#142 From PhD drop-out to Google Data Scientist with Megan Risdal
Sep 20, 2024
auto_awesome
Megan Risdal is a data scientist and Product Manager at Kaggle, Google's competitive platform for data science. In a fascinating discussion, she shares her journey from PhD dropout to tech professional, highlighting the differences between academic and industry language. Megan contrasts her experiences at Stack Overflow and Kaggle, emphasizing community dynamics. They also explore the significance of linguistics in AI, touch on her innovative data-themed game show, and discuss the charm of Pittsburgh.
Megan Risdal's journey from a psychology degree to a Google Data Scientist illustrates the importance of adapting career paths based on personal interests and industry opportunities.
Kaggle serves as a vital platform for data science competitions, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among over 18 million users tackling real-world problems.
Constructive feedback from tech industry professionals during the interview process enhances resumes and portfolios, crucial for successful job transitions in the tech field.
Deep dives
Importance of Experience in Job Applications
Applying for roles in the tech industry, even without immediate intentions to change jobs, offers valuable learning experiences. Engaging in interviews provides insights into what employers seek and helps improve one's application materials. Constructive feedback from experienced professionals can strengthen resumes, portfolios, and communication skills, crucial for a successful transition into a tech career. The conversation emphasizes that gaining experience through the interview process is beneficial, as it builds confidence and understanding of industry expectations.
Overview of Kaggle’s Community and Resources
Kaggle is primarily known as a platform for machine learning competitions, bringing together over 18 million users to tackle real-world problems using open datasets. Participants can engage with various competitions and also access a wealth of resources, including a model hub and dataset hub. The community actively contributes to the platform, sharing knowledge and insights that help improve machine learning practices. Additionally, Kaggle offers a user-friendly notebook environment where members can collaborate and leverage powerful computing resources.
The Significance of the Kaggle Notebooks Platform
Kaggle's notebooks platform allows users to easily start data science projects without the hassle of setting up environments, as essential libraries come pre-installed. This integration enhances usability and encourages sharing between users, fostering a collaborative learning atmosphere. The community aspect is enriched by features like a progression system for users who create quality content, allowing them to gain recognition. Becoming a Kaggle Grandmaster serves as a prestigious credential that can significantly enhance a candidate’s resume in the data science field.
Meg Rizdahl's Unique Career Journey
Meg's career path illustrates a transition from a passion for music to data science and product management, beginning with a psychology degree and culminated in a position at Kaggle. Her initial aspirations in music were redirected when she recognized the challenges of a career in that field and sourced interests in linguistics and research. This shift allowed her to explore her curiosity about language, which eventually merged with her growing interest in data science. The journey encompasses academia, industry exposure, and the application of her unique skills within the tech sector.
Challenges and Realizations in Academia vs. Industry
Meg's decision to leave her PhD program after one year highlights the complex realities of an academic career path, including limited job opportunities and constrained personal freedom. Her realization of the lack of widespread interest in her specialized research led her to explore opportunities in the tech industry, where she felt she could make a more significant impact with her skills. The contrast between academic aspirations and industry demands marks an important turning point in her career. This awareness has fueled her willingness to share her experiences and insights to assist others contemplating similar transitions.
Navigating Online Communities Effectively
Building a successful online community requires clarity of purpose and transparent communication of goals to its members. Meg emphasizes that true communities thrive on shared experiences and collaborative efforts, rather than simple transactional interactions. Ensuring diverse participation and leadership opportunities can help maintain momentum and foster a welcoming environment for both new and seasoned members. The ongoing evolution of community dynamics necessitates consistent engagement and adaptation to ensure that all voices feel valued and included.
On this week's episode of the podcast, freeCodeCamp founder Quincy Larson interviews Meg Risdal. She's a data scientist and Product Manager at Kaggle, Google's Data Science competition platform.
Megan works closely with the global data science community, and on Google's Gemma open models project.
We talk about:
- Google's Kaggle, which hosts 300k open data sets and runs data science competitions each week that anyone can participate in.
- How people talk in academia VS how people talk in tech
- Stack Overflow VS Kaggle – how Megan contrasts what it was like to work on these two "communities of practice"
- Linguistics and its importance in LLMs and AI research
Can you recognize the song I'm playing during the intro? It's a punk song from 1994.
Be sure to follow The freeCodeCamp podcast in your favorite podcast app. And share this podcast with a friend. Let's inspire more folks to learn to code and build careers for themselves in tech.
Also, I want to thank the 10,779 kind people who support our charity each month, and who make this podcast possible. You can join them and support our mission at: https://www.freecodecamp.org/donate
Links we talk about during our conversation:
Meg's blog: https://www.meg.dev/
The Sliced Data Science Gameshow that Meg co-hosted with Nick Wan: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6PX3YIZuHhyQmXKnyZmVDzdgAYbzwgDw
Meg on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganRisdal
Kaggle's open learning resources: https://www.kaggle.com/learn
The Gemma team at Google that Meg also works on: https://ai.google.dev/gemma
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
