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.
Data Science and Zombies
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My zombie apocalypse binge taught me something about data science: Sometimes you need to break up with your favourite technique. This Friday is Halloween, which, being a life-long horror nerd, I would normally treat as an excuse to write a post connecting data science to horror movies (as I did in 2024 and 2023). However, after binge-watching way too many seasons of The Walking Dead, I started to feel like I was trapped in my own apocalyptic nightmare. The endless cycle of zombies, violence and despair started wearing me down. So I decided to break up with the horror genre. To my surprise, almost instantly I started to notice movies and TV series from other genres I hadn’t previously realised existed. And some of them are really good - better than The Walking Dead. It wasn’t that these shows had only just been made (some of them are 10+ years old), but I had become so fixated on choosing entertainment from one genre that I had become completely oblivious to the rest. I’ve met data scientists who get trapped in exactly the same way. I used to work with one data scientist whose area of expertise was generalised linear models. It was also his solution to everything. Customer churn prediction? GLM. In the entire time I knew him, I don’t think he ever proposed a single solution that didn’t involve fitting a GLM. But as the no free lunch theorem states, there is no one single model or technique to rule them all. Yet, while you’re fixated on that one approach, it can be hard to see anything else. The solution? Break up with your pet technique. Next time you reach for your go-to method, force yourself to try something completely different first. Linear regression instead of random forest. I dare you to go cold turkey for a week or two and see what alternative solutions emerge. You might discover something that makes your old favourite seem like a zombie - ready to be put out of its misery. And if not? Your favourite technique will be waiting for you when you return. After all, it’s not the end of the world. Happy Halloween and 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.
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