r/learndatascience

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out to this community because I could really use some guidance and mentorship as I try to break into the data science industry.

I have a Master’s degree in Data Science from the University of Bristol, along with an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. Over the past few years, I’ve invested a lot of time in learning, building my skills, and developing my knowledge of the field. I genuinely enjoy data science and believe I have a lot to offer.

However, for the past 11 months, I’ve been trying to land my first opportunity in the industry, and it’s been a challenging journey. I’ve applied to numerous roles, but the responses have been very limited. At this point, I feel a bit lost. I know I’ve learned a lot, but I’m struggling to understand what I might be missing, whether it’s my CV, the way I present my skills, my projects, or my overall job search strategy.

I’m not looking for shortcuts or someone to hand me a job. I’m simply hoping to connect with someone who has experience in data science or hiring and would be willing to offer some honest advice.

If anyone would be open to taking a look at my CV, reviewing my projects, sharing feedback, or guiding me on what I should focus on next, I would be incredibly grateful. Even a short conversation or a few pointers from someone who has already navigated this journey could make a real difference.

I’m willing to learn, put in the work, and improve wherever needed. I just feel that an outside perspective from someone experienced could help me find the right direction.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate any advice, guidance, or connections this community might be able to offer.

Me: Mid‑career professional in a research/knowledge‑services role at a public institution. PhD (public policy). 20+ years in. Salary: $114k. I stayed because the schedule was good, the work was meaningful, and I got to be present for my kids’ lives. I don’t regret that trade‑off.

But the last two weeks have made me realize I may need to future‑proof myself.

1. We aren’t backfilling a junior position; the remaining staff is expected to absorb the workload. When I started, our team was much larger. Now it’s down to two of us.
2. My institution just posted a Data Scientist position with a $100k–$125k starting range.

Qualifications for the DS role:

• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field
• 5+ years of data‑analysis experience
• Applied statistics (regression, hypothesis testing, research design)
• NLP/LLM experience
• Python + R
• SQL
• Tableau/Power BI
• Ability to explain technical methods to non‑technical audiences

So someone with a bachelor’s degree (plus experience) is going to walk in and make almost what I make or more.

I’m late to the game, but I’m trying to catch up. This fall I enrolled in:

• Intro to Applied Data Science Techniques
• Machine Learning I
• Artificial Intelligence Awareness

I’m stumbling through Python (my background is BASIC from high school), and a lot of the coursework feels like Canvas discussion‑board busywork. I don’t feel like this is getting me where I need to be fast enough.

I’m not worried about losing my job tomorrow, but I’m 49, and I’m trying to figure out the last 20 years of my career. I see the writing on the wall, and I’m probably 2–3 years late to this party.

Any advice would be appreciated.