It is the time of the year again when people start to reflect on the past year and plan for the year ahead.
Besides planning out the next holiday or the typical I-will-hit-the-gym-more resolution, it may be worth taking some time to reflect on your career.
It is often said that we should own our own career, but most people do not offer relevant or actionable advice for data scientists. Especially since data science is a relatively new field.
I have set out to seek this information in an old-school way – i.e. by reading books.
After reading a few books (including one that is specifically written for data scientists), I was mostly disappointed by them, until I chanced upon the Software Engineer’s Guidebook by Gergely Orosz.
You can tell from the name of the book that it is written for software engineers, but I find most (if not all) advice in there apply for data scientists as well.
The tone of the book is direct and easily digestible, without obfuscation by languages you typically encounter in a corporate environment.
Amongst many other topics, it talks about how to navigate performance reviews & promotions, the importance of soft skills & longer tenure as you rise in seniority, and how to thrive in different companies.
The most important takeaway for me is (in my own words) – A successful career path is not a linear journey, and it is not about drawing the highest paycheck or having the fanciest job title. Do not overlook the seemingly small things along the way that will help you grow towards where you want to be over the long term.
The book did not tell me the destination of my career path, but it did give me tools to help me reach there sooner.
