Would You Data Scientist?

Take two. This week, Data Scientist and Founder of KIZO Agency, Niklas Fischer joins Wendy on Would You Data Scientist to talk about his passion for data in sports, General Assembly,  bootcamps, how people can actually learn to code, neurodiversity in data, and his advice for anyone looking to pivot or get started in data.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Niklas’ favourite piece of tech ever is the internet, not just for the amazing communication skills but because it’s become the home of open sourced data.
• Niklas wanted to work in sports data science and studied in Barcelona, where as part of his masters degree he was able to work with FC Barcelona. After this he went on to work at DAZN, the Netflix of sports.
• Students often ask “what does an employer want to see”. Niklas advises that you demonstrate something you’re passionate about, whether it be what he did with sports or even using AI to predict which character said which line in Star Trek. As long as you’re passionate about it you will work harder on it and can talk about it in a much more engaging way.
• Be well prepared. If you’re planning on doing a data science bootcamp then find out what you’ll be doing on the course. If you’ll be using Python, then refresh your memory in the weeks before you start.
• There are more data engineer roles than there are people to fill them. If you’re more engineer minded then you should consider going down that path for a better change of employment.
• Data science was called “the sexiest job in the 21st century” which has attracted people who aren’t as interested in the job itself, more the salary. If passion is your motivator you will be more employable. 

BEST MOMENTS

‘I finished my masters at FC Barcelona, which was a dream’

‘You’re going in there to learn and you’re going to learn hard’

‘Python is the 2nd best language for every problem you can encounter’

‘Nobody can learn by looking at someone else code’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Niklas on LinkedIn

General Assembly

linkedin.com/in/ethicalrecruiter

qwerkrecruitment.com

@qwerkrec on socials

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Gannon started Qwerk Recruitment in the middle of the Covid Pandemic to disrupt the recruitment sector with ETHICAL data recruitment and treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. Avid Music photographer of 15 years.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

Interviewing successful Data Scientists to find out about their journey into Data Science and any struggles they’ve faced to help next generation Data Scientists from all walks of life to access their dream career.

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Would You Data Scientist, Wendy is joined by Nikolay Bashlykov, an expert in data science and machine learning. Find out Nikolay’s tips on getting into data and why he thinks that machine learning should not be the be all and end all of your skillset. There’s also Wendy’s usual deep dive into ethics, diversity, and the challenges you may face when you pivot into data.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Nikoley’s favourite piece of tech ever is around encryption when processing data. The technology allows you to analyse the data without actually seeing what the data is, this is very good for privacy, especially in the medical fields where you can’t break confidentiality.
• The real challenge in data is explaining why your machine learning model worked and getting your client to understand that in a simple way. You need to make sure you actually solve the customers business problem, rather than just talk tech at them.
• If you’re getting into data then it’s important to gain experience as early as you can, especially if you can show the initiative to get stuck in yourself. The more you get to work with real data taken from real sources and the more you can speak to and learn from people within the industry, the better your applications will look.
• When you learn something new, actually put it into practice. If you don’t do the things you learn, then you will probably forget it and won’t be able to demonstrate that you have done it. Once you’ve learned something new and done it, that then becomes the neck brick in your foundations that you can build on top of.
• Be persistent. Every year the industry grows and the technology develops. There will be opportunities in data for people who keep going.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Machine learning is not the Holy Grail’

‘Learn something new, start applying it straight away, and build on top of it’

‘I think machine learning will merge with software engineering’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://practicum.com/

linkedin.com/in/ethicalrecruiter

qwerkrecruitment.com

@qwerkrec on socials

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Gannon started Qwerk Recruitment in the middle of the Covid Pandemic to disrupt the recruitment sector with ETHICAL data recruitment and treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. Avid Music photographer of 15 years.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

Interviewing successful Data Scientists to find out about their journey into Data Science and any struggles they’ve faced to help next generation Data Scientists from all walks of life to access their dream career.

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Head of Data Science & AI at Sia Partners, Simon Hessam Hessami joins Wendy this week on Would You Data Scientist, not just to talk about his career in data but also to discuss being part of the LGBTQIA+ community. As it's Pride Month, it's important to talk about how to make sure LGBTQIA+ people aren't facing any challenges in the workplace, especially those challenges that can be easily avoided with a little understanding. There's also all the usual questions on how to get into data, the applications of technology, and evil billionaires. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Simon believes that through doing a masters degree you will gain value from any internships you do and it can be a good path to getting into or pivoting into data science. 
• When you're working with clients or customers you need to keep in mind that you're solving their problems for them using data. You need to understand their needs and bring their needs into your solution to actually answer the question they want you to answer. There's more people skills needed in data than you might think.
• When you are yourself and embrace who you are, you're more comfortable in any environment. Simon feels like society is changing towards LGBTQIA+ issues and the conversations he has had with people about it would not have been possible 20 or 30 years ago. 
• When you are LGBTQIA+, it can feel like you need to come out again every time you start a new job. Also you might have to face the challenge of people using the wrong pronouns for you. Wendy's tip is to not assume anyones pronouns, if you're in HR, ask what they prefer and introduce them to the team as that. If you don't know, they/them are always safe to use. 
• Translating from technical to non-technical is so key for data. You need to be able to explain what you're doing, why you're doing it, and most importantly what the result is. If you can't convince someone that your solution is the best solution, they're not going to use it. 

BEST MOMENTS

‘Working for a non-profit balanced out my Karma' 

‘You need to understand their needs and bring all this together in your solution' 

‘Love yourself and express that to everyone in your circle' 

‘Every time you start a new job it's like you have to come out again' 

‘For data science experts it's important to deliver the message well, it's more important than having the best model' 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Simon on LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/ethicalrecruiter

qwerkrecruitment.com

@qwerkrec on socials

ABOUT THE GUEST 

“Turning ideas into real data solutions & services. As a mathematician & data scientist, I aim at making data understandable by giving them an analytical spirit. My background in mathematics and statistics helps me to develop tools, models and machine learning algorithms with strong predictive and analytical capabilities.

With over ten years of academic & industry experience in data science and business. I have solid experience working in developing AI-powered solutions in different services and industries such as marketing, finance, supply chain, healthcare, and pharmaceutical. I also founded a non-profit tech platform to facilitate personal data sharing with academic institutions to support impactful research. I am also very interested in Metaverse and data privacy.

Today, I am the Head of the UK & Ireland AI Center of Excellence in Sia Partners. Sia Partners is a next-generation management consulting firm and pioneer of Consulting 4.0, offering a unique blend of AI and design capabilities across multiple industries.”

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Gannon started Qwerk Recruitment in the middle of the Covid Pandemic to disrupt the recruitment sector with ETHICAL data recruitment and treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. Avid Music photographer of 15 years.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

Interviewing successful Data Scientists to find out about their journey into Data Science and any struggles they've faced to help next generation Data Scientists from all walks of life to access their dream career.

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Head of Data Science at Intechnica, Tom Matcham joins Wendy this week on Would You Data Scientist to talk about his work, how he got into data, the difference between C and C++, and video games. Find out Tom's advice for dealing with frustration, how to get hired in data, and how a degree in data might not actually be as helpful as you'd think. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Tom's favourite piece of tech is the programming language C. He doesn't get much of a chance to use it anymore but he loves the responsiveness and simplicity of it. It's like being as close to the hardware as you can be. 
• Tom had a dream to start a business for video game designers so they could make adaptive experiences via pre-built machine learning tools which he started while he was doing his masters. He entered a competition through Imperial College for funding and won. 
• As a hiring manager Tom doesn't believe that you need a masters to pivot into being a general data scientist. If you want to go into something highly specialised having one in that topic would be an advantage, but for more broad jobs it's not a necessity. 
• A data science degree could even be detrimental to your development according to Tom. He believes the curriculum doesn't focus enough on the problems you face day to day in data. He also believes there is far too much of a focus on statistical distributions that just don't make sense in the real world. 
• Tom recommends the textbook  Statistical Consequences of Fat Tails: Real World Pre Asymptotics, Epistemology, and Applications by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. 

BEST MOMENTS

‘You don't make the same mistakes twice' 

‘It took me of 5 years of bashing my head against a wall' 

‘9 out of 10 businesses that hire data scientists, so not use them in any capacity'

‘There's nothing scientific about data science at all'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Statistical Consequences of Fat Tails: Real World Preasymptotics, Epistemology, and Applications

Jai programming language

Tom on LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/ethicalrecruiter

qwerkrecruitment.com

@qwerkrec on socials

ABOUT THE GUEST 

Tom is an experienced data scientist with considerable expertise in commercial research and data analysis. Extensive knowledge of consumer analytics for apps, websites and video games; developed novel algorithms for the analysis of event data. Wide range of skills that covers every step of the data science process - from collection, ingestion and cleaning to advanced analysis, modelling, low-level optimisation and deployment. An adept programmer with considerable knowledge of six programming languages and expert level knowledge of Python, R and C. Three years' experience bootstrapping data science startups to revenue-generating software.

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Gannon started Qwerk Recruitment in the middle of the Covid Pandemic to disrupt the recruitment sector with ETHICAL data recruitment and treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. Avid Music photographer of 15 years.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

Interviewing successful Data Scientists to find out about their journey into Data Science and any struggles they've faced to help next generation Data Scientists from all walks of life to access their dream career.

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Edgell, Lead Data Scientist for the UK's largest hotel brand Whitbread joins Wendy on Would You Data Scientist this week to tell you about his career in data. As it's mental health awareness week, Wendy and James also have an open and honest conversation about depression, loneliness, burnout, and stress. If you find yourself struggling with any of the issues raised please see the help links in the resources below. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• James joined Whitbread, the company that owns Premier Inn, as an analyst with the goal of becoming a data scientist. His role now focuses on customer data science relating to optimising marketing activities and working with the brands contact centre to ensure they don't lose customers who have complaints. 
• While at University, James lost someone close to him causing depression to trigger and took a year out. Taking this year out allowed James to remove the pressure of University while dealing with depression and when he went back he was able to succeed to the level he wanted to. 
• Covid was actually really good for Wendy, it allowed her to spend time resting and recovering from burnout and if it hadn't happened then she wouldn't have had the time to stop. 
• There is a stigma around taking antidepressants but all it's doing is balancing the serotonin levels in your brain to a normal level. We wouldn't judge someone taking iron tablets if they had an iron deficiency. 
• As a hiring manager, James looks for someone who can demonstrate a passion for learning. He describes data as a marathon, where you need to keep going and keep learning because new things will always come up. You can't just run the race. 
• James both does and doesn't think that you need a masters degree to get into data. He feels the communication side he was taught has been so valuable, not that it can't be picked up on the job, but it will take longer. On the other hand it's not something he actually considers when hiring candidates. 

BEST MOMENTS

‘I'm so happy when I find someone a job they love' 

‘Comparing yourself to other people is just not helpful' 

‘You have a health check up, why not have a mental health check up'

‘I'm getting to work with really cool data science techniques and learn new things everyday' 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Ripple suicide prevention - https://www.ripplesuicideprevention.com/

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org/

Want to check out the meditation app Waking Up with me? You'll receive free unlimited access for 30 days. https://dynamic.wakingup.com/shareOpenAccess/da0b6d

James on LinkedIn 

linkedin.com/in/ethicalrecruiter

qwerkrecruitment.com

@qwerkrec on socials

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Gannon started Qwerk Recruitment in the middle of the Covid Pandemic to disrupt the recruitment sector with ETHICAL data recruitment and treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. Avid Music photographer of 15 years.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

Interviewing successful Data Scientists to find out about their journey into Data Science and any struggles they've faced to help next generation Data Scientists from all walks of life to access their dream career.

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest Sayali Sonawane has just been promoted to Data Science Manager at Sykes Holiday Cottages. Sayali joins Wendy this week to talk about how she got into data, how she found working in data at a time when businesses didn't even know what to call it, and the usual chat about ethics, diversity, and Apple. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Sayali's data career began at Manchester University. She initially planned to study computer security, but during induction week she attended some of the data science courses, although it wasn't called that back then, and realised that she wanted to do that instead. 
• The biggest challenge Sayali faced was returning home after her scholarship and finding that there weren't many data science roles. When she did manage to get a job doing that, her job title wasn't data scientist and she had to ask to have it changed to that. 
• The scholarship Sayali received is applied to by about 30 or 40 thousand people, and only about 5% are accepted. 
• Having a good network and even a mentor can be so helpful for finding the right role for you and developing your skills. That's one way going to University can help you, a good professor will mentor you. 
• Three ways to reduce bias are: 1. Choose representative data. 2. Choose the right learning model for your company. 3. Know that no company is trying to make a bias data group, so test it out in the real world, and if it has flaws, then try again a different way. 

BEST MOMENTS

‘You need to get the value out of the data to help the business' 

‘There was only one company where it wasn't 50/50 with gender' 

‘The real skill is if your models can be used in the real world'

‘Do not underestimate the power of networking and mentorship'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

linkedin.com/in/ethicalrecruiter

qwerkrecruitment.com

@qwerkrec on socials

Sayali on LinkedIn

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Gannon started Qwerk Recruitment in the middle of the Covid Pandemic to disrupt the recruitment sector with ETHICAL data recruitment and treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. Avid Music photographer of 15 years.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

Interviewing successful Data Scientists to find out about their journey into Data Science and any struggles they've faced to help next generation Data Scientists from all walks of life to access their dream career.

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Stevenson is the Head of Applied Data Science at the global sports streaming company DAZN. He joins Wendy this week on Would You Data to discuss his work at DAZN, how he thinks you can pivot into data, what he looks for when hiring, and why you should take a lower paying role for your first position.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• As a hiring manager Mark looks for problem solvers, people with persistence, and someone with a suitable level of coding and data knowledge. He also looks for people who can collaborate in a team, a skill which is highly transferable.
• The work Mark does at DAZN includes using data to work out which users are likely to cancel their subscriptions and how to keep them, and which sports events people are going to want to watch.
• If you're looking to pivot into data then you should have a portfolio of work you've done off your own back around data. Mark, as a keen football fan, did his own analysis of sports data.
• You can't expect your first role in data to be as well paid as your previous role, however taking the lower paid position now, will pay off in 2 or 3 years time.
• When hiring Mark tries to be as blind on background and where you were educated as possible. And when looking through the answers of tech tests, he doesn't care about the answer being right, it's about if you can talk through how you came to those conclusions.
• When posting jobs, Mark runs his adverts through a filter to see if he has used any gendered words. Male gendered words tend to put female candidates off applying. 

BEST MOMENTS

‘The barriers to entry for the industry have reduced'

‘Some people are good to go down the applied route and some that education route'

‘Getting your foot in the door now is going to pay off'

‘People grow to appreciate what you can do rather than your experience'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

linkedin.com/in/ethicalrecruiter

qwerkrecruitment.com

@qwerkrec on socials

https://markrstevenson.com/

https://openai.com/dall-e-2/ 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Mark is an applied machine learning leader, a technologist, a futurist and a techno-optimist. He enjoys using maths and algorithms to make businesses better and can speak to both the data side of things and the business side of things. Mark is currently the Head of Applied Data Science at the global sports streaming company DAZN. Before that, he worked across industries at the globally renowned consultancy firm PwC.

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Gannon started Qwerk Recruitment in the middle of the Covid Pandemic to disrupt the recruitment sector with ETHICAL data recruitment and treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. Avid Music photographer of 15 years.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

Interviewing successful Data Scientists to find out about their journey into Data Science and any struggles they've faced to help next generation Data Scientists from all walks of life to access their dream career.

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Head of Data Science and Engineering at Collinson, Mohit Joshi joins Wendy this week on Would You Data Scientist. Listen into the discussion on Apple, the attitude you need to get into data, if a master's degree will help you get hired, and all the usual questions on ethics, bias, and Earth destroying supervillains. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The job role of a data scientist changes so often with new parts of the field being expanded into all the time. One data scientist's job may be completely different to another's. 
• You can only get an answer to a question when you have the data. Mohit thinks curiosity around answering questions is a good sign that you would enjoy and be good as a data scientist. 
• If you have the interest and the talent then you can become a data scientist, a masters degree will only be complementary and give you some more understanding. It's not a requirement, the only requirement is how much hunger you have to learn. 
• Mohit thinks the conceptual understanding around data is more important than the ability to write code. That can be taught but the intelligence around it cannot. 
• The work a data scientist does for a business is not instantaneous. 

BEST MOMENTS

‘Data Science is an open ended subject'

‘Have an ambition to help the people you're hiring grow' 

‘People are caring less about salary and looking for more in terms of flexibility' 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

linkedin.com/in/ethicalrecruiter

qwerkrecruitment.com

@qwerkrec on socials

Mohit on LinkedIn

ABOUT THE GUEST 

“A Data Science enthusiast with master's in operational Research having experience delivering solutions by leveraging Big Data Applications, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning Techniques. My broad research interests are in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning with a passion for turning data into products, actionable insights, and meaningful stories. Expertise in domains such as statistical modelling, Cost optimization, linear modelling, and operational Research.

I have over 6 years of experience working in Data Science, Big Data. Data Engineering and analytics field. I have been managing a team of Data Scientists and Data Engineers in the UK and Overseas. My work involves improving products and services for our customers by using advanced analytics, standing up big-data analytical tools, creating and maintaining models, and onboarding compelling new data sets.”

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Gannon started Qwerk Recruitment in the middle of the Covid Pandemic to disrupt the recruitment sector with ETHICAL data recruitment and treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. Avid Music photographer of 15 years.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

Interviewing successful Data Scientists to find out about their journey into Data Science and any struggles they've faced to help next generation Data Scientists from all walks of life to access their dream career.

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Natalia Koupanou is a Senior Data Science Manager at Tide. She joins Wendy this week on Would You Data Scientist to discuss her role at Tide, how she pivoted into data, how you can too, the rise in fintech, the three pillars of data, hiring failures, and so much more. You can find Natalia's article ‘The secret sauce for growing from a data analyst to a data scientist' in the resources below. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Tide is the leading provider of UK SME business accounts and one of the fastest-growing FinTechs in the UK. They're used by over 370,000 businesses and have raised over £200 million in funding.
• Data science has three pillars, software engineering, maths and statistics, and domain expertise. Depending on your background you should focus on one of those pillars. If you're missing one then you should develop your skills in it. 
• You should be doing things outside of work and study to develop your skills in data. Employers really like people who have the motivation to grow. 
• Employers shouldn't make hiring decisions on how long someone has worked somewhere or if there are gaps in their CV. Someone leaving a job quickly could be because of failings within the company itself, not with the employee. 
• Mitigating bias within your data set can lead to an incomplete data set. There is a trade off between accuracy and fairness. 

BEST MOMENTS

‘The key advice is to get your hands dirty'

‘They look for talent and the motivation to grow' 

‘Your work can speak for itself sometimes' 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Bianca on LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/ethicalrecruiter

qwerkrecruitment.com

@qwerkrec on socials

The secret sauce for growing from a data analyst to a data scientist

Natalia on LinkedIn

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Gannon started Qwerk Recruitment in the middle of the Covid Pandemic to disrupt the recruitment sector with ETHICAL data recruitment and treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. Avid Music photographer of 15 years.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

Interviewing successful Data Scientists to find out about their journey into Data Science and any struggles they've faced to help next generation Data Scientists from all walks of life to access their dream career.

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Wendy is joined by Sathish Sankarpandi. Sathish is head of data science at The Orbital Group, which incorporates digital marketing and innovation. They discuss all things data science, the power of data science in the world of healthcare and why all data scientists need to always be learning and evolving.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

•  The Orbital group work across the globe, mostly focusing on products for healthcare.
• Data science can be really powerful tool within healthcare, from drug discovery to diagnosing someone's illness.
• Sathish grew up having an interest in tech, computers and algorithms. Building on this by writing code and forming predictions whilst doing a PHD is how he got into the profession of data science.
• Any project that Sathish works on that touches human lives gives him great satisfaction. He is always very proud when something he has worked on has helped improve or make someone's life easier.
• Building a portfolio that demonstrates your experience and skills as a data scientist is one of the best ways to show employers why they should hire you.
•  You can stop bias affecting your data science in a variety of ways. One of these is by looking at the model you create. Eventually, Sathish believes that models will learn to ‘un-bias' themselves in the future.

BEST MOMENTS

“A computer can do magical things”

 “Data scientists are good people, the whole sector…everyone wants to make a difference in the world”

“If you can explain things to your grandma, then you actually understand it”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

linkedin.com/in/ethicalrecruiter

qwerkrecruitment.com

@qwerkrec on socials

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Gannon started Qwerk Recruitment in the middle of the Covid Pandemic to disrupt the recruitment sector with ETHICAL data recruitment and treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. Avid Music photographer of 15 years.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

Interviewing successful Data Scientists to find out about their journey into Data Science and any struggles they've faced to help next generation Data Scientists from all walks of life to access their dream career.

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.