Hello friends,
Let’s face it.
The idea of everyone living their best life with plenty of money and resources sounds amazing, right?
Just take a look at Instagram or LI, and it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that everyone is living their best life with unlimited resources (obviously, depending on the accounts you follow).
But the reality for the 99% of us is managing our finances, tracking our income, and matching our expenses to our income level.
In that scenario, adding one extra investment to get a mentor or coach might seem impossible.
​So what is the solution? 🤔🤔🤔🤔
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😎 Learn from virtual mentors and coaches.
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Because the reality of learning is that either:
You are investing your money to save time
or
You pay with time to avoid spending money.
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And I know we all want personalized and tailor-made solutions to our problems or difficult situations.
And there are many outstanding people who can provide us with solutions and alternatives based on their experience and knowledge.
But that personalized attention comes with a cost.
A cost for their time, experience, and years of learning from setbacks and failures. âž¡ A cost to save you time and effort so you don’t make their mistakes.
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The other side of personalized help is the abundance of free online resources.
Videos, blogs, vlogs, online courses, webinars, workshops, free communities, free guides, quizzes, and many more.
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✨✨✨ So, I’m adding my best recommendations for content that will empower you with advice and new perspectives when switching careers to Data Science and AI. These free resources were (and continue to be) invaluable for me during my career transition.
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But before jumping into the guide, let’s start by answering an useful question.
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How do you avoid getting overwhelmed and falling prey to the too-many-options paralysis?
I definitely have been prey to the too-many-options paralysis. With so many videos, blogs, and workshops, choosing where to focus our attention could be overwhelmingly complex. I understand the challenges, and I’m here to help you navigate them.
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So the question is, how do we avoid the rabbit hole of options?
Before navigating these resources, I suggest clarifying what you are looking for.
If you’re more interested in Machine Learning, then, for the moment, only follow accounts or watch content about that topic. Then, after some time, start exploring other topics of interest to you.
If you have problems increasing your network, learn from others how to network (you’ll find resources for networking in my suggestion list) while exploring local or international groups. And only follow groups or people whose content resonates the most with you.
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Online Free Mentors
​Allie K. Miller Instagram​
Allie is now very recognized for her content and courses about AI. But if you look at her old posts on social media, you will find content with recommendations about Data Science and getting a Data Science career. You will also find book recommendations and her intake about self-learning Data Science vs getting a degree.
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​Adam Grant​
Adam focuses on studying how to make work not sucks. I have listened to almost all of the episodes of this podcast, Work Life with Adam Grant, and I always learn something new. My favorite episodes related to career change are:
- Networking for people who hate networking. (The title says it all!). S2 E3​
- The three big myths of mentoring. S6 E4​
- How to pitch your best ideas. S5 E5​
- Your insecurities aren’t what you think they are. S4 E11​
- How to rethink a bad decision. S4 E2​
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Chip Huyen​
A fantastic writer and computer scientist and, nonetheless, the author of the famous Designing Machine Learning Systems, which is an Amazon #1 bestseller in AI. She is your person for anything related to Machine Learning. When she is not helping companies deploy machine learning into production, she writes about AI applications, tooling, and best practices.
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Ali Adbaal​
Ali is known as the productivity guru. He is a doctor turned entrepreneur with over 5M followers on YouTube and a NY bestseller book about productivity. Much of his content provides new perspectives for learning, finding a career you love, and takeaways from many books. I’m sure you’ll learn a thing or two from Ali.
Bonus 1: For non-native English speakers!
The YouTube channel: Speak Confident English​
A channel with the lovely Annemarie that aims to help you gain true English confidence and English fluency no matter how shy, stuck, or nervous you might feel now when you speak English.
Bonus 2: My Free guide What’s your niche in Data Science?
You’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed trying to figure out your niche in Data Science.
Many of the women I help need to figure out where to focus on building knowledge and experience that could help them get a job in DS.
So, I created a two-step system that will help you get started in Data Science and get clarity about the career you want.
Get it here â–¶ What’s Your Niche in Data Science.pdf​
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Online Groups (Free to join)
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A group with the mission to change the field of data science globally by elevating and empowering women to achieve 30% representation by 2030. You can access datathons, online and regional conferences, workshops, and more by joining.
​Pyladies​
An international mentorship group focusing on helping more women become active participants and leaders in the Python open-source community. Join your local chapter or take advantage of the online workshops and events from chapters around the globe.
​Women in AI​
Women in AI (WAI) is a nonprofit, community-driven initiative bringing awareness and knowledge through education, events, and blogging.
​Women in Big Data​
A group focused on providing infrastructure and connecting data professionals all over the globe with more than 50 local chapters around the globe to provide leadership, mentorship, networking, and training accessible to all.
​Tech Ladies​
A worldwide community for women in tech with more than 100,000 members. They provide resources and support for women in tech to learn, network, and grow their careers, including access to an exclusive job board, events, and networking opportunities.
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Free mentorship programs​
​Women in AI – France​
The WAI Mentoring Program is a free, 4-month mentoring program for WAI members who want to develop their careers in the AI sector and/or deepen their understanding of AI. Currently, it is open only to people who are based in France. Their last cohort started in April 2024, so I expect that the next cohort will open soon.
​Women in Big Data​
Their mentorship programs are offered 3 times a year – Feb to May, June to August, and September to December.
The next applications will open in mid-August. In the meantime, you can provide your contact information, and they will send you an early application notification.
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😊 As always, share your thoughts in the comments and share this post with anyone you think could benefit from learning about these resources.
Lina Marieth xx
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My Favorite Things this Week
📚 Book – So good they can’t ignore you. This book by Cal Newport is one of my most beloved discoveries. In short, this book changed my life and might also change yours. The main premise is that following your passion is terrible advice for anyone wanting a job they love. But, if following your passion is terrible advice, what should we look for instead? This book is so good that I’ve recommended it to all my clients and friends struggling with their careers.
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Open Circle for Latinas happening tomorrow 28th of June 2024!
​Lean In is hosting an Open Lean In Circle meeting specifically for Latina women. This meeting is a safe space for Latina women to come together and connect over the specific obstacles they face in the workplace. Circles are small groups of women who come together regularly for real talk, peer support, and motivation. Join and meet women from around the globe, connect with one another in small breakout groups.
​Register here.
Quote of the week
Persistence isn’t about staying on a path. It’s about finding a better path to your goal- Adam Grant.