tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post621938535129345631..comments2024-03-19T05:33:56.516-04:00Comments on Women In Astronomy: Astronomy vs. Data ScienceAmanpreet Kaurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08734178178113146899noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-84780674642311941512017-04-14T06:15:59.905-04:002017-04-14T06:15:59.905-04:00That's an great article sharing about Data Sci...That's an great article sharing about Data Science.<br />Learned a lot from this article.deepikahttp://eonlinetraining.co/course/data-science-online-training/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-34679289816355436062013-02-20T10:56:24.421-05:002013-02-20T10:56:24.421-05:00Hi Jessica,
Thanks for posting your column "...Hi Jessica, <br />Thanks for posting your column "Astronomer to Data Scientist" on the AAS website yesterday. It reached me at a time that I am seriously considering my future in astronomy at a time that living on grant money becomes increasingly hard while waiting for JWST to revive my field of expertise.<br /><br />In your postings "Astronomer to Data Scientist" and "Astronomy vs data science" I don't see the topic of age tackled. What are the chances of a 40+ year old astronomer (with 17+ years of IDL experience ;-) to get hired as a data science worker? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-49278848906859274342013-02-13T00:32:22.006-05:002013-02-13T00:32:22.006-05:00Thank you for this post. I am in my last semester ...Thank you for this post. I am in my last semester as a graduate student and am struggling with the decision to continue on with a postdoc, or to transition into data science or other non-academic positions. I'm afraid I'll miss the science, but the advantages of data science are very strong.Sarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-61987200418905960392013-02-09T13:30:27.645-05:002013-02-09T13:30:27.645-05:00Job security for postdocs can also depend on conve...Job security for postdocs can also depend on conventions. I was hired with an email "expectation" - but not contract - of 3 years. Then, I was told (half-way through job-application season) in the second year that I couldn't rely on the third year. This was a major source of stress and insecurity at the time, especially as it was something that would not have happened at my grad school institution so it kind of blindsided me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-88484661549769882852013-02-04T11:29:57.299-05:002013-02-04T11:29:57.299-05:00Dear Anonymous,
I agree with everything that Stev...Dear Anonymous, <br />I agree with everything that Steven has said. You might want to read my <a href="womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2013/01/datascience.html" rel="nofollow">first post</a> about this topic, where I discuss suggestions of how to make the transition from academia to tech. I will also write a future post either here or on <a href="astrobetter.com" rel="nofollow">types</a> about my typical day as a data scientist and the of projects I do.berkeleyjesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00255252868558666987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-26922490647391043222013-02-01T13:42:52.748-05:002013-02-01T13:42:52.748-05:00Hey Anonymous,
I can comment a bit about getting ...Hey Anonymous,<br /><br />I can comment a bit about getting your foot in the door, although not with the same authority as Jessica. The first thing I would suggest is leveraging the networking and newsfeed powers of LinkedIn. There are several groups that many professionals within data science use to post interesting articles and questions related to data science. Be warned that a fair amount of it is bs because of all the hype surrounding the market right now, but there's also a lot of good stuff, too. Typically, these groups are very active and responsive. Some of my favorites are Big Data and Analytics, Data Science Central, Big Data SF Bay Area, and Data Scientists. Also, check out the pages of some of the leaders in the field to see what groups they're in. Some people you can even follow. (I just started following DJ Patil, who is one of the big names and posts articles regularly.)<br /><br />The second thing I suggest that you seriously consider is the Insight Data Science Fellows Program. It's a 6-week program specifically designed for post-graduates to bridge the gap into industry data science jobs. They've only done a couple sessions, but I've heard only good things from the people who've done the program and the graduates of the program get offered jobs at top companies. Also, Jake, the founder, is a really great guy full of passion and ideas.<br /><br />I hope these couple points help. If you run across any tips yourself, I'm sure we'd all be glad to hear them. Feel free to connect if you have any more questions. Open invitation to anyone.<br /><br />Also, don't forget that Jessica is the expert because she has a real job already and actually DID bridge the gap!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11105770289188284132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-25851200710089736792013-02-01T12:06:09.675-05:002013-02-01T12:06:09.675-05:00Like Steven, I worry I won't like what I find ...Like Steven, I worry I won't like what I find if I decide to leave academia after my studies are done. Part of what I enjoy most about astronomy (aside from studying the universe) is in fact the data analysis portion of my work. I'm just not sure if that would translate into enjoyment in the data science field.<br /><br />Which leads me to my first corny question that you probably get a lot: could you give a rundown of a typical day? Or, instead, examples of projects you have worked on? What type of analysis is generally involved?<br /><br />And my second question is probably another typical one: how did you go about getting your foot in the door? Did you go looking through lists of job openings? Or did you contact particular companies that you were interested in? Have you worked for multiple companies? I've heard from several sources about the possible future shortage of data scientists, but it's unclear to me where these jobs are or how to find out more about them. Any advice?<br /><br />Thank you so much for both this article and the previous one. There are so many graduate students who are so hungry for this type of information; it's great to finally see it getting out there into the academic world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-2563056641491956022013-01-31T12:51:07.050-05:002013-01-31T12:51:07.050-05:00According to the AIP study, 75% of recent astronom...According to the <a href="http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/reports/astroemploy070809.pdf" rel="nofollow">AIP study</a>, 75% of recent astronomy PhD grads go into post-docs. This data is from 2007-2009, and the market has gotten more competitive since then with less faculty jobs and more people doing 3-4 post-docs.<br /><br />My experience is that there was a lack of knowledge/support in my department regarding how to pursue jobs outside of academia. I had to be very self-sufficient in finding opportunities on my own and figuring out how to make the transition.<br /><br />There are groups of people who are trying to create a community for people who are wanting to make the transition out of academia. For instance there are several groups on LinkedIn for this purpose:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4576131&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr" rel="nofollow">Astronomers Beyond Academia</a><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3404777&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr" rel="nofollow">Alternative PHD Careers</a>berkeleyjesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00255252868558666987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-48046206592064012692013-01-31T12:46:01.490-05:002013-01-31T12:46:01.490-05:00Great article, Jessica. Thanks for posting! I myse...Great article, Jessica. Thanks for posting! I myself have been interested in data science and analytics for some time now, so I was particularly interested in your comparison. I also want to make a comment regarding the broader impact of articles like these. <br /><br />When I started thinking seriously about the direction I wanted to take my career after grad school, one of the problems I encountered when checking out a particular field was getting a sense of what day-to-day life was like in that profession. Would I be happy? Part of the problem was that I wasn't really sure even what questions to ask. Add to this the weak support provided by the department at my university for students considering careers outside academia, and one really faces an uphill battle finding the relevant information. It's so refreshing, then, to read your perspective on the path that you've chosen in a career many of us are unfamiliar with and compare it to your life in grad school, which most of us are familiar with. That you've broken things down along aspects that really make a difference in one's quality of life is all the better. Even for people not interested in data science, it's worthwhile to consider your comparison and ask the same questions when they find a field they are interested in. <br /><br />Both fields are good. All fields are good. Ultimately, the aspects you mention are enough to separate most fields and it comes down to a personal choice which you choose. All the better to make an informed choice.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11105770289188284132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-65018405476221795672013-01-31T12:13:06.457-05:002013-01-31T12:13:06.457-05:00Jessica,
Thank you for your answer regarding the ...Jessica,<br /><br />Thank you for your answer regarding the hiring of foreigners. It may be an option to pursuit. Unfortunately, us in sciences are not educated on how to find jobs outside of our field, we just know the usual suspects: AAS jobregister and fellowships. We don't even know where to look for these good jobs and how to approach them. It should be taught, especially considering the low hiring rate as you go up the academic latter. It should be made clear in the beginning, that as a graduate student you are hired to do manual labor and in the process you will get a PhD, which you can use to get jobs at such and such places. Us in astronomy can not even imagine doing anything else.<br /><br />A side note: There may the x amount of post-doc jobs and y amount of graduates, which makes the scenario seem not so bad, given the reasonable y/x ratio, but you left out the part that the majority of post-docs reapply for another post-doc or two and that significantly decreases the actual likelyhood of a fresh graduate getting a job, especially that more experience postdocs are generally more preferred and are taking the majority of prize fellowship positions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-23262709482292969732013-01-31T11:15:04.713-05:002013-01-31T11:15:04.713-05:00My company does not supply a pension, but we do ha...My company does not supply a pension, but we do have 401k's and company matching, I think this is pretty standard. I don't think post-docs are provided a pension by the university, in fact most universities and national labs are getting rid of pensions for their new employees.<br /><br />We have hired quite a few foreigners, and my partner who is non-american also got hired by a tech company. I believe most companies will help you secure a visa and then help you apply for a green card. They just need to demonstrate that you are specialized enough that there isn't an american who could take your place, which is usually easy to do for people with PhDs.berkeleyjesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00255252868558666987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-14826048218958476872013-01-30T18:21:44.439-05:002013-01-30T18:21:44.439-05:00Great post! Thanks for sharing. I wonder about pen...Great post! Thanks for sharing. I wonder about pension and EI. In Canada, as a postdoc, we are not qualified for pension and EI because a postdoc position is considered as an apprentice.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02110245102114025333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-63462405408019303572013-01-30T18:21:05.236-05:002013-01-30T18:21:05.236-05:00Interesting read, thank you for all the info. Quic...Interesting read, thank you for all the info. Quick question: what about foreigners? They unfortunately need the post-doc/faculty jobs to secure their visas and then later green cards. Or will Yammer and other places support H1B visas and green cards?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-11970325426677949622013-01-30T18:18:52.929-05:002013-01-30T18:18:52.929-05:00Great post! I wonder what about pension and EI. In...Great post! I wonder what about pension and EI. In Canada, postdoc's salary is not pensionable or insurable, but certainly taxable. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02110245102114025333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-78758377936247352252013-01-30T17:35:00.840-05:002013-01-30T17:35:00.840-05:00Excellent summary. Thanks for posting.Excellent summary. Thanks for posting.Nick Ballhttps://sites.google.com/site/nickballastronomer/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-83535476903762381532013-01-29T11:32:32.038-05:002013-01-29T11:32:32.038-05:00Academics generally get *unpaid* vacation time. Mo...Academics generally get *unpaid* vacation time. Most of us have 9 month contracts; summer funding is either from grants (but NSF limits to 2 months) or summer teaching if available (not always). I literally do not have anything in my paycheck for "vacation" (just sick leave). But yes, I believe my time is more flexible in general. Except I can't take time off during semesters because of teaching. Caroline Simpsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04941782458651388038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-87866450558867218772013-01-28T13:02:50.780-05:002013-01-28T13:02:50.780-05:00Nan, thanks for the feedback. I've added a bi...Nan, thanks for the feedback. I've added a bit more discussion to the job stability / availability sections to reflect this.berkeleyjesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00255252868558666987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-50255784553563440422013-01-28T12:54:12.430-05:002013-01-28T12:54:12.430-05:00Great summary! I want to add something to the Job ...Great summary! I want to add something to the Job Security section. <br /><br />Although post-docs rarely get fired before their contracts end, most of them leave when their contract end. In some areas like Electrical Engineering, a post-doc contract usually last 1~2 years. The cycle of applying to an academic position lasts almost one year. So post-docs need to keep looking for jobs. If you ask a postdoc in these areas, "where will you be next year?" most of them are not able to answer. So I think post-docs don't have job security. Nannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-85412921925912483532013-01-28T12:23:18.281-05:002013-01-28T12:23:18.281-05:00Great post - thank you for sharing! I'd like t...Great post - thank you for sharing! I'd like to see a break down of how one spends their days in the two positions. For example, TT professors tend to spend much of their time grant writing, managing their group/lab, teaching, etc...how much of their time is actually spent doing research on topics they are interested in?Alyssahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01695509619557410413noreply@blogger.com