Database Reference
In-Depth Information
So neither side comes to the middle to further the discussion. I am looking for
an honest middle ground there, and I do not see it. I am not sure how to get
there, but I would love to have a more constructive debate about it. Once we
get there, I think there is a tremendous opportunity for data science to have
a huge impact in the medical field.
Gutierrez:
For someone starting out, what should they strive to understand
deeply?
Perlich:
I think, ultimately, learning how to do data science is like learning
to ski. You have to do it. You can only listen to so many videos and watch
it happen. At the end of the day, you have to get on your damn skis and go
down that hill. You will crash a few times on the way and that is fine. That is
the learning experience you need. I actually much prefer to ask interviewees
about things that did not go well rather than what did work, because that tells
me what they learned in the process.
Whenever people come to me and ask, “What should I do?” I say, “Yeah, sure,
take online courses on machine learning techniques. There is no doubt that
this is useful. You clearly have to be able to program, at least somewhat. You
do not have to be a Java programmer, but you must get something done some-
how. I do not care how.”
Ultimately, whether it is volunteering at DataKind to spend your time at
NGOs to help them, or going to the Kaggle website and participating in some
of their data mining competitions—just get your hands and feet wet. Especially
on Kaggle, read the discussion forums of what other people tell you about
the problem, because that is where you learn what people do, what worked
for them, and what did not work for them. So anything that gets you actually
involved in doing something with data, even if you are not paid being for it, is
a great thing.
Remember, you have to ski down that hill. There is no way around it. You can-
not learn any other way. So volunteer your time, get your hands dirty in any
which way you can think, and if you have a chance to do internships—perfect.
Otherwise, there are many opportunities where you can just get started. So
just do it.
