9 Lessons of a Data Scientist :

1) Supplement your work with a diverse portfolio of extra-curricular learning

A curious nature, growth mindset, and self-starter attitude are just as important for a data scientist as
is his technical skill-set. Other than this field, one should also focus on topics like AI, big data
technology, mathematical and statistical techniques and programming skills.
A modern data scientist should have excellence in following domains:
i) Math & Statistics → Machine Learning, Statistical modeling, Experiment design,
Bayesian interface; Supervised Learning : decision trees, random forests, logistic
regression; Unsupervised Learning : Clustering, dimensionality reduction;
optimization gradient descent and variants.
ii) Domain Knowledge and Soft Skills → Passionate about the business, curious about
data, influence without authority, hacker mindset, problem solver; Strategic,
proactive, creative, innovative and collaborative.
iii) Programming & Database → Computer Science fundamentals, Scripting Language
e.g. Python, Statistical computing package e.g. R, Database SQL & NoSQL,
Relational Algebra, Parallel databases and parallel query processing, MapReduce
Concepts, Hadoop and Hive/Pig, Custom Reducers, Experience with xaaS like AWS.
iv) Communication & Visualization → Able to engage with senior management, story
telling skills, translate data driven insights into decisions and actions, visual art
design, R packages like ggplot or lattice, knowledge of any of visualization tools e.g.
Flare, D3.js, Tableau.
Your mind makes the deepest connections when exposed to the same concepts across different
medium, coupled with the right balance of information consumption, and hands-on learning by doing
2) Always have a “North Star” and tie every project to a specific business outcome
Know the goals of your business and let them guide your every move.
3) Punch above your weight
As business become more data-centric, junior analysts and data scientists will be given the
opportunity to interact with managers and senior stakeholders who have employed anecdotal and
intuition-based decision making processes for decades, sans data. In order to ensure your messages
hit home, carry yourself with a confidence level and swagger beyond your years, and elevate your
mental presence (albeit respectfully). Always punch above your weight.
4) Relationship matter
At the end of the day, data and numbers are an abstraction. Machine learning algorithms may be
better at detecting and processing patterns than humans, but they still lack the ability to reason. In
most business situations, the best decisions come from the marriage of human intuition or field
knowledge and data intelligence. Build trust by always communicating the limitations of data or
model upfront. Never discount the power or importance of people and relationship.
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