How to Get Started in Data Science & Analytics - feliperego.com.au

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feliperego.com.au
How To Get Started In Data
Science & Analytics
FELIPE REGO
DATA SCIENCE & ANALYTICS PARTNER
In partnership with
@FelipeRego
08 Jul 2019

@AcademyXi
Thinking about a career in
Data Science & Analytics?
Submit your questions at slido.com #data-career
Felipe Rego
Data Science & Analytics
Partner, Academy Xi Instructor
Joel Robinstein
Associate Director & Data/BI
Recruitment Specialist,
Precision Sourcing Australia
Hazel Cooper
Conduct Risk Analyst,
Westpac

Our values
Create
Exceptional
Experiences
Build
Community
Generate
Impact
Empower
The Tribe

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How would you define ‘Data
Science’ and ‘Analytics’ ?
@FelipeRego
Submit your questions at slido.com #data-career

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
7
Past Demand for Data Scientists
Percentage of Matching Job Postings
2017201620152014
0.02%
0.04%
0.06%
0.08%
0.10%
0.12%
0.14%
0.16%
Sources: indeed.com @FelipeRego

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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Future Demand for Data Scientists
Sources: The future of work: Occupational and education trends in data science in Australia
Prepared by Deloitte Access Economics, February 2018
The Australian data science
workforce is forecast to see
sound growth in the next five
years. Aggregating the data
science occupations
identified above, Deloitte
Access Economics projects
the relevant workforce will
grow from 301,000 persons in
2016-17 to 339,000 persons
in 2021-22, an increase of
around 38,000 workers at an
annual average growth rate
of 2.4%.
@FelipeRego

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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How Data Scientists Find Work
Sources: Kaggle’s 2017 The State of Data Science & Machine Learning
https://www.kaggle.com/surveys/2017
@FelipeRego
Try to build a network and partner with a responsive, thoughtful and well-connected recruiter

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
10
The Future of Data Science & Analytics
Tools and Techniques are no longer enough for a successful analytics professional
Tools
Ability to work with a variety
of popular programming and
business tools
Techniques
Understanding of a variety
of methodologies to carry
out analytics
Tactics
Able to approach, structure
and deliver a data science
and analytics project E2E
Tact
Soft skills to deal with
ambiguity and manage a
variety of stakeholders
The 4 Ts of Data Science Skills
Sources: https://feliperego.github.io/blog/2018/06/25/Four-Ts-Data-Science-Analytics-Skills @FelipeRego

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
11
Aligning Evidence with Facts
Applying best practices to build, manage and enhance data science capabilities
For more, visit: DASAMATM
- Data Science and Analytics Maturity Assessment Model
Strategy alignment
and executive
sponsorship
Organisation &
Culture
Data acquisition,
storage, governance,
tech stack
Data &
Technology
Investment, talent
mix, experimentation
Talent &
Teams
Speciﬁc, measurable
and time-based
Ability to Ask
Questions
Clarity of insight,
accessibility of results
Action-oriented
Storytelling
DASAMATM
Sources: https://feliperego.github.io/blog/2017/11/13/DASAMA-Analytics-Maturity-Model-Survey @FelipeRego

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
12
Special Points to Consider in Your Journey
A list of things to pay attention to when pursuing a data science capability / career
Learn a popular programming tool,
(e.g. R or Python)
Programming
Brush up on inferential stats +
statistical learning methods
Statistics
Not only how to tell a story with data
but actually telling stories (blog)
Write + Tell Stories with Data
Go to meetups, get a mentor,
do courses, data competition
Meet actual people
Sources: Adapted from a variety of sources + based on my own experience @FelipeRego

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.auSpecial Points From an Analytics Leader
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What are the key points an analytics leader looks for when hiring for analytics?
Sources: Kindly provided by Con Georgelos -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/con-georgelos-09568138/
Complete a course
Connect and be active
Learn to code
Practise on real data
Work on communication &
presentation skills
Network
Con Georgelos
Senior Manager Data & Analytics at The NRMA
@FelipeRego
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Con brings more than 25 years experience from a cross-section
of marketing disciplines including planning, strategy, pricing and
product. His focus over the last 17 years has been in analytics
and campaign development, specifically at Singtel Optus,
Commonwealth Bank, Newscorp, IPG Mediabrands and The
NRMA where he ensured that analytics were a fundamental part
of marketing and business operations. He has played key roles
in establishing data warehouses, data science environments
and data-driven marketing strategies. Con also implemented
propensity models, drove the rollouts of usage-based
segmentations and established and developed teams of
analysts.

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
14
Special Points From a Leading Recruiter
- Don’t make it about yourself
- You need to be confident in taking a role
What to Ask in Interviews
- What makes you stand out from the crowd?
- FAB - Feature, Achievement, Benefit
USP
- In everyday life you can work on this
- People hire people more than skills
Rapport Building
- Who to use
- We don’t find you a job as such
Recruiters
- People forget how important that is
- Family, friends, mirror
Practice
- Not understanding the audience (waffling/too direct)
- Not preparing
Common interview mistakes
Sources: Kindly provided by Joel Robinstein from Precision Sourcing -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelstein/
What are the key points a specialist recruiter looks for when hiring for analytics?
Joel
Robinstein
@FelipeRego
Associate
Director & Data
Recruitment
Specialist at
Precision
Sourcing
Australia

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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Example: Hazel Cooper
Hazel has successfully shifted her career from Marketing to Analytics in a short time
“Hazel is a passionate data analyst with an atypical and varied
background. Starting her career in marketing, she realised her
meticulous attention to detail, keen Excel skills and love of problem
solving were aligned with data analysis just a few years ago. Hazel’s
first data related role was in the not-for-profit space, and her career
has progressed exponentially in the past couple of years; she
currently works as a Financial Crime Analyst for Westpac.
Originally from the UK, Hazel has called Sydney home for the last six
years and isn’t planning on leaving anytime soon.”
Sources: Kindly provided by Hazel Cooper -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazel-cooper-8b259720/

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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Hazel’s Input: Her View of The Profession
Hazel has kindly provided answers to a few questions
“What is a data science and analytics professional?”
Someone who asks questions and solves problems. It's important to have a broad mix of skills -
technical ability in terms of coding/programming, statistical knowledge, business knowledge and good
communication. It's also good to be able to think outside of the box.

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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“How did you go about it?”
I already had good Excel skills, but I built upon these and also took a paid course to learn SQL, one of
the main technical tools of the trade. I took other paid and unpaid courses to broaden my skills and
knowledge, and practised what I was learning as much as possible. I also tried to improve my problem
solving skills by setting myself analytics problems in everyday life, such as, how many red cars will drive
down my street today.

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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“What were the toughest things you had to overcome to get there?”
Without a degree in maths or computer science, I felt like I was on the back foot, and it was something
that counted against me. However, the fact that I had invested time and money into learning more really
impressed hiring managers and demonstrated my passion and interest in data analytics. The fact that
my background was different to the usual candidate also meant that I could bring other skills to the role,
such as communication and stakeholder management.

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
19
“What were the easiest things for you?”
Learning the skills, because it was really interesting. Some data topics can be hard to get your head
around, especially if you don't have an educational background in maths, so it's really important to be
passionate about data and find it interesting.

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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“What should people do in order to get into data science and analytics?”
Identify if you have a passion for data and for problem solving. Take courses to learn some of the skills
and see if you find it interesting. I think it's quite important to learn how to code and I found a paid, in
person course very helpful because I could ask questions along the way.

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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Example: Byron Allen
Byron has successfully shifted his career from Public Relations to Analytics Consultant in a short time
“I'm a data scientist and engineer who is well rounded with a mix
of technical capabilities, business acumen, and communications
skills. Data discovery is important but incomplete without the
architecture to support it, which is why I also have a keen interest in
big data infrastructure along with advanced analytics and machine
learning techniques.
Previously, I had an agency career in marketing communications
and social media for B2B and B2C technology companies. My
experience in communicating campaign results, along with creating
and leveraging data-driven insights to develop tactics and strategies
was the catalyst that started me on my current data science journey.
To truly pursue my aspiration to become a data scientist, I realized
the need to commit 100% and skill up...”
Sources: Kindly provided by Byron Allen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/byronaallen/

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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Byron’s Input: His View of The Profession
Byron has kindly provided answers to a few questions since he could not be here
“What is a data science and analytics professional?”
I see three core pillars that need to be successfully navigated - computer science, statistics, and
business knowledge. The skillset is broad but it’s the ability to stitch all three together to deliver insights
or data products that makes our work valuable.

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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“How did you go about it?”
I took courses, online and in-person, free and paid. I also did a lot of side projects - many failed or never
really took off the ground. Some were successful, but honestly it didn’t matter because I learned a lot
from each of them. The point is, I never stopped learning for one second. We tend to look for magic
beans that reach the heavens overnight, but the truth is you can only be successful if you have
gumption - that’s the key.

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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“What were the toughest things you had to overcome to get there?”
My career change was admittedly big and relatively fast. It’s something that not everyone understands
or believes is possible. I had to overcome that through doubling down on my education and enhancing
my communications skills.

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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“What were the easiest things for you?”
It was easy for me to enjoy the process. It’s why I’m here. Learn, build, discover, repeat. That sums up
what I enjoy doing in life and it also is a super concise way of describing data science.

@FelipeRego
feliperego.com.au
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“What should people do in order to get into data science and analytics?”
Get your feet wet. See if that passion takes hold - if it does you might be on your way to having some
gumption. Also, don’t forget to explore and have an open mind towards other aspects of the data value
chain. That’s a mistake I’m seeing young data professionals make.

“The way to get started is to quit
talking and begin doing”
Walt Disney
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@FelipeRego
Sources: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/walt_disney_131640

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Thank you!
feliperego.com.au
FELIPE REGO
In partnership with
@FelipeRego
08 Jul 2019

29
feliperego.com.au
How To Get Started In Data
Science & Analytics
FELIPE REGO
In partnership with
@FelipeRego

30
How eﬀective is your organisation at
leveraging data and analytics?
feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
31
With an extensive industry experience as well as a deep, technical
analytical expertise, Felipe is often required by marketing, sales,
finance, technology and strategy teams to provide support and to
deliver robust analytical solutions that are easy to use, understand and
implement. Felipe’s unique methodology focuses on a holistic
organisational approach to using data science to improve performance
and reduce costs.
Felipe helps organisations and teams with Data Science and
Analytics Strategy, Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning
solutions, Data Visualisation and Insights Automation and
Analytical Training and Workshops.
Felipe is also an analytics instructor helping disseminate practical,
actionable analytics and data visualisation techniques in both
classrooms and online settings. Organisations that partner with Felipe
end up with a more engaged workforce and individuals feel more
prepared to step up to their next challenge using data and analytics in
their day-to-day jobs.
When Felipe is not partnering with clients or helping students, he’s a
research candidate in Learning Analytics at The University of
Sydney making sense of students’ digital traces. His research has also
been focused on exploring patterns of students' engagement and
performance profiles in learning environments.
Felipe is also a blogger in predictive analytics, statistical learning
and data visualisation. Last year alone, Felipe had over 83,000
visitors to his blog from more than 180+ countries. Some of his articles
have been ranked #1 in google search and referenced by many
sources and leading educational organisations including referrals /
mentions from StackOverflow, Udacity, Western Michigan University,
UC Santa Barbara, Edinburgh Napier University, among others.
About Felipe
Felipe is a leading advanced analytics and
data science partner, helping teams build,
manage and enhance their data science and
analytics solutions in a strategically-aligned,
commercially-oriented and customer-centred
way.

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
Capabilities & Services
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Felipe helps organisations make
sense of their current analytics
capability and provide them with a
clear roadmap to find future
growth opportunities with a
distinctive balance between
technical know-how and business
experience.
Data Science &
Analytics Strategy
From marketers requiring a robust
segmentation model of their
customers or a recommendation
engine for their products to sales
and finance leaders wanting to
improve their forecasting ability,
Felipe partners with teams to
implement a variety of machine
learning solutions.
Predictive Analytics &
Machine Learning
Felipe partners with teams to help
declutter their data assets and
provide them with scalable,
interactive and actionable data
visualisation solutions. As a
result, organisations become
more transparent and can more
seamlessly monitor their
performance.
Data Visualisation &
Insights Automation
Felipe partners with both
educational institutions and
corporate organisations in
face-to-face or online settings to
help disseminate practical,
actionable and
easy-to-understand data science,
predictive analytics and data
visualisation techniques.
Analytical Training &
Corporate Workshops

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
Examples of Consulting Projects
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Case Studies

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
What Some of my Clients Say
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Testimonials from consulting clients
”Felipe helped us gain further insights and discover new ways we could grow our
aftermarket parts sales in a short period of time. He immediately brought to the table
some really innovative ways we could use data and analytics in this project and from the
first meeting I was impressed with his ideas and suggestions. He went on to learn the
business pretty quickly, constantly communicating with my team and, at the end, we
were very impressed with the output of his work.”- Todd Connolly, General Manager -
Construction Solutions at Komatsu Australia, 15 April 2018, Todd was a client of Felipe’s

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
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“We needed someone who could come in and help define and build a cutting-edge analytics
solution for customer retention as part of a larger analytics investment. We at 3P have been
laser-focused on our customers and further utilising advanced analytics for that was an easy
decision. I was impressed by Felipe’s self-directed approach. Diﬀerently from other data science
professionals we worked with, Felipe was really good at maintaining constant communication with
the executive team and stakeholders. He also made sure that the results were easily interpretable
for non-technical folks such as product, sales and design teams. But the most valuable thing for me
was that he aligned technical solution to commercial benefits. At the end of the engagement, we
had a clearer picture of the potential benefits of the solution he built which made it easier to
adopt."- Simon Perry, Chief Information Oﬀicer, 3P Learning, 15 March 2018, Simon was a client of
Felipe’s

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
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“Felipe was recommended to us as an experienced analytics expert who, in partnership,
communicated technical terms in an easy-to-understand, business-friendly language.
This was part of our recipe for success for winning the project. Felipe brought an
impressive knowledge and wealth of experience which both impressed us and the client.
He supported many conversations with the client during the process which helped to
confirm why we were the team to deliver. Not only was the knowledge there but Felipe
was hands on in translating the concept and in building the prototypes with us. He was a
pleasure to work with and I would definitely recommend him and his expertise to anyone
needing an analytics expert."- Tracy Voong, Data Planning & Strategy Director, The
Works, 15 October 2017, Tracy was a client of Felipe’s

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
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Testimonials from workshop attendees / training participants
“Felipe [...] is enthusiastic and passionate about data analytics and presented the history to current focus in a clear and structured manor. I found his research
and background knowledge insightful and can recommend Felipe for teaching or coaching individuals or businesses. Felipe went “the extra mile” to provide
examples and course notes to help me going forward. Felipe recognized ideas in a group setting and I was surprised at what I knew from practice and was able
to affirm my knowledge along with learning new tricks and tips from what Felipe had provided.” - Ron White, Project Manager - NSW EPA, September 5, 2018, Felipe
was a client of Ron’s
“I recently undertook training in Data Visualisation to top-up a bunch of informal reading I'd done on the topic. Felipe is knowledgeable, approachable and a
professional in the the field of Business Intelligence and Data Visualisation. I found Felipe's training inspiring and has built my confidence with various DataVis
tools including, for example Tableau.” -Wayne Redmond, Decision Analysis, Technical Liaison, Dad!, September 1, 2018, Wayne was a client of Felipe’s
“As a graduate student I constantly find myself looking for great resources that clearly explain difficult concepts. This past semester I was fortunate enough to
find Felipe Rego's blog. I was immediately captivated by how clearly he was able to explain a wide arrangement of difficult topics. In an age where effective
technical communication is an invaluable skill, Felipe Rego has the gifts and knowledge necessary to make an immediate impact on any data science team.” -
Gustavo Arismendi, Computer Science Graduate Student - Data Analytics and Machine Learning at University of Houston, June 4, 2018, Gustavo was a client of
Felipe’s
“I had the pleasure of attending Felipe's presentation at the 2017 MarTech conference. It was an interesting session into how to build and manage a successful
Data Science capability for marketing organisations. His personal experience and knowledge of analytics really shone through, and I found it very insightful.” -
Amelia Ward, Head of Digital, Sydney at PHD, May 2, 2018, Amelia was a client of Felipe’s

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
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“Data Science is one of 21st century digital wonders. Felipe onboards you to the data science with ease and makes you comfortable to start applying data
science from the first day. It was a great workshop.” - Petras Janulevicius VR design & development at Diesel Immersive February 5, 2018, Petras was a client of Felipe’s
“I went to Felipe's intro to data analytics & data science workshop recently at Academy Xi. Felipe teaches with passion and uses plain language so that students
can follow. I picked up useful data analytics skills throughout the 3 hours workshop.” - Sandy Tsui CPA | Business Partner | Data Analytics | Data Visualisation |
Passionate to make an impact January 28, 2018, Sandy was a client of Felipe’s
“Felipe is very eﬀicient at delivering highly technical knowledge. His teaching and mentoring methods are very engaging while also challenging. Felipe's
real-life example approach made the Data Analytics course even more valuable; and provided me with the confidence to incorporate advanced data analysis
into my current job.” - Jose Castell Technical Product Specialist at Roche (Haematology & Urinalysis) February 11, 2017, Jose was a client of Felipe’s
“Felipe was my instructor for one of General Assembly’s Data Analytics courses in 2016. He was a highly eﬀective and engaging teacher who was genuinely
interested in his students. He routinely added more to the course (industry insights, best practices, things books don’t tell you, etc), which was incredibly
valuable and helpful. I especially appreciated how encouraging and responsive he was when students asked unique or challenging questions. That was a very
important point for me because that kind of dialogue keeps me motivated for what’s next. Felipe is a wonderful instructor. I highly recommend him!” - Byron
Allen Data Analysis & Architecture June 30, 2016, Byron was a client of Felipe’s
Testimonials from workshop attendees / training participants

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
Thought Leadership / Blogging Facts
39
Over +93,000 visitors / year from +180 countries - many content referrals
Example of Facebook Referral by the Western Michigan University
about a blog I wrote on Principal Component Analysis using R
Example of one of my most popular blog posts which has been ranked #1 in google
searches out of more than 9.2 million other similar results

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
40
Framework for Upskilling Individuals
Tools and Techniques alone are no longer enough for a successful analytics professional capability
Tools
Ability to work with a variety
of popular programming and
business tools
Techniques
Understanding of a variety
of methodologies to carry
out analytics
Tactics
Able to approach, structure
and deliver a data science
and analytics project E2E
Tact
Soft skills to deal with
ambiguity and manage a
variety of stakeholders
The 4 Ts of Data Science Skills
Sources: https://feliperego.github.io/blog/2018/06/25/Four-Ts-Data-Science-Analytics-Skills

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
41
Applying best practices to build, manage and enhance data science capabilities
For more, visit: DASAMATM
- Data Science and Analytics Maturity Assessment Model
Strategy alignment
and executive
sponsorship
Organisation &
Culture
Data acquisition,
storage, governance,
tech stack
Data &
Technology
Investment, talent
mix, experimentation
Talent &
Teams
Speciﬁc, measurable
and time-based
Ability to Ask
Questions
Clarity of insight,
accessibility of results
Action-oriented
Storytelling
DASAMATM
Sources: https://feliperego.github.io/blog/2017/11/13/DASAMA-Analytics-Maturity-Model-Survey
Framework for Revamping Organisations

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
Video: Latest Talks, Interviews & Workshops
42

feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego
Photos: Latest Talks + Workshop
43

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I would love to hear your story, share my
experience and learn about your challenges.
feliperego.com.au
@FelipeRego

How to Get Started in Data Science & Analytics - feliperego.com.au

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