get started!
- Engage in projects/internships in the data field to show your interest in the area even if you don’t have the coursework.
Start your job or internship search for data science/analytics and AI roles using the job boards below! Also, check out our Crimson Careers jobs and internship database for employers actively seeking Harvard talent.
- https://ai-jobs.net/
- https://builtin.com/jobs/data-analytics
- https://www.dice.com/
- https://www.untapped.io/app/discover/jobs
