I enjoy helping others, especially on the topics of data science, machine learning, and career. For a while, I responded to every email, and had an open calendar that anyone could schedule time on. However, that became unscalable. Nonetheless, I want to keep helping. Thus, here are some guidelines on what I cannot, and can, help on.
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I don’t think I’m much help at the following:
How to get your first job in data science / machine learning. My own journey is idiosyncratic, starting with a Psych Degree, then some lucky breaks and people who took a chance on me. I’m not sure how to help others replicate it. Nonetheless, I hope it provides inspiration that it can be done. Also see how others did it.
How to get into big tech. There’s plenty of people sharing their experience online, which includes how they applied, prepared, interviewed, negotiated, etc.
How to start learning data science / machine learning. I answered this question a while back; there are probably more recent resources now.
How to get into and do well in OMSCS. I’ve written an FAQ about it here.
Referrals if I don’t know you personally. This approach will most likely not work and I rather not get your hopes up.
Bugs in your code. Google and Stack Overflow will answer this faster.
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Here’s what I think I can contribute meaningfully on:
Angel investing. Would love to help founders, especially in the data/ML space. Please use this dedicated email: <thisdomain>@hey.com
How to structure a data team, frame a data science problem, design a machine learning system, etc. I think about such topics a lot, both at work and in my personal time. Past consultations have also been very productive.
Speaking at conferences or podcasts. Grateful for opportunities to share about data science & machine learning in production, building & leading data teams, etc.
Writing collabs on common topics. I enjoy working with other writers on topics that interest both our audiences. Here’s Susan and me writing on productivity.
Career coaching. Need advice on a complex project, or how to overcome a hurdle? Know what your next steps are but not sure how to get there? Let’s chat.
If it falls into any of these buckets, send me an email or schedule some time.
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Still unsure? Tweet or send an email anyway. If the question will be useful for others, post on this Ask Me Anything (AMA). I’ll reply or point to other resources.