Hi Guys,

It's been long I've been here, Life has really been happening. And it comes at you really fast.

Since the goal is to motivate with this thread I figured I should do an update on how OP is doing.
Long story short

OP have JAPA!

Asides from getting a high-end skill to earn more and have a chance to live the life of my dreams, I wanted a skill that would be valuable anywhere in the world for the time that I JAPA.

I went on to do a Computer Science Masters degree in the UK and I'm in my second semester and would be rounding off very soon.

I plan to start my career in Data Engineering or Artificial Intelligence Engineering depending on the one that will pay pass and the one that I find.

if you're still dragging your feet about switching

Imagine where I would be if I had not switched.

Let's not even imagine it, I don't have the energy to think about it.

All the best.

Meanwhile I plan to check the thread often going forward.

Hi guys, I've been trying to get a September date for my interview.

I was denied in June so I deferred to Spring Start. I've been in search of an interview opening for weeks.

What would you suggest I do?
I don't want to wait till it's close to my January start before going for an interview.

I know I mentioned earlier that I wasn't ready to mentor people...
If you did reach out via mail i do not have any reservations regarding being of any help that i can to my capacity I honestly do not mind.
But Unfortunately what I will not do is be Used like some people have tried to do.

The moment I sense that you are trying to use me I will send you a bill and my response afterwards would be dependent on how much of my bill you are willing to pay.

You will know that if cunny man die na cunny man go bury am.

alextywo:
Please highlight the list of apps I needed to install so as to run python programming successfully on my Android phone. Thanks

even though I know you need a Laptop I also know that where there's a will there's always a way.
Download Linkedin learning on your phone sign up for free data science courses. install youtube on your phone go to MITCOURSEWARE, Programming with moss/ Amigos code/ Geekslesson / Bro Code and learn even if you are not practicing keep absorbing what you see, train your mind to recognize code. Start with excel, Install excel on your phone, and start practicing.

Begin to save up for a Laptop something decent.
If you have an expensive phone, Sell your phone if you must that's if it's not earning you money (what you need is a phone that can serve as a modem for your laptop nothing fancy)

Give it one year to invest in yourself you'll be fine after one year.

morgang:


how well would you recommend one to master statistics, excel, sql, R/python, etc ?

First things first, Perfection is an Illusion
Know the basics and keep moving. What you need is a dedication to keep learning on your journey which is always going to be a continuum.
Mastery is gained with years of application, you can never gain mastery reading.

DonroxyII:
Thank you very much and God bless ... I studied Accounting and I hope my numerical background can be of little help when I tapped your energy join ... What I usually hear is Data Science is a dreaded area as it consumes more brain energy !
By January I'm starting my Mathematics and Statistics practicing .....

My next Question is : Does Data Science relies more on Mathematics or Statistics or Both...

There's a babe on youtube (whizQueen) she's from an accounting background and switched to financial analysis maybe you should look her up and reach out to her.

Statistics is a part of Mathematics but Mathematics is much broader. You will need Statistics and in needing statistics you will encounter Mathematics.

DonroxyII:
This is so great and wrong at the same time .... Create a telegram group as that's easier than Facebook .......

But why create something good, something great, something Intellectual but with ember of discrimination to the male gender ....

Are you telling me if you have male children you won't take care of them ? .... You will focus on your female children alone ?;

If you have a company, will you employ just only girls ? Or abandoned your male employees ? ....

All these gender discrimination is not necessary and if you check the thread and the interest shown, How many ladies do you see here compare to male folks ? .... How many ladies did you encounter on your DS journey ? and how many materials did you read offline or online written/produced by ladies ?

Take care of all of us as a Mama ... Leave no one Behind as a Captain !!

My brother I myself need to relass and be taken kairuff

I'll let you in on why I did what i did. I'll use a business as an analogy
Imagine I wanted to start a business and had limited resources, to make the most of my resources and be profitable it would require me to pick a niche and operate in that niche (It could be selling my products/services to a certain group of people or making products/services for only a certain group of people). It would be easier and cost-effective to just take a small cluster of people and serve them, that way I can grow in paces I can handle (not too fast not too slow).

For me to serve everyone I would need to have products for everyone or offer my products to everyone which in turn would mean I would need lots of operating costs, and possibly more hands.

In this case, resources here refer to my time.
As you dey find way my brother I still dey find way
I've not blow to the point that I'll start to help the whole world
Notwithstanding if you have questions you can always put them up, If I don't have answers someone else might.

I learnt that in this life Don't do pass yourself Jesus has already died for all I don't need to die again.

DonroxyII:
Please, what was your initial discipline/profession/degree before transition into Data Science ?....

How easier or difficult were you able to handle the Mathematics, Statistics and underlying Technologies/Programming underpinning data Science ?

for Background, I studied Business Administration. I have worked in the Real Estate, media and Manufacturing industry. I worked in sales.
While in the University i loved statistics i always enjoyed the classes and did very well at it and i did wonder if i was in the wrong department and I think it's beginning to add up. Either way I see my sales background as a big plus it's brought me to this very point and given me life skills I would not trade.

Data science is multi-disciplinary your background whatever it is will always be an advantage and can be the thing that sets you apart.

My update on Cross-over:

I did not finish the process, I encountered many technical issues and I reached out and when they eventually had it resolved I had lost my mojo. That thing is draining!! and the whole process just solidified my resolve to leave Naija. Maybe I feel this way because I see many tech people living the average Nigerian life and it's sad. Why would anyone change their career trajectory, relegate years of experience to the background and start afresh and get stuck because Nigeria isn't fair to its own?

And looking up the average earnings of a data scientist outside Nigeria and comparing it to what we earn here is just not helping and earning forex messes up your thinking or rather awakens your senses, you become very aware of how little the naira is.

Even if it's Dubai please go o, Take the job you find here in Naija use it to chart your way outta here.

Because For how long do you want to have 3 Jobs? we all have 24 hours something must give.
Working two different timezones is all cruise till you realize that you barely have a life.

Gentleman001:


Now my question is can I get a romote job as Data Analysis with excel.. as am sure of my knowledge in excel or there thing I need to learn in addition before I can think of getting job...
I study electrical engineering

Have you tried selling your service in the gig market? Its a great way to earn money all you just need to do is to learn how to get your first customer. Try places like Fiverr, Upwork.
For full-time roles it's possible but it's going to be really tough to come by for a newbie it's almost impossible. For an employer to consider taking you despite where you live you would need to have years of experience under your belt and be bringing something he/she can't find locally to the table.

belovez:


Which aspect of IT did you venture into is it Data science or Web design?

Data science and my long-term plan is to be a Machine Learning Engineer. I feel like since I've come this far, I might as well go the whole mile.

I first started learning web design then I realized that I and Css would never be friends, Design isn't my forte so I picked Data Science. My remote gig isn't tilting towards design it's more on maintenance and ensuring that the site is functioning all the time.

Ulunne777:
@ Kshe and all,
Pls what's next after sql or what is the order?

Learn Excel, SQL and Tableau/Power BI
Then Python you can start with Numpy and Pandas depending on what you need you can branch into other libraries.

Avidcolz:
Hello house, will it be nice to do both Google spreadsheet along side excel or is excel alone okey?

This is very dependent on where you plan to use this skill, If it's inside Nigeria chances are that you'll mostly use excel, google sheets seems to be go-to outside Nigeria because it's cloud-based. Learn excel, you can always take a crash course on google sheets.

wyt:


can you name where ones can get projects to work on?

Kaggle is a good place.

mentro:

Wow. Tell me how you use Facebook to get jobs?

Well, all I did was join Facebook groups that had small business owners (a good place to start is the Blackout coalition) usually these people are the ones who go on Fiverr looking to outsource tech jobs. Everything was pretty informal like the way you would handle a small business back here in Nigeria. They had less than 1k monthly budget for the role and it required 3 hours of my time daily. I am just to make sure that the site is always running smoothly and I didn't mind since I was looking for a side gig.

Have a good Facebook intro if possible put your portfolio link on your Bio then have your killer pitch. These guys are skeptical about Nigerians so your pitch has to be so good that they consider doing some research on you lastly be friendly.

Edit: Pray also that you find favor. Especially if you don't like the idea of hiding your identity/location to get a job.

For major jobs try (crossover.com) I'm still in process with them so I cannot comment on their success rate but the good thing is that they pair you with a representative who follows up to ensure that you complete your application and they even place calls and send emails too.
However, You would need to take series of tests on their site to ensure you meet the criteria for talents they want. I have not been asked to pay anything also.

I'll update this comment when I'm done with the process.

mentro:

How did you get the remote job? What job site?

Facebook

alextywo:
Please highlight the list of apps I needed to install so as to run python programming successfully on my Android phone. Thanks

Unfortunately, you would need a laptop to learn any programming language, it can't be done on an android phone.

lovelybobo:
These are rules that have helped me to learn new things very quickly and progress very fast

5 Get a Hard cover notebook, write codes, steps, commands and functions used in building the portfolio or solving a particular problem, They will help you in real work and job interview preparation.

6 With this method I realized that no matter the dataset, while using python, you will need about 20 to 25 functions and attributes to understand a dataset. with time these functions and attributes become second nature to you and you can work very fast.

It has helped my own learning process

Thank you for this would try writing codes on hardback.

Karleb:
@Kshe

I'm not interested in DA or your group but it doesn't make sense making it an all female group.

Tech only seems to Favour men because they are rugged. Tech actually Favour women more because they, in many cases might get hired out of pity or simply based on their gender as women are not much in tech.

Besides, well behaved women in tech hardly get sacked even if they don't deliver.

I don't think this is about the gender the IT industry favors,
It's about creating a space for women to do and be more,
You just highlighted that we have fewer women in Tech and I believe this is because many don't know how to navigate or think it's beyond their reach.
How about women being employed because we can actually give value not for gender balance.
I'm sorry it doesn't make sense to you but It does make sense to me though.

PeaceJoyLove:

You learn faster and your brain works exponentially when you step into "mentoring" position. Mentoring in your case is what you are about doing if you take the next step - opening a group. You will find yourself navigating many areas, learning new things, people will start networking with you. All you need to do is teach people the steps you took. They can relate with you than someone who is comfortable in the western world. You really dont have to be a genius to start leading.

Goodluck!

This makes a lot of sense also, Thank you.

So I'm getting connection request mails and people trying to reach me for mentoring and networking.

Well, I would like to say that I'm not in a position to mentor anyone, I actually feel awkward about it because I honestly don't know how that is done and if I am in a position to do so, however, I understand the importance of having a community of like minds with people working together to make themselves and the next person better, So I am considering a Facebook or Telegram group (Not yet decided - Still thinking of the best medium)

And maybe some conditions/rules etc. to give the group some purpose

1. It would most likely be a female thing only (No offense to the men in this thread but I think it's much easier for men to navigate the Tech world than women)
2. It would be for Data Analysts/ Scientists who have actually started their journey or currently in the industry. (There's no point having people with just intentions).
3. There would be active participation and contribution from everyone (Look at it like you are coming to build the community not just take from it- It would be a joint effort.)
4. The group would be about starting a career in Data Science, Finding Project partners, Finding career opportunities for Data Scientists Inside and Outside Nigeria.

Let me know if this is something you want, I'm open to your opinions.

All4good:

Yes ooo.

Let me drop the link below for you and your readers. Might be helpful for someone wishing to build their portfolio :

33 Github Projects:
https://dev.to/devdefinitive/33-github-projects-i-have-bookmarked-and-you-should-298o

Thanks a lot, I will look into it.

whodeyhere:

Do you have like sequential time table of reading and could you direct me to best online free material to read. I also don't mind paying for some of them too. I just want to be able to find direction before end of my waiting period. Btw like I mentioned up there, I am currently learning HTML,CSS & Javascript.

For reading, I think it's understanding the time of the day you can make the most of. In my situation, the only time I'm able to get enough time for myself is from 8 pm till 12midnight and I make the most of my weekends. I occasionally use the library- only when I was on work leave (GTB Library at Yaba if you live around the axis it's free and open weekdays 8 am till 4 pm) and these things are also influenced by other factors like if you live alone, are married, etc. You would have to learn to structure your days so it creates room for you, it doesn't have to be 4 hours at a stretch it could be 2-hour intervals. 2 hours because you really can't do much if you choose to go lower.

I did learn HTML and CSS albeit just the basics to give me a conceptual knowledge of it I did on Freecodecamp.com What they have is pretty elementary but I think it's important to focus on the Five projects they give you and try to do them on your own no short cuts. It will greatly help you. I did this and with the knowledge I gained, I was able to get a remote job as a site manager for a small business in the US.
When I encounter an issue on the job omo I google the thing (lol) I'm learning as I go.

All4good:


Getting project ideas at the beginning could be a drag. Then juggling writing codes for Web development plus daily tasks to earn a living could be absolutely draining.
But it is still do able if you just take a day at a time. Make allowances for distraction, ensuring you don't via off the track for too long. This has been my fate.

I can so relate there have been days I had nothing to do with learning Data Science and all I wanted to do was stay far away from the computer, It's very ok to take occasional breaks for sanity sakes as long as you get back on track, after all, you're not in competition with anybody.

Regarding finding projects the trick is to start small.
One of the mistakes I did make was after learning I went on Kaggle to get datasets to start practising, mehn! all it did was kill my spirit (lol) I'm not saying Kaggle is not a good place on the contrary it is but as a budding data scientist, it is important that you have small wins, It motivates you and pushes you to know and do more then you can pick up bigger projects as you go.

If you start with trying to achieve big things it would only kill your confidence and could create self-doubt, as much as you're trying to do great feats it's important to be kind to yourself.

Now that you know what to focus on learning another thing you must consider is
How to learn Data Science

There are two parts to Data Science:
Cognitive Part and The Technical Part.

They are equally important and complementary but the cognitive part just requires studying while the technical part requires lots of hands-on which can take months to master.

The best way to learn to program is to actually write programs as much as you can don't dwell on just learning without implementing.
Learn the basics and grow with projects of your own.

this will do two things for you:

firstly it will help you write better codes and build mental power

secondly it will help build your portfolio in getting your first job.

whodeyhere:
This is good, please tell us how you switch. How did you start? How long does it take you? What are the key watch out and sacrifices you made? Kudos to you!!!

Career changes will require sacrifices no doubt I knew that Data science was the career I wanted and since my long-term goal is to leave the country with this new skill I was willing to pay any price.

Firstly I knew that learning a new skill would require time and my current job was not giving me enough time I decided to find a job that would give me that time. I took up a job that was paying 40% of my current job in exchange for time. Before I did this I had also put myself on a learning target because I also knew that I could not afford an income cut for a long time.

Reading time was and still is 4 hours daily
I deleted all social media apps from my phone for 5 months.

Now if you have a computer science background, you might not see the sense in this.
I was taking courses in statistics, Data structures, and a whole lot to get foundational Data science knowledge and I was self tutoring.

The Next Question you would need to answer is

What should I learn?

This is very dependent on what it is your aiming to do,
If all you want to do is become an Analyst and don't want to ever code in a medium-sized company that would not need to work with tonnes of data (which is by far many companies in Nigeria) then all you'll need is Advanced knowledge of Excel, Tableau, MySQL, and Statistics you can work with third-party scrapping tools if you need to get external data from the internet if ever the need arises.

But if your goal to become a data scientist/architect/engineer etc and get into Machine learning, AI, DL then you need to learn Python alongside the above listed.

You're done with the Free course and have decided that this is for you.

A little digress, (Just in case someone is a bit intimidated and feel programming is for younger people, I made the decision to switch at 29 and have turned 30 so don't let age deter you)

Determine how you will become a Data scientist
1. By paying your way through (Buying good courses, Industry Certifications, Bootcamps, etc): This shortens the process to a large extent but can be expensive.

2. By being a cheapskate (lol) going for online courses (Youtube is a great place to start- You just need data, enrolling in online interactive platforms like: Freecodecamp, codeacademy, Analyticsvidya, etc) This is self-paced but can be slow to get you to become a data scientist especially if you choose not to pay. If you lack drive and you're easily distracted, this might not be for you.

3. Lastly a blend of 1 and 2. This is what I did I first started with option 2 then moved to option 1 then went back to option 2.

The first thing that crosses your mind when you have made the decision to change careers is

HOW DO I START
First I would recommend that you start with taking an online FREE course. You're new and just testing the waters, You're most probably still pumped from all the motivational talk and from seeing how much Data scientists earn. This way you get to be sure that you want to go all the way before putting time and resources into it.

I find that most people who want to start a career in Data Science pretty much don't understand what they are getting into (my opinion) and I think it's because we have lots of people selling courses like: "Become a Data Scientist in 4 weeks!" I honestly don't know how that is possible (If you have achieved this feat please let me know) But if you approach a career change that way one thing is certain, You will get frustrated.

Learning programming is not easy
Learning programming requires exercising mental strength
It's very normal to have headaches if you're new to programming it doesn't mean it's not your thing, it just means you're pushing your brain to do more than it's used to doing.
Lastly learning to program takes time for some months, others years before they land their first job.

As much as you can have healthy expectations.

I'm making this thread to shed some light on the journey to becoming a data scientist in Nigeria.

Coming from a non-IT background, being a female, and not having IT professionals to look up to for guidance I mostly had to navigate the entire process myself. It can be tough moving into data science when you have no clue what programming is all about ( I even pronounced Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) as Zero Zero Programming- It was that bad).

I had spent 5 years in Business Development across various industries and had got to a point where I knew that to remain relevant and to get the kind of income/financial freedom I desired then a career switch was inevitable.

Switching to IT was/is the best decision I have made in my career I am elated by my journey and looking back it's hard to believe that the person who had to google pronunciation of programming terms can now write a Python program.

I'm doing this so women or anyone who finds the process intimidating will realize that it's not impossible and it's a step that is so worth it.