The other day I was listening to the Women in Data podcast and I discovered the different, but at the same time, similar stories from 5 amazing women who decided to switch their career and start over in a data-related job.
For me, it was an inspiring reminder that anything is possible.
The common scenario? They felt afraid of the unknown, had self-doubts, and didn’t know if they had what it takes.
From stepping into a new career in data in their 50s to learning and getting into data after a 20-year career break, these women are proof of what resilience looks like.
And after listening to the episodes, I thought: I need to share this with my readers; they need to know and get also inspired by these stories. So, I summarized the key advice and learnings of the career journeys of these 5 women.
I hope these stories can help you realize you’re not alone in your career journey into data and to remember that you aren’t too (insert here an adjective) to step into a data career.
Add to the comments what story resonated the most with you.
Lina Marieth xx
The key advice from 5 Women who got into data
1. Elodie Hudson
Previous role: High School Teacher
Current role: Lead Data Scientist
In short, Elodie started her career change in her 50s and went from being a high school teacher to leading a team as a Data Scientist.
Her advice
The most important advice for someone considering starting this transition is to just do it. I wish I’d had the confidence to do something like this sooner. As someone who’d just turned 50 when I started the process, I questioned whether it was too late to do something completely different. My coach completely opened my eyes to the world of possibilities that are out there. It’s never too late to start something new. I already had more skills than I thought I had from my previous career.
2. Padma Varatharajan
Previous role: 20 years career break
Current role: Data Engineer at Capgemini
In short, while juggling a full-time job and home responsibilities, Padma conquered her self-doubts after a 20-year career gap.
Her advice
I hardly find any spare time. I had a lot of doubts. Last time I was a student was in 1988. It was such a long gap it took a lot of work to understand some concepts and I needed extra time to complete some modules than I expected.
My advice is to believe in yourself. Do not hold yourself back from reaching your dream data job. There are setbacks, but nothing is impossible. I’m proud of being back in tech.
3. Savannah Brown
Previous role: Medical field
Current role: Data and Insight Analyst
Her advice
Use your current and previous experience to your advantage and incorporate it into what you are learning. No matter what background you come from or what role you were in before, there is always some sort of experience you have that you can utilize for a role in data.
Utilize the soft skills that everybody has regardless of your background career, not just focus on the technology core skills. Use what you know is your advantage.
4. Karyna Naminas
Previous role: Customer support
Current role: CEO of Label your Data
Her advice
The biggest advice I got from a book is that motivation should come from results and not vice versa. To me, no such thing can inspire and motivate me more than myself. Regardless of the role anyone is thinking of making, you’ll fail initially, and that’s fine. But when you first start seeing a success or a result, all the failed piles become irrelevant because you have your result. That is such an inspiring moment for me.
5. Carla Rodriguez
Previous role: Hospitality in the mining industry
Current role: Entrepreneur in data
Her advice
You have to trust yourself and believe that what you are doing is what you want and has value. If you don’t trust what you are capable of, nobody is going to.
Quote of the week
When we dare to fail, we create the space to keep trying and for growth to happen. We don’t grow by avoiding failure.
I love this article and I came across on perfect timing as I needed to read and hear this very much at this stage.
I am in transitioning phase and have a lot of self doubt but reading this article, motivated me to just continue no matter how many failure I may face, just keep up and focus on learning journey and enjoy it as much as you can. that’s the message I received from this amazing article.
Thank you Lina!
Regards,
Maryam
I love the fact that the timing was perfect for you Maryam!
Keep on going and you will certainly succeed.
And you mention an essential part of the process that we usually skip: enjoying every little part of it, even the challenging parts. Because those make us stronger and increasingly ready for the next step of the professional journey.
The best for you 🙂
Lina Marieth