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June 09, 2021

Data Science: Advance your career by staying relevant

Data Science: Keep your skills up to date and boost your career

As a Data Scientist, you have knowledge and skills that are valuable in the job market. Today, as digital transformation becomes a reality at a rapid pace, companies are looking for professionals who will help them grow. They need people who will understand the data and give them access to valuable conclusions. In order to be successful in Data Science, it's important to keep yourself informed about the latest news in the industry.

Read here how you can always be well-informed and build a professional profile with prestige and credibility.

Follow Data Science Blogs

It is important for Data Scientists to read academic publications, but niche Blogs can instantly give you important information about the rapidly changing technology landscape. The best way to be well-informed is to read valid Blogs from big companies and organizations or reputable colleagues. Indicatively, we mention and suggest the following:

It is also very useful to subscribe to Data Science Newsletters from specialized websites so that you receive their news regularly in your email.

A special blogging platform: Medium 

Medium is a publishing platform with special features, which attracts many Data Science organizations and professionals. It was originally created as a response to Twitter that allowed users to post longer texts. Today, it has adopted a hybrid model of publications from individual professionals and organizations, and in some fields such as Data Science, it has a large audience. It applies a subscription model for its members but there are also articles that users can read for free. Especially in the field of Data Science it has a great impact and hosts remarkable articles.

Well-known Data Science communities in Medium are:

Towards Data Science – a platform that enables thousands of professionals to exchange ideas and expand their knowledge in Data Science. With 596 thousand followers, it gives you a great opportunity to be informed, to know all the developments but also to build your own profile as a Data Scientist.

PRO TIP: By publishing projects and case studies that you have successfully completed, you become an active member of the community and you can also gain your own audience. It is a very reputable platform that your presence there will definitely impress your employer. Here you will find instructions to become a member of Medium. Here you will find instructions for publishing your article in Towards Data Science.

Data Science on Medium is another interesting community on the platform where you can become a member and receive updates directly on your homepage or email.

Participate in conferences 

Participating in conferences gives you the opportunity to be informed and to create a network of acquaintances that will help you evolve. In Data Science conferences and meetings, you learn about new topics and share experiences and discuss codes and analysis procedures. Participating in conferences definitely ensures you the most valid and comprehensive information on the latest developments. These are the Data Science conferences we recommend you to attend:

You can also join Meetup Groups with Data Science topics such as Business Intelligence and Analytics Athens.

Scientific publications 

As a modern professional you should always be up to date with the latest Data Science research publications. It is the only way that ensures a dynamic development with continuity over time. We recommend a free source of academic publications from Cornell University at arXiv.org. To facilitate your research and to be able to find the publications that concern you within this huge platform you can use arXiv Sanity. This is a tool created by Andrej Karpathy and allows you to categorize the material into categories: most recent, latest, popular, recommended. You can even find jobs similar to the ones you read with tf-idf and easily locate posts on the subject you are interested in.

Online networking

Through Social Media, you can create a network of professionals with common interests that helps you to stay informed quickly and immediately about the latest developments/news. Especially on LinkedIn and Twitter, new information is constantly being uploaded.

These two media are the most direct and fast way you are informed daily about what is happening in the industry. From new tools and new practices to new jobs, LinkedIn and Twitter are the first points of contact.

The Twitter accounts we suggest to get you started are:

  • @GoogleAI 
  • @OpenAI 
  • @AndrewYNg
  • @KDNuggets 
  • @Goodfellow_Ian 
  • @YLeCun 
  • @Karpathy
     

YouTube accounts with very interesting Data Science material that is constantly updated are:

Siraj Raval 

Cassie Kozyrkov

By following these practices, and always staying informed and active in the field, you promote your professional development and success with steady and sure steps.

A dynamic career in Data Science

Your knowledge in programming is valuable, but you definitely need to know the latest developments in the industry. For those of you who love the Data Scientist job, it is extremely important to be informed so that your qualifications remain sought after in the job market.

Do not forget that you must always keep your professional skills alive and this is achieved through practice. So look for every opportunity to practice and promote your work!

At the Data Science Bootcamp of Big Blue Data Academy, you have the opportunity to gain practical experience with application in the industry and work on a real-life project from a partner company. Read more here.

Big Blue Data Academy supports women.

Big Blue Data Academy actively supports women by strengthening their presence in Data Science in collaboration with Women On Top. If you are a woman and interested in becoming a Data Scientist contact the Big Blue Data Academy here.

By Evgenia Profi
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