What Made Me Switch Careers From Policing To Data Science
Giving up my uniformed policing job for a data science role was the biggest and most difficult decision I had to make in my working life. After all, I love the blue uniform and it had been my first and only job since I started working. I was earning comfortably, enjoying good benefits, performing well and holding a fairly senior rank.
So, why did I give all of these up, in return for a data science role? In this post, I pen down my motivation behind this decision, hopefully as an inspiration to others considering a similar path.
My Policing Career: At A Glance
My journey as a police officer started as early as 2006, when I was enlisted into the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for National Service. I was later awarded the Local Merit Scholarship (Police) to pursue my undergraduate studies. After I graduated, I was appointed as a senior officer in the SPF, with the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police. Over the years, I performed roles in criminal investigations, frontline policing, police operations, as well as policy work.
In 2018, I became interested in data science and was granted the MHA Postgraduate Scholarship to pursue a one-year Master’s degree in Data Science and Analytics in the UK. After I completed my studies, I returned to the SPF, hoping to apply my new-found skills.
Unfortunately, circumstances did not allow me to do so as an uniformed police officer. After much deliberation, I made the decision to give up my uniformed career in return for a full-time data science role in SPF, under a non-uniformed scheme.
So, Why Did I Make The Switch?
The uniformed career was paying me well and as with other government jobs, came with several good benefits. I was also performing well and was promoted every two years. At the same time, I was 32, no longer single and starting a family. Giving up the uniformed career meant less salary and leave benefits amongst other things, so it seemed like a risky bet to give up the perks and stability, especially when my runway in data science was short. So, why did I do it?
1. To seek new experiences
Through my years in the SPF, I have achieved most of what I wanted to experience as a uniformed officer — my “bucket list” if you like. My key career highlights include being given the Sword-of-Honour accolade, serving as an Honorary Aide-de-Camp to the President, hosting on Crimewatch and representing the SPF at the National Day Parade in the Guard-of-Honour contingent.
While I am grateful for these opportunities, I also felt that it was timely for me to seek new experiences. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, challenge myself and learn new things. These opportunities had given me the privilege to be in the limelight on several occasions, and perhaps it was now time for me to take a step back and contribute in different ways.
2. To live for myself, not others
To identify officers with high potential, we are given “extra-curricular” responsibilities, sometimes without much choice. I was told that the more projects I undertook, the more I would get exposed to and recognised by people who could influence my career progression. Under such a system, there was inevitably pressure to prove myself. I was always striving to live up to the expectations of others and the organisation.
“There are two paths you can take, Enola. Yours or the path others choose for you.” — Mrs Holmes, ‘Enola Holmes’ (2020)
In making this decision, I wanted to, for the first time, live for myself. I wanted to set my own expectations and goals, and work towards them. I wanted to define my own circle of competence and not have the organisation dictate what I should do to prove myself. I wanted to truly believe in the work that I do, and not do it for the sake of wanting to be recognised.
3. To apply the knowledge that I have gained
By the time I was making this decision, I had just completed my data science masters. It had been a challenging journey, to say the least. Unlike others, I had no mathematics, computer science or programming background, so the learning curve was steep. Unlike most people, I had to juggle between assignments and taking care of a toddler. Remote learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic also presented its own set of challenges for me and my family.
Having made sacrifices and invested so much time to complete my Master’s degree, it would be a waste not to put my knowledge and skills into good use. My passion for data science was only starting to grow, and I knew that there was so much more I wanted to learn. Continuing in uniformed roles meant that I would not be able to practise data science consistently. To me, that was simply out of question. It just did not make sense for me throw all those knowledge away.
4. To reinvent myself
In a digital age, data literacy is increasingly necessary and important. Given how data-driven the world has become in the last decade, data science would be even more relevant in the future. There could come a time when data science becomes a mainstream subject in our education system, and every citizen could be expected to have basic data science competencies. The demand for data scientists will remain high, given that Singapore will likely continue to be an attractive hub for tech companies and digital startups.
In a future like this, having data science knowledge and experience would be extremely valuable and advantageous. Making the decision now to switch to a data science career was my bid to reinvent myself and stay relevant for the future. I would, at some point, hope to be in the “thick of the action”, making meaningful contributions towards a digitally-enabled society.
Final Thoughts
These were in a nutshell my main reasons why I decided to switch. At the time of writing this post, it has been almost a year since I took the leap of faith. Of course, the decision came at the expense of a few things. I had my gross salary cut by 15%. I had my annual leave benefits reduced by 14 days. I had my retirement savings (meant for the uniformed police scheme) of more than $200,000 relinquished.
“Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward, stronger.” — Kef Amaya
At the same time, there were several upsides — mostly intangibles. I am now able to pursue my passion and practise data science on a full-time basis. I am given many opportunities to learn and deepen my expertise. Work-life balance is much better, and I can spend precious time with my loved ones.
Do I regret making this decision? Not a single bit. It was not an easy decision, but I am proud to have followed my heart and pursued my passion. I am proud to have taken ownership of my own career path. I had never imagined myself being other than a police officer, but here I am now — a practising data scientist.
Everything happens for a reason, and there must be a reason why I was led down this path. The best part? I still get to contribute towards the policing mission — to prevent, deter and detect crimes — albeit indirectly using data science.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading this post! Do leave me your comments on how you found this post and how I can further improve the content. If you are contemplating a mid-career switch like I did, I hope that my story can serve as an inspiration. You know what is best for yourself, so believe in your passion and go for it! Once you have decided, stand firm and do not look back. Have a great day!
