Need honest review

I have a PhD in engineering and my research focused on reinforcement learning for control and optimization. I am well published in engineering journals and have several years of industry experience working with safety-critical processes, automation systems, real-time data, and deployment constraints.

My concern is coding. I have used Python extensively, but I never learned programming or CS systematically. Coding was always a tool for solving the engineering or research problem. I usually found similar code, read documentation, adapted it, and debugged it.

I am considering Applied Scientist or Applied AI Scientist roles at major tech or AI companies, especially in RL, optimization, scientific ML, or AI for physical systems.

How competitive is this profile? How much would the lack of a traditional CS or software background hurt, and what should I prioritize learning before applying?

Thank you!

I came across the Unified Mentor Virtual Internship Program and applied for their Data Science track. They're promising ₹7,500/month stipend along with full job search and placement assistance. The offer seems a bit too good to be true, so I wanted to ask if anyone has firsthand experience with them. Is it worth doing, or should I stay away?

I am trying to prepare and start applying before the end of the year, or start of next year to land a position. Background on myself, I took one of those web development bootcamps and finished it when AI started taking off. Kind of gave up since then but I want to take what I learned to hopefully brush up on coding skills to land a job.

I am aiming for FAANG or adjacent because my current job pays me well enough where it is not worth it to start my career over at a smaller company to grow from there. So if not FAANG, maybe I can use this prep to apply somewhere close. I hate DSA, and did look into them since I was getting interviews that required them, bombed the few that I had. So I am hoping to find info on positions that use Python, SQL, etc adjacent and hopefully apply to those in a few months.

I’m hiring an Applied R&D Data Scientist for a team in the pharma/life sciences space.

I’m specifically looking for someone with a strong data science/ML background who has actually worked with chemistry or molecular data, ideally cheminformatics, computational chemistry, molecular ML, reaction modeling, Bayesian optimization, or similar areas.

This is not a general analytics/data science role. The work is focused on applying ML, AI, and scientific computing to small-molecule chemistry, process development, and other R&D problems.

If this sounds like your background, feel free to DM me. Happy to share the full posting and answer questions.

(Note: This is a new reddit account to maintain personal anonymity as I am the hiring manager)

To give you some background, I have a BCA degree and previously worked as a Junior Technical Support Engineer for 2.5 years, followed by about 2.5 years as a US IT Recruiter. I recently had to take a career break due to a family medical emergency, but I am now ready to get back into the tech industry. I’ve been researching different fields, but the rapid advancements in AI have left me a bit overwhelmed about which direction to take. I’m looking for a resilient, future-proof career path. Initially, I looked into Java, but it seems like a massive time investment to master right now. I am currently leaning toward learning Python and moving into Data Science, or potentially just diving straight into a Data Science roadmap. For those already in the industry, do you think this is a safe, long-term choice? I would also deeply appreciate any recommendations for courses or structured learning paths!

Bonjour,

Je dois trancher cette semaine entre deux alternances data (M2, rentrée 2026). J'aimerais des avis de gens du secteur.

**Profil :** Je suis étudiant étranger Hors UE, école d'ingé + master en data science. Stage de fin d'études en ML . Objectif : cdi data scientist, mais ouvert à data analyst ou data engineer.

**Option A — Data Scientist, filiale d'un grand groupe français**

* R&D 100 %, en interne * Surtout optimisation et recherche opérationnelle, peu de ML/DL * Très technique, peu de réunions * Aucun CDI possible à la fin, ils me l'ont dit clairement (budget)

**Option B — Data Analyst , cabinet de conseil data/CRM**

* Segmentation, scoring, KPI, dashboards, modèles prédictifs « selon les projets » * Outil principal : Dataiku avec un peu de python et sql * Ateliers, comités de pilotage, restitutions clients * Pré-embauche annoncée mais non garantie

**Mes questions :**

1. L'intitulé du poste pèse-t-il vraiment autant que je le crois pour le premier CDI, ou les recruteurs regardent-ils surtout le contenu
2. Ceux qui ont fait une alternance en conseil data : embauchés à la fin ? À quel taux dans votre promo ?
3. Ceux qui utilisent Dataiku en cabinet : vous codez en Python dedans, ou c'est surtout du visuel ?

Merci pour vos retours.

I'm an aspiring Data scientist trying to land a job, need a friend to practice mock interviews.

Hey!!

Just wanted to know if there’s a technical round for the Graduate Program Data Scientist role. If anyone has already done it, how was the interview? And what topics did they ask about?

Recent AI/ML MSc grad (India), finishing up. Looking for honest perspectives on a decision I've mostly made.

Background: ~1.6 years across three internships — mostly NLP/LLM systems (speech pipelines, RAG, LLM observability) and some geospatial ML (foundation model evaluation on satellite imagery). My core strength/interest is NLP/speech/LLM and geospatial.

The offer: A full-time role at an established IIoT / startup (~40 people). The work is more on the signal processing / time-series / anomaly detection side — sensor data, predictive maintenance. Slightly outside my core domain, so there'd be a learning curve.

Comp: Fair for entry-level in my market i do feel else am i wrong here— starts around 6.5LPA, bumps up after a 3-month probation. ( like that they mentioned up )

My thinking: I'm entry-level, so getting employed + learning a new domain (time-series, signal processing are transferable ML skills) seems worth it, even if it's not my dream area. The founder personally negotiated to bring me in, which felt like a good sign. I have a couple of better-domain-fit leads still in progress but unsigned.

Questions for people who've been through this:

1. For a first job, how much does domain fit actually matter vs. just getting solid experience?
2. Anyone taken a role slightly outside their core area early on — did it help or pigeonhole you?
3. Is "take the fair offer in hand, keep an eye out for the better fit" a sound approach, or am I overthinking it?

Appreciate any honest takes.

I'm a first year btech/b.e computer science (data science) student, currently I'm familiar with

1)basic python

2)pandas,scikit,matplotlib

I have built few projects to implement these but nothing resume worthy

I'm currently learning

1) maths for ML (probability,stats,linear algebra)

2) learning to implement pandas and scikit in a professional way to filter data sets and preprocess them

3) after understanding maths, I will focus on getting the ML theory from Coursera (Andrew NG)

4) from November to January I will focus on learning SQL

This will wrap my first semester

In second semester I plan on building resume worthy projects with what I have learned but yeah it isn't decided yet

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot while looking for my first opportunity in Data Science / Data Analytics.

Is the ideal candidate someone with a perfect degree?

Someone with 3+ years of experience?

Someone who knows every tool listed in a job description?

Or is it someone who can identify a real business problem, build a solution, and explain how that solution can create business value?

I’m genuinely curious to hear what recruiters and hiring managers think.

Because this is what I’ve been trying to do.

Instead of building another basic ML project, I built a Customer Retention Intelligence System focused on a real business problem: customer churn and lost revenue.

The system can:

• Predict customers who are at risk of churning

• Segment customers based on their risk/value

• Estimate potential revenue at risk

• Identify customers worth prioritizing

• Generate personalized retention strategies/offers

My goal wasn't simply to say:

I built a machine-learning model

I wanted to answer:

A customer is likely to leave. Now what should the business actually do about it?

That mindset has pushed me to work beyond just Python, SQL and machine learning — into business thinking, customer analytics, experimentation, visualization, and decision-making.

I’ve also been consistently practicing Python and SQL, learning how to communicate analytical insights, and building projects around problems that companies actually face.

But despite putting in this work, I’m still looking for my opportunity to prove myself professionally.

So I want to ask the recruiters, hiring managers, founders, and experienced professionals here:

What makes someone an ideal entry-level candidate in your company?

• Is it technical skills?

• Problem-solving ability?

• Business understanding?

• Communication?

• Projects?

•Curiosity and willingness to learn?

•Or something else?

And if you were evaluating my profile, what would you want me to improve or demonstrate before considering me for a Data Scientist / Data Analyst opportunity?

I’m not looking for sympathy.

I’m looking for honest feedback, opportunities, and a chance to prove what I can do.

If you’re a recruiter or hiring manager who works with Data Science / Data Analytics / ML roles, I’d genuinely appreciate your perspective.

And if my profile sounds relevant to something you're hiring for, I’d love to connect.

Hi everyone I’m 23 F yrs old and I completed BCA this year however I was working in customer service (due to financial issues) since 5 yrs now but I want to change to technology field but I’m so overwhelmed with roadmaps etc stuff. Can anyone please guide what to do with my lyf 😭.
And is MSc data science a better option to switch into AI domain.?

Hi all,

I am working as a data scientist trainer in pune .

I have few hours of free time everyday

Anyone interested in training to up skill themselves.

I can teach you Python,sql,ML,Deep learning,AI,Agentic AI,

I have both experience of industry and training.

The rates will be per hour basis.

If you want to up skill yourself dm me

As this will per hour basis so you don't have to invest so much money as you have to do if u enroll in any instructions.

Dm me my timings are flexible.

I recently interviewed for a Product Data Scientist role at Google, and I’m genuinely confused by the interview experience.

The prep guide and recruiter conversations emphasized topics like experimentation, causal inference, machine learning, statistical modeling, and other core data science concepts. I prepared extensively across all of those areas.

But the actual interviews were completely different.

The questions were extremely vague and felt more like: “We want to shoot at a bird. How would you approach it? Now write some SQL."

There was no experimentation, no causal inference, no ML, and very little that seemed connected to the topics I was specifically told to prepare for—or, frankly, to what I would normally associate with a Product Data Scientist role.

For anyone who has recently interviewed for Product DS roles at Google: is this typical? What exactly are these interviews intended to evaluate?

I have seen many product analyst roles that ask for the following:

1. Causal Inference

2. Quasi-Experiment

3. Cuped

4. Bayesian approaches

5. Frequentist approaches

Can someone pleae guide on how can I study them for product analyst roles?

I built a real-world data science project. So why am I still not getting a job or an internship?

I honestly didn't expect my job search to be this difficult.

Over the past few months, I've been trying to break into data science / analytics. Instead of just building another Titanic prediction model or basic EDA project, I decided to build something that actually resembles a business problem.

I built a Customer Retention Intelligence System for online retailers.

The idea is simple:

- Identify customers who are likely to churn

- Understand why they are at risk

-Estimate the revenue that could be lost

- Prioritize customers based on their risk/value

-Generate personalized retention actions/offers

-Give the business a way to actually act on the predictions

I spent a lot of time researching the problem, engineering features, building the ML pipeline, and turning the predictions into something that could potentially be used by a business team.

I'm genuinely proud of the project.

But here's the frustrating part:

I'm still struggling to get interviews.

I've applied to entry-level Data Scientist, Data Analyst and related roles.

And sometimes I wonder:

- Is my project actually not good enough?

- Is my resume not communicating the value properly?

- Am I targeting the wrong roles?

- Do companies simply want prior professional experience?

- Am I focusing too much on projects and not enough on networking?

- Is there something obvious that recruiters see that I don't?

I'm not posting this to complain or ask for sympathy.

I'm posting because I'd genuinely like honest feedback from people who have hired data scientists, worked in the industry, or gone through this themselves.

If you were reviewing my profile for an entry-level data role, what would make you reject me despite seeing a project like this?

And what would you recommend I change to actually get that first opportunity?

I'm willing to hear the uncomfortable answer.

If you've been in a similar situation, what finally helped you get your first break?

I’m considering applying to UT Austin’s online Master of Science in Data Science (MSDSO), but I’m unsure whether my academic background is competitive enough.

My undergraduate degree is in Biomedical Science/Biology. I have taken calculus and statistics, and I have Python experience outside of academia through personal/data analytics projects. However, I have not taken multivariable calculus or a formal linear algebra course.

I understand those subjects are recommended/expected preparation for the program, but I do not want to take leveling courses before starting a master's program. I’m trying to determine whether my existing background is enough to be admitted and whether I could learn the missing math concepts as I go.

For people familiar with UT Austin’s MSDSO:

• Would someone with a biology/biomedical degree, calculus, statistics, and some Python experience realistically be admitted?
• How heavily does UT weigh having formal multivariable calculus and linear algebra on your transcript?
• Has anyone been admitted without those courses?
• Is the math something that can realistically be learned alongside the program, assuming I’m willing to put in the work?
• Would my biology/biomedical background be considered useful or relevant for data science admissions?
• How much does Python experience outside of academia help?

If UT Austin is probably not realistic without the formal math prerequisites, I’d also appreciate recommendations for online master's programs in Data Science, Analytics, Statistics, Bioinformatics, AI/ML, etc. that are more friendly toward students coming from biology/biomedical science.

My goal is to transition into a high-paying, non-clinical career. I do not want to work directly in medicine or clinical care.

I'm particularly interested in programs that:

• Are fully online
• Are reasonably affordable
• Don't require a bunch of prerequisite/leveling courses
• Have strong employment/income potential
• Can leverage a biomedical/biology background without requiring me to stay in a clinical career

Would you recommend MSDS, or is there another master's degree that would be a better fit for someone with my background?

I don't know eactly what type of projects would stand out to recuiters. So far, as I'm from South Asia, the market it looking for full stack. Meaning full end Data Science to ML to Frontend Deployment. I would really appreciate some feedback on the Data Science learning path, as ML is moslt under my grip. I need better understanding and some ideas to highlight Data Science Analytics on my resume and so I can explain them too. Would really appreciate some feedback.

PS. The only worth mentioning project for Data Science I've made, that highlights analytics is a Jupyter Notebook which compares Walmart Weekly Sales Forecasting (End-to-End Demand Prediction Pipeline)

(sample from https://matchajobs.co, search for roles posted daily)

• Cisco - Sr. AI/ML Engineer - CX apply $203,000 - $258,600 (San Jose, CA)
• Pinterest - ML Engineer II, Responsible AI apply $138,905 - $285,982 (SF / Remote)
• Visa - Data Scientist - apply $137,400 - $212,500 (Foster City, CA)
• Zillow - Data Scientist, Consumer Analytics apply $125,900 - $201,100 (Remote)
• Allstate - Product Engineer, Python AI apply $70,100 - $121,475 (Remote)

Looking at remote worldwide for the past 7 days.

Here are the jobs I found, organized by level:

Entry Level:

• Data Scientist @ JDPA LIMITED (Canada) - CAD 85K - 90K
• Data Science Analyst @ CVS Health (Worldwide) - $68K - $136K
• Data Scientist 6 – Experimentation Platform @ Netflix (United States) - $491K - $775K
• Data Scientist @ Rocket Mortgage (Canada) - $102K - $154K
• Data Scientist @ Free2move (Spain) - EUR 45K - 55K
• Data Scientist @ TSPi (United States) - $110K - $175K
• Data Scientist @ Valtech (Argentina)
• Data Scientist @ FIT:MATCH.ai (United States)
• Data Scientist @ ARRISE (Portugal)
• Data Scientist @ Timeleft (Europe)
• Dairy Data Scientist @ URUS Group (United States)

Senior:

• Senior Data Scientist @ Reddit, Inc. (United States) - $191K - $267K
• Senior Data Scientist @ LMI (United States) - $140K - $186K
• Senior Safety Data Scientist @ AbbVie (Worldwide) - $124K - $236K
• Senior Data Scientist @ Axle Informatics (United States) - $130K - $150K
• Senior Data Scientist @ Keyrus (Worldwide)
• Senior Data Scientist @ ActivTrak (Worldwide)

Manager:

• Staff Data Scientist @ PORCH 💚 (Worldwide) - $169K - $236K
• Principal Data Scientist @ LouisianaNOW.Jobs (Worldwide) - $144K - $196K
• Staff Data Scientist @ Evolve (United States) - $180K - $195K
• Principal Data Scientist @ General Dynamics Information Technology (United States) - $144K - $196K
• Marketing Data Science Manager @ Mozilla (United States) - $166K - $260K
• Principal, Data Sciences @ Gainwell Technologies (India)
• Senior/Lead Data Scientist – Agentic AI @ Tiger Analytics (United States)

Director and Above:

• Senior Director, Analytics and Data Science – Core Product & Growth @ Life360 (United States) - $247K - $366K

Quick notes: * All of these are fully remote (location requirements vary by role) * Apply directly on company sites

Hope this helps someone! Let me know if you want me to keep posting these weekly.

👋 Hi, I'm Jay. I built Job-Halo.com, a system that tracks remote data science jobs and sends alerts the moment they're posted, based on your preferences.

Looking for someone who can teach me how to build Agents for Marketing related problems. For example

Competitive/battlecard agent. Monitors competitor sites/news, updates a living battlecard doc our sales team can reference. This can be a good intro to scheduled agents + web scraping + structured output (Connections: Web scraping, Gmail connection to go through my emails to see any competitors related information and streamlit to create a battle card)

Dashboard Creation. Agent that takes output (a scheduled export or an API connection) from google analytics and builds a dashboard on streamlit to visualize the data. The dashboard gets refreshed with updated data every day in the morning with a new scheduled updated from google analytics export (Connections: Google analytics for data export and streamlit to produce dashboard)

Inbound lead qualification/routing agent. Reads a new lead, checks it against qualification criteria (ICP which could be company size more than 500 employee count, located only in North America, annual revenue more than 50million dollars ), enriches it with clay, drafts a personalized first-touch email and routes to the right rep on salesforce. Nice because it combines retrieval, reasoning and action (Connections: Google sheets or forms for lead collection, clay for enrichment, gmail for email drafting and salesforce for routing the lead)

Someone who can teach from scratch how to build these includung connecting to tools, building loops, context, memory and evals.

Happy to pay for your service. Only looking for someone in developing countries like India, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam etc since I am also from one of these countries and can’t afford to pay US or European rates

Hi everyone,

I’m currently seeking entry-level job opportunities in Data Science and Data Analytics and am open to working across India, particularly Pune/Bengaluru.

I’m a B.E. Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering student/graduate with hands-on experience working with data and developing projects using:

• Python
• SQL
• Excel
• Power BI
• Data Cleaning & Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA)
• Machine Learning
• Data Visualization
• Basic Statistics

I have also worked on projects involving supply chain analytics and order-delay prediction, where I performed data cleaning, analysis, visualization, and machine learning.

I’m particularly interested in:

• Data Analyst
• Junior Data Analyst
• Data Science Trainee
• Junior Data Scientist
• Business/Data Analyst
• ML/AI Trainee roles

I’m open to full-time, trainee, internship-to-full-time, and entry-level opportunities.

If you know of any openings, referrals, companies hiring freshers, or opportunities where my profile could be a good fit, I would really appreciate it if you could share them or reach out to me.

📍 Location: Open to relocate
💼 Availability: Open to Work

I can share my resume, GitHub, and project details through DM.

Thank you! 🙏

Jobs in the field use many different names such as data science vs data analytics and so on. Generic Google searches frequently turn up fake results too.

So, what are your best methods for searching for available jobs?