The Science of a great
career in data science
K a t e M a t s u d a i r a
C E O , P o p f o r m s
@katemats

What’s your number?

What do you
need to be
great?
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imagine your
monday
morning…

D o t h e y
w o r k m o r e
h o u r s ?

D o t h e y
w o r k m o r e
h o u r s ?
D o t h e y
k n o w
s o m e t h i n g
y o u d o n ’ t ?

D o t h e y
w o r k m o r e
h o u r s ?
D o t h e y
k n o w
s o m e t h i n g
y o u d o n ’ t ?
H o w a r e
t h e y
d i f f e r e n t ?

It’s not just what you do,
it’s how you do it

why doesn’t recognition
correlate with merit?

data science is different
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people don’t
understand
what you do

How do you create
that Ah-ha Moment?

1) Communication

craft clear
messages

put things in a
business context
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Before
P r e c i s i o n : 8 0 %
R e c a l l 2 5 %

After
F o r t h e t o p s e a r c h t e r m s * a c c e s s o r i e s a p p e a r
2 5 % o f t h e t i m e o n t h e f i r s t p a g e .
!
F o r t o p s e a r c h t e r m s t h e h e a d p r o d u c t s a r e
p r e s e n t 9 0 % o f t h e t i m e i n t h e t o p 3 r e s u l t s ,
9 8 % o f t h e t i m e i n t h e t o p 5 .
!
* T o p s e a r c h t e r m s a r e t h e 1 0 0 0 m o s t p o p u l a r q u e r i e s o n o u r w e b s i t e
o v e r t h e l a s t 3 0 d a y s .

measure with data
that matters
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how do you get
things done?

collect data
do we have the
infrastructure to
analyze the data?
build it....
get results run experiments
are we finished or
do we need
more.....?
start here
yes
no
no
yes
research
data
do we have the
right data?

share your progress
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show before & after
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do they know
what you
really mean?

there are three kinds of falsehoods:
lies, damned lies, and statistics.
!
mark twain

use
analogies &
examples

this is a really
hard problem

constructing model lineages for
products is really difficult

Macbook Air
Macbook
Macbook Pro
? Bravia
EX500 LCD
Bravia
EX523 LCD
?
Bravia
EX620 LED
be specific

take it up a level
product evolution
we are
building a
lineage

!
we know it is hard…
!
!
!

we know it is hard…
!
but we don’t know
why it is hard.

what can you do to
communicate better?

2) Make sure
your work
matters

Tie every Analysis to a
business decision

where can you fill
in the gaps
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manage your
manager
image source: http://cbs1037litefm.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/113257831.jpg image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kwg73/4291698418/sizes/l

you should send your
status in email every week

share with your whole team
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creative problem solving
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hard: value estimation
1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core
i5 $300
256GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Apple premium
$250
8GB SDRAM
$100
$200
$200
Estimated Value: $1050

easier: comparing products

focus on your speed
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get deliberate
i n s t i t u t e a w e e k l y n i n j a
p l a n n i n g s e s s i o n

how can you be sure
your work matters?

3) create
career capital

what you know +
who you know +
what you produce
=
career capital

image source:image image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/xjohns/6785555314/sizes/l
success comes
from people

what are
they doing
all day?
image source: http://cbs1037litefm.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/113257831.jpg image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jys07/8426549548/sizes/o/

trust
image source: http://redditlurker.com/funny/Post/t3_1152wx

what is
trust?

build trust
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elements
of trust
relationship
architecture
reputation
contribution
Elements are based on Kay’s framework from the “Foundations of Corporate Success”

think about your coworkers….
Who is the person you admire most at work?
!
What do they do differently?
!
How do they make you feel?

be the model teammate
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help people make
things happen

be amazing
image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedthedragon/5694561428

dependable
r e m e m b e r t h a t r e p o r t y o u
r a n f o r m e l a s t m o n t h …

Make your work reproducible
image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/30045765@N07/5595745081/sizes/o/

know your timing
estimate
incorporate
analyze actual
validate
confidence

relationship architecture
Make 2 ordered lists:
!
1. The most important people on your team
2. The people with whom you have the best relationships
How can you improve your relationships on the team?
How will that impact your work and happiness?

relationships are
like filmstrips
r e l a t i o n s h i p s a r e l i k e f i lms t r i p s

what can you do to build
your career capital?

communication +
!
!
!

communication +
work that matters +
!
!

communication +
work that matters +
career capital
!

communication +
work that matters +
career capital
=
greatness

Where do you
want to go
from here?

Thank you!
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