Sean Durkin: What School Won’t Teach You About Being a Data Scientist

Sean Durkin, Head of Barclays’ Data Solutions Center of Excellence,
shares what he’s learnt about making the jump from academia to
working as a data scientist Today, Sean Durkin is the Head of
Barclays' Data Solutions Center of Excellence. But when he started
out as a data scientist in 2011, the field was in its infancy.
Looking back, he realizes it was naïve to think university had
given him everything he needed to survive the world of work. In
this week’s Business of Data podcast episode, he reflects on the
culture shock many data scientists feel when taking their first
steps into the business world and why the learning doesn’t stop
when you leave university. “There's still a great deal of
learning,” Durkin says. “And it’s a different kind of learning,
because you need to wrap your head around those non-academic,
non-technical skills. For example, you need to learn to work with
different personalities and to manage internal dynamics, such as
people pulling in different directions.” “With the help of great
mentors, it became apparent to me that it doesn't matter what you
can do technically, you still need to develop soft skills,” he
argues. The Value of Data Science Mentorship Mentorship is widely
regarded as a way to accelerate career growth. Durkin encourages
upcoming data scientists to accelerate their professional
development by finding a mentor, embracing failure and making the
most of the opportunities their employers offer them. He says: “If
you’re fortunate enough to find yourself in an organization that
offers mentorship or leadership programs, get on the programs! It's
worth doing. And like anything worth doing, there’ll be hard work.
But I promise you, when you look back, you’ll be glad you went
through it.” “If your company doesn’t offer mentorship, approach
people several levels above you,” he continues. “If your goal is to
reach a certain level of seniority, seek guidance from people above
that level. Those are the people who’ll probably be on interview
panels or the decision-makers for the role that you want to get
into. Ask them what they look for in a leader.” Trust Your
Instincts One of the biggest adjustments for those leaving
university for the business world, Durkin says, is that there is no
answer sheet at work. “It’s quite a shift for people who are used
to trying to solve problems that someone has already solved
perfectly,” he reports. “[At university], your solution will be
compared to the one in the textbook. If it’s not the same, you’re
penalized somehow. So, you start off at work thinking your
solutions will be torn apart.” This mindset shift form
perfectionism to one that prioritizes delivering some value quickly
and improving things iteratively over time can be challenging for
fledgling data scientists. But Durkin encourages anyone who may be
finding this paradigm shift unsettling to be confident in the
decisions they’re making and to remember they were hired for a
reason. “You won’t always know what the correct answer is,” he
says. “Nobody has a crystal ball. But when you were hired, you were
declared the best person for the job. It means I stand behind you
and the organization is behind you. “Expect to make mistakes. But
when you look into the organization and you see how things are
done, remember that someone made a decision for it to be that way.
It’s your job; just go for it.” Key Takeaways Formal education and
work experience complement each other. As different as the two
worlds may be, formal education gives you the basis to make
informed choices Reach out to potential mentors. Professional
mentors can help you plan your future and offer the guidance and
support to accelerate your career progression Make the most of the
opportunities available to you. If your organization offers
leadership or other professional development programs, make use of
them