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Recruiter here. Data Science is one of ~3 roles I generally don't recruit for. Not because Data Scientists are super hard to find, but more because companies se

Recruiter here. Data Science is one of ~3 roles I generally don't recruit for. Not because Data Scientists are super hard to find, but more because companies seem to all want data scientists and all want them to do completely different things and none of them really understand those things. Makes for a pretty lame hiring experience unfortunately. :(

danmg 8y ago
For every 'real' data science job which requires deep knowledge of statistics and machine learning, there are 50 DBA positions where they want you to know some python.
- CalRobert 8y ago
  I was hired as a "technical game data scientist" and all I do is fix stuff with python, celery, redis, and if I'm lucky Redshift. To be fair, they know this isn't really "data science" but it's always what needs to happen in the next sprint so anything interesting is shoved out. I think a lot of companies are hiring "data engineers" but don't know it. The guy who started making Superset (https://github.com/apache/incubator-superset https://github.com/apache/incubator-superset) wrote this and I think it's apt. https://medium.freecodecamp.org/the-rise-of-the-data-engineer-91be18f1e603 https://medium.freecodecamp.org/the-rise-of-the-data-enginee...
- ataturk 8y ago
  I'd be okay with that. I spent a few months in 2016 re-learning statistics and getting a handle on ML and other topics. I have a PhD in a related field. It was a no-brainer for me. NOT ONE JOB locally. None. Gave up the search in abject failure and went back to Java land.
- pleasecalllater 8y ago
  And for every company which wants to have a DBA there are thousands which just don't care, or claim having a DBA is just too expensive as the programmers are enough. The results are quite terrible then... but almost nobody cares. Just my small remark after long time of looking for a job as a postgres DBA :).
cosmie 8y ago
> all want them to do completely different things and none of them really understand those things It's the HR equivalent of deciding to rebuild your solidly performing website with some hot new v0.1 frontend javascript framework purely because it's the new hot stuff. Perpetuated and reinforced by C-Suite level desires to appear trendy and cutting edge. When I ran an Analytics/BI team, I was well aware of what I needed and wanted. But constantly had to fight to not have HR label open positions as Data Science roles. Once I got them to start posting the position with Data Analyst and Data Strategist titles instead, the team satisfaction scores and attrition rate markedly improved. The (very competitive) pay rate and actual work was the same as it was under Data Scientist titles. But it better scoped the candidate pool and aligned expectations up front, rather than hiring a bright-eyed and overqualified Masters/PhD graduate and being the company that disillusions them to the reality of most "data science" roles. Although I can understand the desire to ride the hype train for those executives. Being pragmatic improved my team and benefited my company, but cost me the ability to add Data Science as a buzzword to my resume, and "Created, managed, and scaled a Data Management and Operational Analytics/BI organization" doesn't have as much market value.
Mc91 8y ago
I know a mid-level manager at a Fortune 100 company. Somewhere up the management chain, someone read an article about how data science is the hot new thing that your company has to be doing or it will have missed the boat. So word was sent down that their next project was to do data science. So now they are launching a data science project to analyze their business data, which this manager is overseeing. They're hiring data scientists and all that entails. It doesn't come from a business requirement or some organically generated need, top management just wants to be able to say their company is using data science if they're asked about it.
- tormeh 8y ago
  That's unfair. "Not missing the boat" is a natural need for a company. Everyone with an MBA has studied companies that missed the boat. Throwing some money at various new fads isn't necessarily irrational.
  - ItsMe000001 8y ago
    Nevertheless, it does make one reconsider million dollar compensation packages if all those guys can come up with is to deploy randomness. Either they have foresight and a plan or they don't. Either way is fine, but only the first option supports the million dollar salaries for executives. If they are just like any other mortal... they didn't even do anything to identify new trends, they just followed what was in the major business magazines.
- timdellinger 8y ago
  I actually see this as a smart move in the context of a Fortune 100 company. It's often a good idea to build something (in this case, a data science capability) before you need it, so that when you do need it, it's already up and running. Also: there's value in giving any new technology a test drive.
- solomatov 8y ago
  That's normal. The company to experiment with data science and understand what can be done with it on a low risk project.
joker3 8y ago
You think you've got it bad, imagine how it is for us candidates.
user5994461 8y ago
Call them Quant roles like in finance, everyone understands and it makes life easier.

danmg 8y ago

For every 'real' data science job which requires deep knowledge of statistics and machine learning, there are 50 DBA positions where they want you to know some python.

CalRobert 8y ago
I was hired as a "technical game data scientist" and all I do is fix stuff with python, celery, redis, and if I'm lucky Redshift. To be fair, they know this isn't really "data science" but it's always what needs to happen in the next sprint so anything interesting is shoved out. I think a lot of companies are hiring "data engineers" but don't know it. The guy who started making Superset (https://github.com/apache/incubator-superset https://github.com/apache/incubator-superset) wrote this and I think it's apt. https://medium.freecodecamp.org/the-rise-of-the-data-engineer-91be18f1e603 https://medium.freecodecamp.org/the-rise-of-the-data-enginee...
ataturk 8y ago
I'd be okay with that. I spent a few months in 2016 re-learning statistics and getting a handle on ML and other topics. I have a PhD in a related field. It was a no-brainer for me. NOT ONE JOB locally. None. Gave up the search in abject failure and went back to Java land.
pleasecalllater 8y ago
And for every company which wants to have a DBA there are thousands which just don't care, or claim having a DBA is just too expensive as the programmers are enough. The results are quite terrible then... but almost nobody cares. Just my small remark after long time of looking for a job as a postgres DBA :).

cosmie 8y ago

> all want them to do completely different things and none of them really understand those things It's the HR equivalent of deciding to rebuild your solidly performing website with some hot new v0.1 frontend javascript framework purely because it's the new hot stuff. Perpetuated and reinforced by C-Suite level desires to appear trendy and cutting edge. When I ran an Analytics/BI team, I was well aware of what I needed and wanted. But constantly had to fight to not have HR label open positions as Data Science roles. Once I got them to start posting the position with Data Analyst and Data Strategist titles instead, the team satisfaction scores and attrition rate markedly improved. The (very competitive) pay rate and actual work was the same as it was under Data Scientist titles. But it better scoped the candidate pool and aligned expectations up front, rather than hiring a bright-eyed and overqualified Masters/PhD graduate and being the company that disillusions them to the reality of most "data science" roles. Although I can understand the desire to ride the hype train for those executives. Being pragmatic improved my team and benefited my company, but cost me the ability to add Data Science as a buzzword to my resume, and "Created, managed, and scaled a Data Management and Operational Analytics/BI organization" doesn't have as much market value.

Mc91 8y ago

I know a mid-level manager at a Fortune 100 company. Somewhere up the management chain, someone read an article about how data science is the hot new thing that your company has to be doing or it will have missed the boat. So word was sent down that their next project was to do data science. So now they are launching a data science project to analyze their business data, which this manager is overseeing. They're hiring data scientists and all that entails. It doesn't come from a business requirement or some organically generated need, top management just wants to be able to say their company is using data science if they're asked about it.

tormeh 8y ago
That's unfair. "Not missing the boat" is a natural need for a company. Everyone with an MBA has studied companies that missed the boat. Throwing some money at various new fads isn't necessarily irrational.
- ItsMe000001 8y ago
  Nevertheless, it does make one reconsider million dollar compensation packages if all those guys can come up with is to deploy randomness. Either they have foresight and a plan or they don't. Either way is fine, but only the first option supports the million dollar salaries for executives. If they are just like any other mortal... they didn't even do anything to identify new trends, they just followed what was in the major business magazines.
timdellinger 8y ago
I actually see this as a smart move in the context of a Fortune 100 company. It's often a good idea to build something (in this case, a data science capability) before you need it, so that when you do need it, it's already up and running. Also: there's value in giving any new technology a test drive.
solomatov 8y ago
That's normal. The company to experiment with data science and understand what can be done with it on a low risk project.

joker3 8y ago

You think you've got it bad, imagine how it is for us candidates.

user5994461 8y ago

Call them Quant roles like in finance, everyone understands and it makes life easier.