Data Scientist Role — To Wait Or Not To Wait For?
3 points to ask yourself
Talk about inflation. It is happening even in the job markets. Nowadays, many entry level positions are demanding, requiring prior experience as well as a whole suite of technical expertise that seems next to impossible.
I just had this conversation with a student earlier this week. This student wants to be a data scientist, and asked which option below is wiser.
- Option 1: start as a data analyst to first acquire the 1-2 years of experience which many companies now ask for.
- Option 2: apply exclusively for data scientist roles, and hold off until an offer is secured.
I think there are three important points that we should keep in mind when making a decision.
(Credits to Kelvin LEE for using the large ‘1/2/3’ format which I will be using below. Looks nice, and I never thought of it till I saw it!)
Balance
1Before signing any job contract, ensure that the benefits you can bring to the company is similar to the benefits that you can get. If so, it is a good match. Now, don’t get me wrong and say that this is being calculative.
This is about being real. The company is not doing you a favor or charity. Neither are you doing so. The company hires you because you can solve problems for them. And you work to earn a salary as well as advance in your career.
Once you can identify a match in the mutual benefits, it means a good fit and that you are excellent for that role! When you can bring tangible benefits (based on the JD) to the company, it means you are qualified for the role and capable of the tasks. (And if you are qualified, you stand a fair chance to get that job!) At the same time, the company’s benefits to you should be commensurate, meaning you are fairly compensated for your time.
What happens if the balance is off?
Mismatch Type A
Suppose the company’s benefits to you far outweigh what you have to offer. That means you are in a highly attractive job, and barely able to keep up. There are lots of qualified candidates, and the company can easily replace you. They also have an incentive to replace you. And I bet they would.
If each day of your life in the company is about struggling to keep up, how can you possibly perform well? You would just be in ‘survival mode’ and trying to stay afloat. Imagine a Primary 1 student trying to attend a Primary 6 class. It is simply a waste of time.
Now, this is not to say that we do not push ourselves. But, it must be realistic. Using the same analogy above, I think it’s logical for a Primary 1 student to take on Primary 2 materials.
Mismatch Type B
Now, suppose that the benefits which you have to offer far surpass what the company (or rather, the particular role) can offer you. It means you should be looking for a more demanding role with greater responsibilities, and correspondingly, greater compensation. Why would you want to sell yourself short?
After all, everything involves an opportunity cost. Each day spent at any company means one less day of your life to grow your career somewhere else.
In our lifetime, assuming we are fairly healthy and work till retirement, we have around 40 years to build our career. (And this is by no means guaranteed; many people do not make it here, for many possible reasons.) If you spend 2 years simply for the sake of ‘clocking time’, 5% or more of your career would have been wasted.
Summing up point #1
In deciding whether to take up an analyst role (or something along that line), you should therefore analyze the individual company and role.
Are the benefits mutual and comparable? Would it be option 1 that gives you a closer match, or option 2?
This brings me to my second point.
Facts
2 Any one can call themselves a Director, and appoint themselves as CEO. If you can afford to buy a fan, you can afford to set up a company in Singapore. I suppose the same is true elsewhere in the world. In the same light, that ‘Director’ or ‘CEO’ can appoint you as a Principal Data Scientist, or whatever you want.
The role is really defined by what you do on a daily basis at work. That’s what makes a data scientist. If your job title is ‘Data Scientist’, but say, your primary task is to wash cars daily, then you are not a data scientist.
Now, I honestly mean no offence to anyone. There’s nothing wrong with washing cars; it is a legitimate and honest living, and everyone ought to be treated with dignity. No matter what job I cite above, there’s going to be this problem of appearing to undermine that particular job. Which is certainly not my intention. The above paragraph is not saying job A is better or inferior to job B, simply that they are different jobs.
On the other hand, there may not be the word ‘data’ or ‘scientist’ or ‘ML’ in your job title. But you may perform the tasks of a data scientist. (What tasks? Maybe this article by me gives an idea.) Such a role would allow you to grow in your intended direction, and the time spent would be fruitful as it hones your skills in areas that would be helpful in your career.
You may be a business analyst, performing the same daily tasks as person C, who is a data scientist, for the same period of time. In this case, your skills and expertise should be similar to person C, and your eligibility for the next role up the ladder (say, ‘Senior Data Scientist’ in Company D) ought to be deemed equal by a worthy interviewer.
Wish
3 Job descriptions are like wish lists. Anyone can wish for anything. Whether you get it or not is a totally separate matter. No one is stopping you from wishing for a $1 million annual starting salary. Neither is anyone prohibited from listing their HDB flat for sale at $5 million. Similarly, let’s give companies the right to dream about their ideal candidate. They will know when to wake up once reality kicks in for them.
The market of demand and supply will sort everything out. If the company is asking for a unicorn, they’d better be prepared to pay for a unicorn. If the entry level requirements already render a person eligible as a Lead Data Scientist, anyone who meets those requirements will be smart enough to apply for a commensurate role elsewhere.
Of course, I am giving quite an extreme example. If a company blatantly asks for the sky, my personal opinion is that you should avoid them like the plague and not waste your time applying. (And even if you had applied and got the offer, maybe tear it?)
Most companies are more measured, and set requirements that are ‘out of reach but not out of sight’. When you can meet ~70% of the requirements, you should not be intimidated seeing the ‘years of experience’ exceed what you have. The skills matter more than the number of years at work. If you can perform the tasks, does it really matter how many years you have lived?
Conclusion
Ultimately, no one but yourself can answer this question for you. It certainly helps to talk to your family (because they know you and care about you), seniors (because they have gone through a similar path), or those with relevant experience.
You should take their words into consideration, but not take any answers from them. After looking at the options from the different lenses, make your own decision.
Whichever path you take, give it your best shot and make the most out of what you have. You’ll be fine.
All the best!
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