Print(“Hello, World”).

As this is my first post, let me introduce myself. Hi, I’m Emmi! I am a former dance studio owner who is starting over in the field of data science. Perhaps you stumbled upon this blog because you too are interested in getting into data science! If so, welcome, you are not alone! Let me tell you about how I went from the dance industry to data science and some challenges that I’ve faced though this journey.

First, why did I go from owning a dance studio to becoming a data scientist? Well, this question really can be broken down into two fragments. Why did I leave dance, and why did I enter data science. Why I left dance is complicated. In fact it’s probably a topic for it’s own post or even it’s own blog. Perhaps one day I will write about it at length, but for now let’s just say that I wasn’t feeling entirely happy or completely fulfilled. I loved my students, I was great at teaching, I was passionate about my business, but financially owning a studio was difficult, there were things within the industry that I didn’t agree with, and I wanted to use my analytical mind in a different way.

“Why did I leave dance, and why did I enter data science.”

This brings us to why I chose to enter data science. Before I knew I was going to open a dance studio, I was struggling to figure out what profession I wanted to get into. I started college with a double major in chemistry and psychology. However, after taking calculus 2, I fell in love with math and switched my chemistry major to a math major. While I enjoyed my math classes, I didn’t know what I wanted do career-wise. I had been teaching dance as a job throughout college, and before I had even graduated I decided to pursue my passion of dance by opening a studio . So, long story short, I got a degree in math and psychology, but after graduation I was completely enveloped in all that goes into owning and running a studio.

“Data science allows me to continue to learn and use math, analytical reasoning, problem solving, and coding.”

Fast forward 8 years, Covid hits, and I decide it’s time to leave the dance industry. I started some post bacc. studies and research in organic chemistry and biology with the idea that I would perhaps go for my PhD in pharmaceutical sciences. I had also decided that I should learn to code, so I started learning python. While I was learning to code, a friend of mine who knew that I loved math mentioned looking into data science. Data Science? Honestly, I had no idea what that even was! Before committing 5 years to a PhD program, I thought it would be wise to consider this alternative path. So, I began looking into data science and as I’m sure you have guessed, I found out that it is an excellent fit for me. Finally, I had found what I had been looking for since leaving the dance industry! Data science allows me to continue to learn and use math, analytical reasoning, problem solving, and coding. I am very excited about this journey!

So now that we have covered some of my background in order to answer the question, why dance to data science, it is time to talk about the struggles I have faced with starting over. I would like to preface this by saying that this is in no way an exhaustive list of challenges that people face when starting new careers. I am only writing from my own experiences, and these are just a few of the challenges that I have encountered.

“When I look around and see my peers established in their careers and taking promotions, I feel behind.”

My first struggle is starting a whole new career after thirty. I know that there are many people out there who have switched careers much later in life and been very successful! However, when I look around and see my peers established in their careers and taking promotions, I feel behind. I wonder how long it will take me to climb the ladder into senior data positions, and how old I will be by that time. I recognize that stressing about my age is not a healthy place to be, and I try not to focus on it. At the same time, I do want to be honest about it. I notice job postings stating that they want a masters degree and 5+ years of experience. It’s a bit overwhelming for someone switching into the field.

Second, it takes time and effort to learn a whole new language, and to me coding is a new language. Since I started in a data science bootcamp two months ago, I’ve learned to code and do data analysis in python, SQL, and pandas, and perform data visualizations using matplotlib and seaborn. Everything is so new to me, that sometimes solving data problems is not only about the math, but also about knowing the language. That takes time and can be uncomfortable.

Third, I am getting into this field at a time where many large tech firms are laying off thousands of people– think Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon. I have a great deal of uncertainty as to what the job market will look like when I finish my bootcamp. Going from a career where I have a lot of experience and am very hirable to a career with no experience and a tough job market to break into is scary.

Regardless of the challenges of starting over, I am very happy with my decision. I am also very grateful and lucky to have a supportive family and partner. It has been a wild ride to get here. Even though there are some downsides to getting into the field, the upsides win out for me. I am very excited about my career change and am looking forward to continuing this journey and advancing my skill set.