Looks like ML is the new CFA.
Agree, its a bit of a mad rush. That said, I’m in the process of building out my data science background over these next two years. Staying in my field but I believe its a necessary skill and not one to fall behind on.
I only made $40K/year even with the charter before getting fired. I then spent a year learning machine learning and now make six figures.
I think the numbers speak for themselves.
I was made fun of once when I said the word “algorithm” around here, so I’m glad to see someone like you having a positive experience^
ML is becoming such a snake oil.
^Sometimes.
Live snake oil?
Just curious, how are you developing your data science background? Are you doing a second degree, online boot camp for coding (this is something I’m kind of interested in learning about).
I had to start from a pretty light quantitative background so initially it was two levels of linear algebra, one more practical and one more abstract and proof based that was oriented towards math majors. It had been awhile since I did the calculus progression so I am also taking Ordinary Differential Equations just to brush up and while also working on some math stats and probability. From there, with some programming I’ll have a pretty decent base to start doing more focused graduate coursework on actual data science this fall.
Wish i was smart enough to do that kind of stuff, too hard.
Not too hard, plenty of ppl with liberal arts backgrounds are doing ML.
Take a look at course.fast.ai and see if you still think it’s difficult. It’s still not straightforward and easy but anyone who can tackle the CFA should have the intelligence, diligence and even math knowledge to understand this stuff.
So my view on that is that those skills will quickly devalue and become commodities. Everyone I talk to, including professors at programs all say the same thing. There’s a flood of people rushing into this, saying data science with limited real math background that are basically running third party ML and AI programs and using a little python and R. Which is good, but it’s a low threshold and supply is on its way to a parabolic ramp up. So most people have said a more math centric core curriculum will have more durable value.
Kind of a random thing but I think soft skills like public speaking and sales/marketing will be really important and can make you stand out
Not really.
Yo Can someone actually tell me what ML is ? Pretty sure people are just pulling libraries on some data isn’t “ML”
Good point, but do you really want to be in this space or are you making excuses? While learning ML still isn’t a cakewalk, I’d say it’s comparable in difficulty to the CFA rather than, say, rocket science or a Math PhD. Basically doable by most people of average to slightly above average intelligence with some hard work.
Same here. How are you taking the math courses?
In person at a local engineering school.
How do you get that I’m making excuses from this? I built out said math skills and am pursuing a masters in the more quantitative side of the field. My point was that the soft skill faux data science people that don’t have a solid mathematical background are in for a rude awakening. I’m walking around at the university and there are posters for data science, every school in the area has added data science masters and PhD’s in the last two years (basically comp sci pretending to be math majors), almost every engineering and math student I talk to is tacking on the equivalent of a data science minor and even the professors in the math department are telling me there’s going to be major oversupply of “math lite” practitioners that know some python and R and are calling it data science. I’ve had similar conversations with people in the field and recruiters saying they’re having to be more stringent about the math backgrounds since it’s become a catch all buzzword. Knowing ML or python is going to be the equivalent of excel proficiency in this field in 10 years.
My central point is I’m picking up the skills, but defensively rather than under an illusion of long term value boost and that the core math competency is not something to skip out on.
trump u?