From Business to Data Science: How Jasmine Huang Made a Mid-Career Pivot

Are you feeling stuck or burnt out in your current career? You‘re not alone. According to a 2022 survey by McKinsey, over 40% of employees are somewhat likely to leave their jobs in the next 3-6 months. Many, like data analyst Jasmine Huang, are opting to switch careers entirely. After 12 years in business roles, Jasmine enrolled in a data science bootcamp and successfully pivoted into a new field. Here‘s how she did it—and how you can too.

Why Make a Career Change?

There are many reasons why someone might consider a career shift. Some feel pigeonholed in their current role with no room for growth. Others crave a better salary or work-life balance. And for many, the desire to work in a field more aligned with their passions or values is a major driver.

In Jasmine‘s case, a combination of factors inspired her to make a change:

"Everything I did in the past was sales and customer relationship-focused, and I was burnt out from handling people‘s problems. I always thought I could enjoy working with data and numbers since I have always been very good with Excel. I wanted to enhance my analytical ability."

If any of these motivations resonate with you, a career change might be worth considering. Of course, it‘s a big decision that requires careful planning. But with self-reflection, research, and the right resources, pivoting to a new field can lead to a much more fulfilling professional life.

Why Data Science?

For Jasmine and many others, data science offers an enticing combination of intellectual challenge, creativity, and concrete impact. As a highly interdisciplinary field spanning statistics, computer science, and domain expertise, data science provides the chance to continuously learn and grow. And with the ability to drive decision-making and uncover insights across industries, data scientists can translate their skills into real-world value.

The numbers paint a bright picture for data science careers now and in the future:

• Data scientist has been ranked the #1 job in America by Glassdoor for five years running
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 36% job growth for data scientists between 2021 and 2031, compared to 8% growth across all occupations
• Data science and analytics jobs are projected to reach 3 million postings annually by 2025

With a median salary over $120K, data science also offers high earning potential compared to other fields. Of course, money isn‘t everything, but it‘s certainly a factor in career change decisions. The chance to do intellectually engaging work while earning a great salary makes data science especially appealing.

Transferable Skills: What You Bring to Data Science

If you don‘t have a STEM degree or programming experience, a career in data science might seem out of reach. But you likely have more relevant skills than you realize. Many core competencies from business and other fields transfer well to data science:

• Analytical thinking: Distilling complex problems into key variables, understanding cause-and-effect, and drawing insights from information
• Strategic perspective: Tying data to big-picture goals, communicating findings to stakeholders, making data-driven recommendations
• Project management: Breaking down large initiatives, coordinating resources and timelines, adapting to constraints
• Teamwork and communication: Collaborating with colleagues, explaining technical concepts to laypeople, understanding business needs

Jasmine was able to leverage her finance and business background in her new data science role:

"With my background in insurance and the new skills learned in the bootcamp, I‘ve been able to provide unique solutions to business problems."

Other common backgrounds for data science career changers include education, research, economics, and consulting. Any field where you work heavily with numbers, probabilities, or logic can build a foundation for data science. And "soft skills" like critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and adaptability are essential for success.

Switching Careers with a Data Science Bootcamp

Once you‘ve decided to pursue data science, the next step is figuring out how to gain the necessary knowledge and credentials. A growing number of career changers like Jasmine are turning to bootcamps: short, intensive programs designed to make you job-ready quickly.

Bootcamp Landscape

Data science and other tech bootcamps have exploded in popularity over the past decade. Course Report, which tracks the industry, found that:

• More than 330 tech bootcamps are now operating in the U.S. and Canada
• These bootcamps are expected to graduate nearly 25,000 students in 2022, up from around 15,000 in 2019
• The average bootcamp program is 14 weeks long and costs $12,000

Bootcamps have gained traction because they provide an efficient, practical path to gaining in-demand skills. Most focus on hands-on projects and real-world scenarios rather than academic theory. Condensed timelines allow students to skill up and re-enter the workforce quickly, while part-time and online options add flexibility.

Jasmine chose to attend Programming School‘s full-time Data Science program, which promises to make students job-ready in just 15 weeks. She explains why the fast-paced schedule worked well for her situation:

"I‘m a mom of a 6-year-old boy so I don‘t have much free time for myself. Joining a bootcamp for 4 months as a full-time student was the longest I could manage. If the program lasted longer than 4 months, I don‘t think I could have made it work."

Flatiron‘s program includes over 400 hours of coursework, from Python programming fundamentals to machine learning and advanced data structures. Alongside technical skills, students work on interview prep, job search techniques, and other career topics.

What to Look for in a Bootcamp

If you‘re considering a data science bootcamp to launch your career change, look for programs that offer:

• Comprehensive curriculum covering data analysis, programming, machine learning, and statistics
• Hands-on projects using real-world datasets
• Instructors with industry experience
• Career coaching and job search support
• Connections to employers for networking and recruitment
• Strong graduate outcomes, including job placement rates and salary numbers

Be sure to research different bootcamp options thoroughly. Look at course descriptions, graduate reviews, and outcomes data. Ask to talk to alumni about their experiences and results. And make sure you understand the admissions requirements, pre-work expectations, time commitment, and payment options before enrolling.

A Challenging but Rewarding Experience

Bootcamps are designed to stretch you past your comfort zone. Most students find the experience challenging—but when in an immersive environment, you can absorb new skills quickly. Jasmine recalls:

"Learning so much in a very short time was hard, but I loved everything in the program. The projects especially were realistic and useful."

Many data science bootcamps assign projects that mirror professional work, from exploratory data analysis to building machine learning models. Working in teams, using industry tools, and presenting findings are great ways to get a taste of day-to-day data science responsibilities. Expect to put in long hours and intense focus. But if you stay curious and tap into resources like teachers and classmates, you can emerge with an impressive portfolio to showcase to employers.

Navigating the Data Science Job Search

Jasmine landed a data analyst role at an insurance company within a few months of graduating from Programming School. But the job search itself proved more challenging than she expected:

"Job searching was definitely harder than the bootcamp. It‘s a full-time job to look for a job!"

Standing Out as a Candidate

Because data science has become a hot field, it can take some persistence to land your first role, especially without a traditional background. However, an analysis by Springboard found that data science bootcamp grads had a similar job placement rate to computer science degree holders. And those who took the initiative to build strong projects, network, and gain additional skills had the best results.

Some ways career-changing candidates can get an edge:

• Portfolio: Craft a compelling narrative around projects that demonstrate your skills and impact. Show that you can break down data problems, extract insights, and communicate findings.
• Tailored expertise: Leverage your past experience to position yourself as a data science specialist. Highlight how your unique industry knowledge can drive business impact.
• Skill development: Keep learning through online courses, publications, and events. Explore tools like cloud computing, big data, and MLops. Earning certifications can also validate your skills.
• Networking: Build relationships in the data science community to source advice, leads, and referrals. Go to meetups and conferences, reach out to people at target companies, and maintain connections.

Having a support system throughout the intensive job search is key. Jasmine‘s career coach at Flatiron provided vital guidance:

"My career coach was awesome and always there when I needed advice or interview practice. They helped me stay on track."

Look for a bootcamp that provides dedicated career services to help you navigate applications, interviews, salary negotiation and more. And lean on your newfound problem-solving abilities to keep pushing forward:

"The bootcamp taught me how to find answers on my own. Knowing how to google and what to look for is the key to success!"

Working as a Data Scientist

Once you land your first data science job, get ready to embrace continuous learning. Tools and best practices evolve quickly, so you‘ll need to keep building your skills on the job. Finding mentors and a supportive team can help you get up to speed quickly.

In the first few months, take time to understand business priorities, build domain knowledge, and deliver a few small wins to gain trust. As you start tackling larger data challenges, always tie your work back to key objectives and stakeholder needs. Remember that successful data scientists are skilled translators between technical and business realms.

Jasmine has been thriving in her insurance analyst role since she started in late 2023:

"I love my job as an Actuarial Data Analyst, it‘s exactly what I dreamed of. With my background in Insurance and the new skills learned in the bootcamp, I made a project to provide a solution to solve a real business problem from a unique point of view."

Insurance is a major frontier for data science innovation. By analyzing huge datasets on policyholders, actuaries and data teams can better forecast risk, personalize pricing, and run complex simulations. There‘s ample room for strategic, forward-thinking data scientists to make an impact.

Other industries ripe for data disruption include:

• Healthcare, e.g. clinical decision support, precision medicine, medical imaging
• Finance, e.g. fraud detection, algorithmic trading, customer analytics
• Retail/e-commerce, e.g. recommendation engines, price optimization, inventory management
• Transportation & logistics, e.g. navigation apps, fleet management, autonomous vehicles
• Entertainment, e.g. streaming recommendations, social media feeds, deepfakes
• Cybersecurity, e.g. anomaly detection, automated threat response, AI-powered attacks

Long-term career paths for data scientists include progression into managerial roles, specialization in advanced techniques, or branching into adjacent fields like machine learning engineering or data architecture. The median data scientist salary is over $120K according to BLS, and top earnings surpass $200K. Wherever you land and however you grow, an insatiable curiosity will always serve you well in data science.

Ready to Follow in Jasmine‘s Footsteps?

Changing careers is a bold move—but it could be the best decision you ever make. If you have a knack for working with data and a drive to solve complex challenges, data science may be your ideal next step.

"Graduating from the bootcamp is easier than you think. The hard part is to find a job you like," Jasmine reflects. "If you follow your program‘s guidance and work hard, you will definitely find a job close enough to your dream job. It will all be worth it!"

Of course, a mid-career shift isn‘t for the faint of heart. It requires self-reflection to know you‘re making the right choice, and grit to push through the demanding journey ahead. But you don‘t have to go it alone. A high-quality data science bootcamp can equip you with the right skills, support, and network to launch your career transition.

If you‘re ready to take the next step, start by checking out some free introductory data science resources to see if the work sparks your interest. Reach out to data scientists in your network to hear about their experiences. And thoroughly research bootcamp options to find one that fits your goals, budget, and learning style.

Follow in Jasmine‘s footsteps and you just might find yourself thriving in the data science job of your dreams in a few short months. As an exciting field with incredible growth and impact potential, data science is waiting for ambitious career changers like you.