Finding my Niche in Tech
This is an article that tells how I started my data journey; what inspired me and the challenges I’ve faced so far.
Hey lovely Reader, I am so happy you are here reading my article. I hope you stay with me till the end…
What inspired me?
While growing up, I have always been passionate about health and tech. I started learning how to use the computer at an early stage in my life and I loved everything that was technology related. The way it made work easier and faster and how it provided solutions to problems so easily. Same with health. I loved the human body and wanted to understand it better, understand the nature of diseases, help people who can’t afford healthcare get better health and solve major health issues. You may be wondering how this is possible; being passionate about two things. I wondered too but here I am convinced that it is possible. I want to keep this short so let’s get right into the main thing. How I got into the world of Data.
My starting point
Oh dear! My journey was hectic because I figured out everything myself. It was 2021, and I was in final year, already thinking of how to start planning my life and building a future I want. For career, I wanted to be in a space that revolves around health and tech. Already I have a Bachelors in Microbiology so I was looking at a tech background that would still support my passion for healthcare. Remember I said earlier I wanted to be able to solve health issues. The question was “What area of tech can I apply to problem solving in the health space?” Obviously I wouldn’t know but Google is your friend they say right? So yeah I did the research, and guess what? I saw so many areas of tech that can be applied in health. Almost every aspect of tech (this is why I have an idea of what almost every aspect of tech is all about).
I have a friend that is a Developer so I was discussing with him about my interest in HealthTech, and how I wanted to find a niche that suits my purpose. He was like “Have you thought of Data Science?” That’s all he said. The rest? Figuring out what Data Science and analytics are all about, what they do, roadmap and how much they make (certainly) was a research I carried out on my own, and I immediately knew that this(Data science) is my tech niche..
I watched a lot of Youtube videos to get an understanding of what Data science is all about(I’ll drop links to some of the channels). How and where to start learning and the best road map to follow. Oh well, Data science has a lot of mathematics and statistics applications and I was scared it will be tough for me to get it as I am not from any of these backgrounds, so I decided to start with learning Data Analytics and then eventually switch to Data Science. All this happened toward the end of 2021, I was going to start the new year (2022) by transitioning into tech. How amazing!
The new year came by, I enrolled in Google’s Data Analytics course on Coursera. This is one of the best courses to start with as a novice who wants to learn data analytics. I was also fortunate to get the Udacity Data Analyst scholarship (another great place to start). I learnt how to ask the right questions as a data analyst, the importance of data privacy, critical and analytical thinking and also technical skills like data processing and analysis using tools like Excel and SQL. These were the main tools I was using to learn and practice. A few months later, I got the Datacamp scholarship which was sponsored by Ingressive 4 Good(I4G). Another thing you should know before transitioning into tech is the importance of communities(I’ll talk about this in my next article). The scholarships I got last year were all from the communities I was part of.
Mistakes I made during my learning phase
I made a lot of mistakes but I’ll highlight the 3 major ones. This part is really important because a lot of people starting out in tech make one or all of these mistakes.
Learning without a roadmap
Although I watched Youtube videos that talked about this, I still started without having a road map. Just as we set goals and write To-Do lists for things we want to accomplish let’s say in weeks or a month, having a road map for learning is just like that. It is like a step-by-step process of what to learn now and next. And having this is like having guidance that lets you see where you are heading next and your progress so far. This is very important. You won’t just be learning but will have learning steps to follow.
Learning from multiple platforms
I mentioned two scholarships I got together with the Google course I was enrolled in. That was not all. I later applied for two more scholarships which I got, fortunately. So, I was enrolled in five data analytics programs. Initially, I thought it was a good thing for me as I saw it as an avenue to understand several topics I wouldn’t understand in a particular course. But no it wasn’t. It was a waste of time and a mental draining mechanism. Well, I never completed any of the programs. Now that’s one of the bad consequences.
Doing it all alone
You’ll think you are a super smart hero till you become a self-learner. Learning something entirely new. Trust me frustrations will come but don’t you think it’s better when you are with people doing the same things as you?? Getting a mentor if you can is part of this. I don’t have a mentor yet but if you can get one, don’t think twice. Go on and get that Lifesaver. Mentors are people who are experts in the field, people who have gone through different phases (including challenges) in their career paths who have had years of experience working in the role. They are like senior colleagues in the university who groom and show the fresh-year students around. Those freshers always avoid making a lot of mistakes on campus you know.
Lastly, ask yourself this question What area/niche of tech aligns with and supports my career goals?
Links
Youtube
Courses
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