4 ms·

Everyone is a data scientist these days

mdekkers 9y ago
Indeed. Call me a snob, but I am sitting in 2 to 3 interviews weekly at the moment (looking for a big data specialist) and everyone is a "Data Scientist": me: You state on your CV that you are a data scientist Candidate: Yes me : What is your Phd in? Candidate : I don't actually have a Phd me : <sigh> right, no scientist. I hate job interviews
- valuearb 9y ago
  I guess Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison, Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, TH Huxley and James Prescott Joule weren't scientists then. And Richard Leakey isn't one either.
  - mdekkers 9y ago
    I guess Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison, Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, TH Huxley and James Prescott Joule weren't scientists then. And Richard Leakey isn't one either. As far as I understand, they were not data scientists in the contemporary meaning of the word. At least, they don't have the training, skills and experience I am recruiting for.
    - valuearb 9y ago
      You indicated that you must have a PhD to be a data scientist. The world is full of people without Phds who are better scientists in every field than the typical Phd.
- rajacombinator 9y ago
  Because having a phd makes you knowledgeable about data and statistics...
  - mdekkers 9y ago
    Because having a phd makes you knowledgeable about data and statistics... It does if you have a Phd in a data science related field.
- softawre 9y ago
  So you are sitting in interviews but you don't know if the candidate has a PhD before you go in? Sounds like that is your fault.
  - mdekkers 9y ago
    So you are sitting in interviews but you don't know if the candidate has a PhD before you go in? Sounds like that is your fault. Of course I know what qualifications they have. I don't know what "fault" you are talking about. Fault for what?
- sushid 9y ago
  You are being a snob. There's no degree requirement to be called a data scientist. Even if there were, why would you exclude a B.S. or an M.S.? It's not like they're calling themselves a Doctor. You'd be stupid to market yourself as a data specialist when every startup is looking for a data scientist.
  - mdekkers 9y ago
    There's no degree requirement to be called a data scientist. There is for one of the positions I am recruiting for. Even if there were, why would you exclude a B.S. or an M.S.? Because I am looking for someone with a Phd in Data Science. How stupid of me, for excluding people that don't have the skills I need for my job. You'd be stupid to market yourself as a data specialist when every startup is looking for a data scientist. I'd be stupid for hiring a data specialist, when what I am looking for is a data scientist. I'd be even stupider for hiring someone that is trying to pass themselves off as a data scientist with Phd, when they don't actually have one. I recently interviewed someone with "12 years production hadoop experience" (seriously), claiming to have a "data science Phd" (doesn't exist as such) and when asked "can you please explain the relationship between hbase, hadoop, and hdfs" (yes, there is a reason for asking this question in this way) I had to listen to essentially a salespitch for Hortonworks, and to be told "hdfs has nothing to do with hadoop" <-- this shit, many times a week.
    - sushid 9y ago
      But this isn't a problem with the industry itself, it's how you've set yourself up for poor matches. Why don't you title the position "Data Scientist, Senior/Chief/etc. (PhD req)." It'll cut through at least half of the cruft right away. But really, it looks like you need to hire a new recruiter. If you're wasting your time interviewing a Hortonworks entry dev when you want a guy with a PhD, the recruiter is not doing their job.
- wwweston 9y ago
  What's the essential scientific skillset you see developed in PhD programs, and why do you think it's unlikely to find it in people who don't have that credential?
mmmpop 9y ago
Well, everyone who submits a patch on GitHub with some CSS updates is now an "engineer", so it's just the logical progression.

Indeed. Call me a snob, but I am sitting in 2 to 3 interviews weekly at the moment (looking for a big data specialist) and everyone is a "Data Scientist": me: You state on your CV that you are a data scientist Candidate: Yes me : What is your Phd in? Candidate : I don't actually have a Phd me : <sigh> right, no scientist. I hate job interviews

valuearb 9y ago
I guess Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison, Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, TH Huxley and James Prescott Joule weren't scientists then. And Richard Leakey isn't one either.
- mdekkers 9y ago
  I guess Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison, Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, TH Huxley and James Prescott Joule weren't scientists then. And Richard Leakey isn't one either. As far as I understand, they were not data scientists in the contemporary meaning of the word. At least, they don't have the training, skills and experience I am recruiting for.
  - valuearb 9y ago
    You indicated that you must have a PhD to be a data scientist. The world is full of people without Phds who are better scientists in every field than the typical Phd.
rajacombinator 9y ago
Because having a phd makes you knowledgeable about data and statistics...
- mdekkers 9y ago
  Because having a phd makes you knowledgeable about data and statistics... It does if you have a Phd in a data science related field.
softawre 9y ago
So you are sitting in interviews but you don't know if the candidate has a PhD before you go in? Sounds like that is your fault.
- mdekkers 9y ago
  So you are sitting in interviews but you don't know if the candidate has a PhD before you go in? Sounds like that is your fault. Of course I know what qualifications they have. I don't know what "fault" you are talking about. Fault for what?
sushid 9y ago
You are being a snob. There's no degree requirement to be called a data scientist. Even if there were, why would you exclude a B.S. or an M.S.? It's not like they're calling themselves a Doctor. You'd be stupid to market yourself as a data specialist when every startup is looking for a data scientist.
- mdekkers 9y ago
  There's no degree requirement to be called a data scientist. There is for one of the positions I am recruiting for. Even if there were, why would you exclude a B.S. or an M.S.? Because I am looking for someone with a Phd in Data Science. How stupid of me, for excluding people that don't have the skills I need for my job. You'd be stupid to market yourself as a data specialist when every startup is looking for a data scientist. I'd be stupid for hiring a data specialist, when what I am looking for is a data scientist. I'd be even stupider for hiring someone that is trying to pass themselves off as a data scientist with Phd, when they don't actually have one. I recently interviewed someone with "12 years production hadoop experience" (seriously), claiming to have a "data science Phd" (doesn't exist as such) and when asked "can you please explain the relationship between hbase, hadoop, and hdfs" (yes, there is a reason for asking this question in this way) I had to listen to essentially a salespitch for Hortonworks, and to be told "hdfs has nothing to do with hadoop" <-- this shit, many times a week.
  - sushid 9y ago
    But this isn't a problem with the industry itself, it's how you've set yourself up for poor matches. Why don't you title the position "Data Scientist, Senior/Chief/etc. (PhD req)." It'll cut through at least half of the cruft right away. But really, it looks like you need to hire a new recruiter. If you're wasting your time interviewing a Hortonworks entry dev when you want a guy with a PhD, the recruiter is not doing their job.
wwweston 9y ago
What's the essential scientific skillset you see developed in PhD programs, and why do you think it's unlikely to find it in people who don't have that credential?

mmmpop 9y ago

Well, everyone who submits a patch on GitHub with some CSS updates is now an "engineer", so it's just the logical progression.