Twice weekly, I share proven strategies to help data scientists get noticed, promoted, and valued. No theory — just practical steps to transform your technical expertise into business impact and the freedom to call your own shots.
AI Boom, AI Doom, and Everything in Between
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I spend a lot of time talking to data professionals about AI, and one thing I’ve noticed is that attitudes typically fall into one of two extremes: AI boom or AI doom. At one extreme are those who are excited about the new opportunities AI will create - the chance to do more interesting work or finally launch the business they’ve always dreamed about. These people are always eager to share what they’ve used AI to create, and the results invariably amaze. But at the other end are those who lie awake at night, wondering if their job will still exist in 12 months’ time, saving every dollar they can for when the job apocalypse finally arrives. I even had one data scientist recently tell me they would be happy if the entire AI industry crashed and burned. Yet, regardless of where they fall on that spectrum, few of the data professionals I’ve spoken to have a clear sense of what to do next. What skills should they be building today to be ready for tomorrow? Nicholas Kelly, author of Delivering Data Analytics and The AI-Driven Data Team, had his own version of that moment of uncertainty. Two years ago, a client told him bluntly that ChatGPT could do 50% of what he did and they wouldn’t be needing his dashboard-building services anymore. Rather than waiting to see what happened next, Nick made a choice: get ahead of it and decide what his career becomes, instead of waiting to find out what happens to it. In the latest episode of Value Driven Data Science, Nick joins me to share what that evolution looked like in practice, what data professionals at any stage of their career can learn from his experience and why their existing expertise puts them in a stronger position than they might think. You’ll discover:
The AI era presents a choice: wait to see what happens to your role, or get ahead of it and decide what it becomes. Which are you going to choose? Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or click the link below: Episode 115: Evolving Your Data Career for the AI Era Talk again soon, Dr Genevieve Hayes |
Data Science Impact Algorithm
Twice weekly, I share proven strategies to help data scientists get noticed, promoted, and valued. No theory — just practical steps to transform your technical expertise into business impact and the freedom to call your own shots.
I recently spoke to a software developer looking to make the transition into data science. He had decades of programming experience, a goldmine of non-technical skills, and he was asking my thoughts on how to approach the move. I told him that in most respects, his timing was excellent, because the AI-wave and more recent developments in agentic AI had fundamentally changed the data science landscape in ways that worked in his favour. Since AI agents are essentially just software, for people...
The number one piece of advice I give to data professionals is to have more conversations. Conversations lead to good things. Things like job offers and stronger relationships. But more importantly, the opportunity to deepen your knowledge through learning from the wisdom of others. I owe many of the best opportunities I’ve encountered in my career to proactively seeking them out wherever I can. My podcast is a weekly example of the power of conversation. But if there’s one thing all these...
While working as a data scientist in a large organisation, I was once called on to attend a meeting with representatives of a big tech company and multiple senior leaders from my business area. The tech reps were there to sell us a new product. The data scientists had been invited because we were the intended users. Although there were a dozen or more people in the room, I was the only person who came prepared with any questions - 2 1/2 pages of them, to be precise. I let everyone else have...