Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Education
A quick guide to Data science and Machine Learning
Excerpts from article by Mohammed Nabeel, published in analyticsvidhya.com. This article was published as a part of the Data Science Blogathon.
In this digital era, we are always connected to the internet, and an enormous amount of data is created in one click.
Do you know that data is the ultimate goal for every organisation?
Without data, nothing can be achieved. From a business perspective to solving problems for end-to-end applications we require data.
However, this data needs to be in order to derive some purpose from it. Forms of data can be texts, images, videos, infographics, gifs, etc. Some data are structured while most are unstructured. Collection, analysis, and prediction are the necessary steps to arrive at desired results.
What are Data Science and Machine learning?
Data science is the science of deriving insights from data for the purpose of gaining the most important and relevant source of information.
With a reliable source of information, predictions are made using machine learning.
What’s the need for data science and machine learning?
Data has been there for a very long time. During earlier times, analysis was done by statisticians and analysts. Mathematics was also the core subject of interest when used for this work. It was not a cumbersome process because there was a limited amount of data. Business problems were primarily solved also by the use of software tools like Microsoft excel.
As companies started becoming digital, the internet and cloud computing became the backbone of their establishment. A huge amount of data was generated (in millions of bytes), which is usually referred to as big data.
Then, with the advent of social media and search engines, it became mandatory for these companies to handle their data carefully.
How do Data Science and Machine Learning work?
Data science uses statistical methods, maths, and programming techniques to solve these problems. The programming techniques are extensively used for analysis, visualising, and making predictions. So, it does all the work of a statistician, programmer and mathematician.
Machine learning is integrated by making models from various algorithms. This is done for model building in data science which helps for future predictions. These predictions depend upon the new data which is given to the model without explicitly telling it what to do. The model understands it and then gives us the output or solution. For example, banks use machine learning algorithms to detect if there is a fraud transaction or not. Or if this customer will default in paying his credit card dues.
Cancer detection in the health care industry uses data science and machine learning to detect if patients are prone to cancer or not.
Online food delivery companies like Zomato or Swiggy recommend food to order based on what have we ordered in the past. This type of machine learning algorithm is a recommendation system.
So there are a lot of examples around us where companies are widely using data science and machine learning.
Career
Actions to take if you’re feeling stuck in your job
Hays’ Chris Dottie shares some steps you can take to get moving in the right direction. Excerpts from article published in siliconrepublic.com:
Feeling stuck in your job can be extremely frustrating, particularly in a difficult labour market like the one we’re experiencing now. The good news, however, is that there are some proactive things you can do to help you feel as if you’re moving your career in the right direction, instead of standing still.
1. Restore your self-confidence
Working remotely, or at least in a hybrid way, can leave you devoid of all those positive reinforcements and small confidence boosts that you would ordinarily experience throughout the day – often without realising – when working in a buzzing office. This may have left you doubting your skills, denting away at your work mojo in the process.
Stop and take a moment to reflect. Write down your accomplishments and what you’re proud of and refer back to them when you need a confidence boost.
2. Devise a career strategy
Detailing what you want to learn and where you want to go can give you a greater sense of ownership of your own development, ultimately putting the power in your hands.
If you’re feeling stuck because you’re not clear in your mind as to where you want to go or which routes are an option for you right now, creating this personal development strategy will help you crystallise your thoughts. Then, once you do have a plan, stick to it and break it down into manageable steps.
3. Commit to lifelong learning
Committing to adopting a growth mindset and your own lifelong learning, including staying up-to-date with trends and developments in your industry, will help you feel that you’re moving forward productively in your career.
The key thing is to keep your upskilling going even in these strange times, instead of leaving it on pause, which will only add to your feelings of being stuck in your job.
4. Reignite your passion
Take some time to reflect and think about what it is that you love about your job. But not only that, also ask yourself what your own personal purpose is.
Make sure you break out of your usual daily routine from time to time – perhaps shaking things up by volunteering for different tasks, learning a new skill or reading about new trends in your industry.
5. Look around for inspiration
Explore what experts or those you look up to are doing in their careers and how they got there. Expand your network to include those you aspire to be like and learn from them.
You can also find a career mentor or a confidential adviser who can help you to overcome the challenges that may be preventing you from achieving your longed-for professional goals.
6. Shape your personal brand
It’s important that as part of your personal ownership of your career development, you take steps to optimise your personal brand and perfect your online presence. This will position you as an expert in your field, and the very act of doing so will give you back an element of control, making you feel less stuck.
The development of a strong personal brand online is a gradual and multi-layered process, encompassing first steps such as Googling your name to see what the rest of the world currently sees and checking that your various social media profiles are consistent in how they represent you.
7. Be honest with your boss
If you feel stuck in a job with no progression in sight and you’re comfortable with the idea of having an open and honest conversation about it with your boss, then do so. Your manager’s role is to help you succeed, and they can only do that if they understand what your career goals are and what barriers or blockers you’re experiencing.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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