3 Levels You Have to Unlock to be a Real Data Scientist
As a Data Geek, you probably are confident enough that you have what it takes to be a real Data Scientist. Well, you might be right, but not everyone has that unique and undiscovered superpower. Now you must be wondering, how do you know whether you are a real data scientist or not?
First of all, you can find out the answer by taking the “Are you a Real Data Scientist?” quiz. If you have taken the quiz and you still ended up here, we know that you haven’t successfully ignited that superpower. We believe that you have it in you, but you just need more training to discover that hidden power!
There are three levels you have to unlock to complete your superpower training. GOJEK’s Data Science team has revealed the cheat codes on how to hack your way to complete these levels.
- Deepen your knowledge on the fundamentals of machine learning
To be the strongest data scientist of all, the best way to do it is by studying all the basic machine learning theories.
However, machine learning is way more than that! The fundamental of it becomes important because a data scientist needs to understand what happens behind the scenes. A lot of data warriors that GOJEK’s Data Science team have met mostly use the existing python libraries without knowing what it really does.
Understanding what’s behind the scenes is necessary because it closely connects with the way a problem will be solved by machine learning. There are also many data warriors who know how to use sophisticated tools, but that doesn’t mean it’s applicable to solve daily problems that we face in our lives.
How to hack this level:
Sign up to Coursera’s Machine Learning online class will help you unlock this level. In this course offered by Stanford University, you will learn the fundamentals of machine learning that can help you ignite the real data scientist’s superpower.
2. Sharpen your problem-solving skills
Good problem-solving skills are needed if you want to ignite this superpower. But, being able to solve a problem isn’t enough; your solution needs to be scalable. Some of the data warriors we’ve met have come up with good enough solving skills, but unfortunately, it’s not scalable enough. GOJEK does 350 million internal API calls every second, and every solution that you come up with needs to be applied to that scale.
A lot of people care too much about technical aspects but don’t really care about solving real problems. Usually, they keep doing research and digging way too deep on technical aspects but solves zero problems. That’s why we want a real data scientist who focuses more on solving real problems.
Aside from good problem-solving skills, a real data scientist must understand how to breakdown all the problems that they’re facing and be able to find the right metrics to measure it.
How to hack this level:
You need to have a strong intuition to solve a business problem because it plays a big part in completing this level. You can sharpen this skill by learning problem-solving techniques from a lot of good consulting firms, such as McKinsey, BCG, and others. Intensive training in solving any kind of business problems you’ve faced so far might help you to polish this talent.
3. Improve your communication skill
“If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.” This quote from Albert Einstein are words to live for a real data scientist.
It is very important to take the crux of the work that you are doing and use analogies to show relationships between all the components. Clearly stating the data flow is also necessary so people understand what your source of data is, what your model is optimizing and what your result is going to be.
A lot of non-technical stakeholders are also more interested in how your model/project helps the product grow. So that means communicating your work in the most humanly possible way is very essential!
Based on what we’ve seen, most of the data warriors we have met mostly have good communication skills. We love to hear your way of thinking. However, during the Data Science interview with us, it’s okay to pause for a bit and think. But don’t stare blankly into the whiteboard without saying anything because it won’t look so good. So, it never hurts to improve your skills, right?
How to hack this level:
Do a mini-presentation about your work with your family and friends to practice. Holding internal presentations within your team will also be helpful so you will get comfortable using the precise language to explain the tech behind a model. Attend a lot of sharing sessions to get a reference on how a Data Scientist should communicate their work to a bunch of people.
Heroes aren’t built overnight! We believe if you have trained really well and complete these levels, we are sure you can ignite that hidden superpower in yourself. Let us know if you have unlocked these levels by taking the quiz again. We are very excited to have you in our Data Avengers team in the future!
Writer’s note:
Shout out to Ardya Dipta, Malavika Menon and Pallavi Shinde. These GOJEK Data Scientists are the ones who revealed the cheat codes!
