Why Data Scientists Should Break Things (Daniel Parris) - KNN Ep. 163
Aug 16, 2023
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Daniel Parris, a data scientist and journalist, shares insights on working at a fast-growing company like DoorDash, the importance of learning from mistakes, pursuing consulting and data journalism, and the significance of a data-first mindset in organizations. He also discusses the value of non-traditional resumes, integrating data to create value, and embracing failures for course correction.
Having a strong network is crucial for success in the entertainment industry and data science profession.
Taking accountability for mistakes and learning from them leads to positive outcomes.
Pursuing a career aligned with personal interests and leveraging diverse experiences can be advantageous in data science.
Deep dives
The Power of Networking and Building a Strong Network
In this podcast episode, Daniel Paris, a data scientist and data journalist, highlights the importance of having a strong network in the entertainment industry and data science profession. He emphasizes that being one of the better candidates is not enough to secure a job, but having a network of connections can significantly improve career prospects. He shares his own experiences of building relationships and convincing people to like him, which proved valuable throughout his career. This insight underscores the significance of networking in the entertainment industry and beyond.
Learning from Mistakes and Taking Accountability
Daniel Paris discusses the value of taking accountability for one's mistakes and learning from them. He shares an incident where he accidentally deleted the geography of San Francisco from the DoorDash database, causing disruptions to operations and service. However, he acknowledges that taking responsibility for the error and learning from it ultimately led to positive outcomes. He emphasizes that owning up to mistakes and demonstrating a willingness to learn and grow can be more beneficial in the long run than avoiding or denying them.
Transitioning from Entertainment to Data Science
Daniel Paris reflects on his unconventional career path, transitioning from being passionate about film and working in the entertainment industry to becoming a data scientist. He explains how skills learned in critical studies of film, problem-solving, and analytical thinking translated well to data science. He also highlights the importance of acquiring hard skills and expertise in data-related areas. Daniel shares how his atypical background provided a unique perspective and served as a valuable asset in his data science career. This narrative showcases the benefits of pursuing career paths that align with one's interests and leveraging diverse experiences.
Challenges of Manual Work and Transition to Automation
The speaker discusses their experience making manual decisions and realizing the need for automation. They wanted to align incentives and scale the solution for DoorDash. This led to joining the data science team and a marriage of two desired goals.
Impact of Mistakes on Sales Team and Learnings
The speaker shares a mistake in building a model that impacted salespeople's compensation. The leads provided were of poor quality, including strip clubs and consulting firms. This resulted in loss of faith from stakeholders. The speaker learned valuable lessons in data quality and stakeholder management.
Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Daniel Parris. Daniel is a data scientist and data journalist with over eight years of experience. He was one of DoorDash's first data science hires, and he currently invests in early-stage data products through Dash VC. He run the newsletter called Stat Significant, which crafts data-centric essays about pop culture phenomena, and Data People, a short-form interview series with world-class data professionals. Which I was featured in recently. In this episode, Daniel explains what it was like to work at a quickly growing company with an experimental culture like doordash, what he learned from his biggest mistakes, and why he decided to pursue consulting and data journalism.
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