Can I take the plunge? Will my engineering background help me in making the cut? Can I jump on the data science bandwagon?

If you see yourself asking any of these questions, then you’ve probably arrived at an increasingly common junction in your STEM career. There are many of us who have been mesmerized by how impactful and ubiquitous data science has become in our lives and feel the urge of somehow adjusting our careers to it. Truth be told, I was one of those people several years ago. Having come from a engineering background myself with several years of experience to my credit at the time, I began to see the comparatively greater impact of data science. And I decided to take the plunge myself; I enrolled in a masters program and two years later I landed my first software development job with an emphasis on data science applications. While anecdotal evidence is hardly ever indicative of prevalent realities, I hope to offer some insight on what such an endeavor may entail.

The motivation factor

First thing’s first, you need to dissect your emotions in order to decipher why you feel the need to suddenly realign your bearing from engineering to data science. If you feel that data science is more relevant to your industry, or that you have some exposure to it and find it interesting enough to make a move, then you are entering this field through fair shores. If however, you are dissatisfied with your current job, or want to join the bandwagon just because everyone else is, then you’re probably setting yourself up for a disappointment. Make sure you have the right reasoning and motivation. Even if you do end up being good at it, having come through the wrong means can make you grow disillusioned rather quickly.

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