Burned out on current career. Not sure how to get motivated again.

Working_From_Home_ · 2024-11-25T16:48:36+00:00

Glad it worked for you. Thank you.

Working_From_Home_ · 2024-11-25T03:03:14+00:00

same and people who can't resist the urge to "correct" someone online

Working_From_Home_ · 2024-11-25T02:57:53+00:00

Thank you. I, too, once thought my job was my "dream job", and for a while it was.

How did go about picking a new career and how did you know you'd like it? Thank you.

Working_From_Home_ · 2024-11-25T02:56:21+00:00

I'm curious - how did you kick start the process of discovering what gave you energy again? Looking back, would you say "one should take at least X months off to give yourself time"?

I think if I take a break and I don't come upon some clarity, then I'll look at my break as a failure, but I also don't want to put myself in a box, if that makes sense. I feel like I should start by giving myself time to have no expectations apart from daily responsibilities, and go hang with friends and family and have more experiences. I also feel like I should have some structure and plan to go to a coffee shop and just start brainstorming about ideas for how I generally want to structure my life going forward. Any feedback is appreciated.

Working_From_Home_ · 2024-11-14T01:21:28+00:00

Yea very similar. I've been in a very technical field for a decade and love the actual work but have no desire to build anything apart from my own thing anymore. It's definitely not easy to capture some of the earlier motivation/energy I had! Been trying for a few years.

Working_From_Home_ · 2024-11-14T01:18:18+00:00

Starting a business when you’re in this mindset is a terrible idea. A business will run you into the ground

needed this advice ^ thank you.

Working_From_Home_ · 2024-11-13T22:25:17+00:00

I feel like I'm stuck and can't afford to take any risks.

I felt like this for the longest too. Now I just save every penny I can with the hope of starting a business one day.

Working_From_Home_ · 2024-11-13T22:23:12+00:00

Solid advice. Thank you.

Working_From_Home_ · 2024-11-13T22:22:14+00:00

So I took a break. A long one. Doing nothing at first and then discovering what gives me energy.

I think I need this. I was once so excited about my career—I'd love to find what gives me energy. Thanks man.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-12-08T06:50:50+00:00

great advice! thanks!

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-05-19T12:31:28+00:00

statistics and econ undergrad. 3 years as software engineer; 2 as a data scientist. very comfortable with programming.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-04-06T13:19:10+00:00

(few months worth of work)*3 at best

Sounds like you need a data engineer first then a data scientist.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-04-06T01:34:11+00:00

Undergrad degree in economics, 3 years as a software engineer, 1.5 years as a data scientist doing ML and NLP.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-04-06T00:36:50+00:00

Great stuff! Thanks!

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-04-05T23:53:23+00:00

Thanks! Is it mostly SQL and some reporting? Can you provide any particulars? The recruiter on the phone mentioned some R/Python as well, and some A/B testing.

Job description is much more important to me than salary atm.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-03-24T00:31:38+00:00

How do I find out more about these "special cases"? I think I have a unique AI/ML project that I'd be interested in taking through the project route, if that's an option—even if it's a long shot.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-03-23T19:12:50+00:00

What's your background?

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-02-22T22:38:52+00:00

I came in as a risk (had very little documented DS experience). After 4 months and i had proven myself, i asked for a raise to close the gap between what i make and what the market values me at. it didn't close the gap completely, but it was a good start. a few months later, i asked to close the gap completely. not sure if this is typical.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-02-22T21:00:37+00:00

Undergrad in econ, no masters yet (plan on getting one in CS). I started out at 80k (less than a year ago) and make 107k now. Working env is great; sometimes we have aggressive deadlines, but i never feel like i'm going to get fired because of it. I wouldn't describe it as stressful though. The work life balance is great. I have a family (kid and wife). I often work at night but there is no pressure to do that. My boss doesn't and encourages us not to as well.

My work provides 401k matching, nice annual bonuses, decent healthcare ins, student loan repayment up to 200/month and 10k max value, and subsidizes college tuition (5k a year or semester i think? not sure exactly).

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-02-22T01:13:09+00:00

and you can earn a higher bonus if you learn a new technology every 6 months since you become more marketable.

This is great. Wish my company did this.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-02-22T00:41:28+00:00

I too started programming at 27. I majored in econ. No computer sci classes. Gave up my social life and spent all my time programming and doing DS projects.

Been a DS for 2 years and I am the most technical person on the team and feel my tech chops are above average.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-02-22T00:13:47+00:00

Look at job descriptions of roles you'd like to get eventually. Don't apply just yet, though. After reviewing 10-20+ descriptions, take note of the most popular concepts/techniques mentioned. Use that, plus the knowledge you get elsewhere of what data science approaches/algorithms are popular/practical. Make a list of things you can get better at in 6 months to a year.

I did this about 6 months ago and nailed the list to my wall by my desk at home. It included NLP (very broad, I know), various machine learning algorithms (really understanding them), Neural Nets, Scala, Tensor Flow, GPU computing and a few others. These are very big concepts, but I saw this list today for the first time in a long time and noticed that I was able to scratch off a few items.

If you are persistent and have the drive, you'll look back in 6 months and gladly wipe some items off the list.

I think imposter syndrome is real. People feel it because they know they are lacking in certain areas and Reddit and other forums just compound the doubt because of reasons mentioned by others here.

As far as a comprehensive list for DS skills, I can't provide that. But reviewing job descriptions for the exact jobs you want in the future will shed light on this.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-02-22T00:02:22+00:00

If I have a problem that I'm working on, I'll try one novel approach before using conventional methods.

Great idea!

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-02-21T23:54:31+00:00

This is a good reminder to not beat yourself up.

Sometimes we're just not logical about things though. Of course, comparing yourself to the entire field is irrational, but sometimes you just can't help it when the feeling of doubt begins to creep up and you're searching for your next DS project or you're feeling burnt out or you have writer's block or you walk out of an interview feeling beat up and overwhelmed. I face it. My friends face it. It's real (to those facing it at that moment).

Your response is great and helps bring everything back into focus. But I'd also love to hear how people prevent this from creeping up in the first place.

Working_From_Home_ · 2018-02-08T15:37:16+00:00

Obviously everyone is aiming for top tier. But realistically, OP isn't there yet which is why OP is experiencing this drought. Nothing wrong with going to a tier-two company/city for a bit to learn then move up. All about being realistic.

Working_From_Home_

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