I think your academic career counts as experience. I would think your best bet is data science/machine learning. If you have read and mostly understood ESL i’d

I think your academic career counts as experience. I would think your best bet is data science/machine learning. If you have read and mostly understood ESL i’d think you’re basically qualified. Play around with Tensorflow/PyTorch and modern neural networks so you can say you know about deep learning. Knowledge of “classical” statistics is a competitive advantage. Perhaps frame yourself as a consultant or contractor, if you find you face age discrimination. The advantage of having an older person with experience and wisdom might be more apparent, vs competing for entry level jobs.