Journey of a Forensic Scientist into Data Science
As I am nearing the end of my long journey into a career transition I decided to do some self reflection. During the past year I have gone through Flatiron’s Data Science bootcamp while working full time as a Forensic Scientist. I am not going to lie, it was an extremely hard year with tons of stress and headaches but I am proud to say that I got through it and most importantly I have learned a new set of skills that I am excited to use in my future career. Hopefully reading about my journey might enlighten others that are thinking of transitioning into a career in Data Science.
A little bit of background
My name is Steven Kyle and my professional background up until the past year has been mostly in Life sciences. I attended Texas A&M University right after High School and graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.S. in Genetics. While attending college I worked in a research lab where I ran experiments and learned how to operate in a laboratory setting. After graduating I landed a role at the University of Texas where I conducted more research. During my role at UT I decided I wanted to make a more direct impact for the community and landed a position working for the state of Texas as a Forensic Scientist. My revelation that I want to pursue Data Science as a career came to me while working in this position.
Why Data Science?
So you must be wondering, with so much experience in Life Science why do a career change into tech? Specifically why Data Science? What was the cause of my revelation? Because of my background I was already quite familiar that data is very important. Many insights and advancements in all aspects of life came directly from analyzing data. However, I never realized just how powerful leveraging computational techniques to analyze data could be.
While working as a Forensic Scientist I was introduced to a software program called STRmix. This program was what really drove home the importance of Data Science and where the future is heading. To keep it simple and not go into the nitty gritty details, what this software does is it takes complex DNA mixtures and helps interpret DNA profiles that were previously too complicated to be interpreted by humans. This software was made available to the forensic community in 2012 and has helped solve 220,000 cases worldwide. It quickly dawned on me that if I want to work on cool projects that used the most cutting edge technology to make great impacts, like STRmix, learning Data Science was a must.
Why Flatiron?
What is the best way to learn Data Science and coding in general? This was a question that was going through my mind for a long time. People learn best in all types of ways so this will vary from person to person but the way I learn best is by “doing”. I could attempt to learn on my own. However, since I would be working a full time job I knew I would quickly fizzle out. Especially since up until this point my professional skill set revolved around petri dishes, chemicals and pipettes. So I decided to take a Data Science bootcamp to help push me and keep me accountable in learning the skills needed to do a career transition. This is when I stumbled upon Flatiron.
After looking around all the different bootcamps available online Flatiron stood out above the rest. They were highly rated, had a credible post graduation job report, have rigorous coursework and concentrated on projects to build your portfolio. Luckily for me they had a free online Data Science bootcamp prep course that I was able to try. I was instantly hooked. After a year of being in the program I am excited to say that I have officially graduated with a portfolio that I am proud of. My portfolio currently consists of the 5 projects that correlate with the five main phases of the program. Flatiron helped teach me all the necessary tools I need to tackle my career transition.
Where I am now and my future
So what’s next? Since I am now officially graduated and equipped with the proper skill set, I am excited to say that I am in the midst of applying to data consulting positions! While looking for positions I will be actively networking, working on more projects and releasing more Data Science blog posts. So feel free to link up with me through LinkedIn and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions/want to know more details of my experience with the program. Stay tuned!
