A decade of being an average Data Scientist! My personal experience.

Hello! I know there's people here with PhDs, working in FAANG, on top of the newest tech, and are absolutely brilliant Data Scientists.

I'm not one of them.

I've worked in medium to small companies with outdated technology, companies where I'm the only Analyst/Scientist, and places you've most likely never heard of. I don't do anything extraordinary, don't consider myself smart/brilliant, and I wouldn't pass a current day FAANG interview.

But I have still had an amazing experience being a Data Scientist, and I have made real impact with companies I've worked in. I still interview at companies and have no issues getting job offers (although it's much more difficult right now). I've always had a hunger and drive to learn new things, but I found that I have had a knack for translating complicated information into a way anyone can understand.

I make sure I'm kind, compassionate, and show anyone that data can be interesting and fun. I don't live to make myself look smarter, especially at the expense of other people, so I love breaking down complicated concepts in a way anyone can understand!

I love showing insight from data and directions we can go. I enjoy building models - even if a lot of them go nowhere. Some of the biggest impacts and decisions companies have made have come from bar charts and basic KPIs.

And I plan to keep doing it. I'm so average, maybe even below average, but I love what I do and I lean into what I'm good with. I have seen such a drastic change in the field, especially with AI, and I'm currently adapting to those changes too.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my positive experience from someone who is painfully average lol!! I wanted to show people, especially new grads and/or people pivoting into the field, that you don't have to be the smartest person in the room to get hired. You need to drill into the solid foundations and a have a drive to make change/bring value to a company.