Didac’s Experience

Didac Fortuny

S2DS Alumni 2018

Whenever you meet a new data scientist colleague it is always fascinating knowing how they started their career, as the range of backgrounds is astonishingly wide. One thing most of us have in common, however, is that it was hard to find the first paid job in the data science world.

In December 2018 I was hired as a data scientist by an multinational tech company in my hometown, Barcelona. Since then, I have been involved in two selection processes to expand the team. For me and my colleagues, the four main skills we look for in a new candidate are: analytical thinking, programming skills, teamwork and product orientation. We consider that particular knowledge about machine learning techniques can be easily learned by someone mastering the former four skills.

It is common for a PhD researcher to master at least two of the three listed skills. However, because most companies also ask for proven expertise on mastering machine learning, and because product orientation is not something you learn during your PhD, it is always hard and frustrating to get the first opportunity in industry after academia.

And this is the reason initiatives like Pivigo’s S2DS program are so important. In my case, it gave me the opportunity of working in a real project and facing a data science problem with real impact in the performance of a company. Even though I was already working as a junior data scientist when I participated in the program, being able to focus in a new problem for 5 weeks, and having the support of experienced mentors, was an invaluable asset for my career. Apart from that, I strengthened many technical skills such as Python programming and usage of git. I also gained ability in managing expectations and delivering to stakeholders what they expected. Participating in S2DS was also a great personal experience in which I learned how to fit in a new team together with 3 other great people and how to self-organize to success in remote working.

After participating in S2DS I have had the opportunity to change my job twice until I found a job position in a company in which I feel really comfortable. Now I am growing as a data scientist, surrounded by an amazing team, and working in machine learning projects using state-of-the-art techniques.