How to switch your career to coding (from Economics to Data Science/Software Engineering)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 26 июн 2024
- After getting a degree in Economics, I was certain that I don't want to continue working in this field. I discovered programming and data science, and I've never looked back since then.
But how did I make the career switch to coding? Can you switch to programming without a degree in Computer Science? Evidently, you can! In this video I describe my journey of getting my first internship in data science, and my first full-time job in technology after graduation.
Find me on instagram:
@karo_sowinska
And if you'd like to buy me a cup of coffee... :)
ko-fi.com/karolina_sowinska 
Наука
I was afraid of math> so I choose Economics major> but had to take a lot of maths in economics > surprisingly my fear from maths disappeared > now considering switching back to my old passion.
Economics actually helped me in a different way.
A lot of people misunderstood Economics - a decent economic degree involving much more math/statistics than many STEM subjects, which gave a good foundation for those moving into data science/Machine learning pathway.
Especially with a Bachelors of Science in economics
There are no decent economics degrees, only BS ones.
While we still trying to agree on basic quality facts about economics, it is completely meaningless and premature trying to quantify anything. Not to mention, teaching kids something that is not established as mature field of study.
Garbage in = garbage out.
Considering the same switch. Find Economics so boring realised at the end I don't want a career in it, I hope I enjoy coding always been intrigued
Yeah, I can totally relate!
i'm in the transit, started to study programming this year and now i'm starting looking for a job. I don't regret at all. :)
I am graduating economic BA this semester. I agree that economics as a profession could be dull because you don't build anything, but I LOVE the material. However, I feel that on a day to day basis i need to build and create tangible value. I've gotten a research assistant position and done some scraping projects. However, I still love economics and plan to pursue a phd eventually.
Alway nice to have the things explained with bit of banter thrown in. Really appreciate your work on here.
Haha thanks, I'm glad you enjoy a little banter or mine!
holy sh... my journey is so close to yours... i also first applied for a CS degree but then also got scared based on these assumptions and changed to economics. also tapped more into coding while studying economics and now fell in love with it after i got a job where i can apply both. Although I wanna purely specialize in Data Science in the future.
Really cool to hear about your journey. I also studied economics and am considering making the switch to a data field, so this resonated with me a lot!!
Oh that's awesome! Good luck with the switch, and always feel free to shoot me with a question! :)
Loved your intro!! It was nice to get a glimpse. At the beginning of my career I also thought programming would be more mathematics-driven.
I'm glad you enjoyed the intro :) I was planning to shoot more there, but I was caught by the rain! Yes, I think it's a very common misconception!
Thank you Karolina, your background and interests is literally identical to mine. You made me feel like I was listening and watching myself. I will follow similar footsteps as you!
Oh that's awesome to hear! I hope you're getting on ok with the change to data science!
I'm a psychologist currently studying a master degree in Data Analytics. There is so much that we can learn together, but the most important thing is that there is a sea of data and knowledge out there that we can use to benefit us all. Greetings from Colombia.
Absolutely! ;)
Thank you so much dear... You just have cleared my idea on Master’s on CS from Biology field.. Love you. (From Bangladesh)
Outstanding video, learned a lot
I never write comments. But this video is like tailored made. Thank you thousands!!
I admire your courage to take a different career path. my sister did degree in economics and I was searching for some inspiration for her. I am sharing your videos to her. Big thumbs up for your efforts
Thanks so much, I hope this video will be interesting to her!
Congrats on over 3k subscribers!! So proud of you. Awesome video, i loved the intro 😉😉😉 now where could that possibly have been filmed?
Thank you so much! ❤️ Ah, no idea, but what a mysterious (and beautiful) place it is! ;)
Great story and advice Karolina! Is funny how things doesn't go the way you plan especially when you make decisions still young, in my case I was supposed to be a musician! but now I'm really into data science and learning a lot which proves that anyone can change careers and that maybe we only need a little time to know better.
Exactly. It makes me think of Steve Jobs quote, that when you look back at all the things you've done, you'll connect the dots and things will start making sense.
@@karolinasowinska Definitively, that's a nice way to see it
your are powerful girl, economic swift to data science,
I am coming from Political Science to Data Engineering, your video talks to me a lot! Thanks :D
What a career turn! Congrats on deciding to do it, I'm very glad to hear that my videos are relatable ;)
@@karolinasowinska let's say that it is a enough challenging career turn hahahah
This is exactly me right now 💯% . Im in that situation , 3rd year Economics scratching my head every night
Something similar happened to me, but all related to the tech and computer world. Last year I had to make a decision on which area of computers keep my studies going, and I took the great decision (yeah, last year it seemed great) of going for hardware. But then I realized I didn't like hardware that much 😅
I came to realize that you need to try a lot of different things to decide what you really like doing. Specially in the tech world, things change so fast that I'm sure we will enjoy our time with things that don't even exist yet!
Anyways, never regret any decision, if I hadn't taken that one, I would probably be many times thinking "if I has just done what I though was right at that moment... Hardware seemed so entertaining... "
Exactly! You can only understand yourself by exposing yourself to various stimuli. As you said, there's no point in regretting any decisions, because at the time of making them, some information (like your true preferences) wasn't available to you! :)
I really enjoy your video and it helped me to decide e what to do. thanks a lot.
I'm glad the video was helpful! :)
Same here. Got my Economics degree and will transition into tech (though I worked in Tech prior to going back to school). Funny how things turn out.
I was graduated from IT vocational high school and then decided to take a bachelor in management because I was also afraid of maths, I decided that from blind assumption. I'm currently in the 5th semester and considering to take internships starting next semester. Your video helps me know that I'm in the right track and there is still a hope.
Thank you for share your experince ..you inspire me 💚
I'm so glad!! :)
I want to congratulate you on 3000 thousand subscribers) But you deserve more.
I remember getting to know your channel and my first question was "Can I get a job in machine learning without a degree?"
Oh, I was just finishing my bachelor's degree then)
Thank you for giving me a boost of motivation then.
Thank you so much! Your presence here has a special significance for me, because you were the very first subscriber (who wasn't my friends or family!). I'm glad that I gave you some motivation back then, and I wish you all the best on your machine learning journey! ;)
I think this is officially my first comment ever on RUclips. I am usually more confortable as a viewer and not as an active speaker. But well, here I am and I want to thank you. I am an electrical engineer with a MSc in automation who is now thinking about changing to something relating with data...and I have to tell you, I could almost see myself as you said that "you've chickened out" because weeell I am maybe trying to find an excuse not to abandon my current path and jump into the unknown.
Thanks for the little push
You have a great background for it - if you only want it, you can surely do it! :) Thanks for your comment, and good luck!
Wow, your story is fascinating, one thing I want to add that Economics is root of Data Science as Economics is the study of human behavior in a natural discourse
I really relate with the! :)
Awesome story! Right now I'm working sales but studying and of course practicing it. I think the easy transfer into full software development would be web development. So I'm taking up the Odin Project to learn JS, CSS, and HTML. I'm really hesitant on ever learning in a university environment ever again.
I totally feel you. It was very stressful and costly. I think especially for web dev portfolio should be more important than a degree!
Do you recommend Odin project?
this is me. moved from biochem undergrad to masters in AI and Machine Learning
Hey, how was it during your masters? Did you enjoy it, was it difficult?
@@AlanCostaPlus the beginning was difficult, but i am almost finishing up and really enjoyed the learning and especially networking with other brilliant people
Thank you and well done!
Cool channel, subbed, really interested how will it grow. Wish you to be next Alie Miller, good luck
Thanks so much! Frankly I didn't know her before you mentioned the name, but she does have an impressive career in data :)
Po początku myślałem, że to będzie vlog :)
0:55 great English weather ;)
EDIT: 3k subów się zbliża ;)
Ahah English weather crossing my plans! Trochę miał być vlog, ale wyszło jak wyszło! :D
Ah tak, 3K na horyzoncie! Cieszę się że aż tyle ludzi się zebrało tak szybko!
Karolina , in my opinion there are no bad decisions, only decisions made in the absence of information or with poor information :) All decisions are the best in moment you are choosing road/solution. So we should prepare for key decisions and verify informations and assumptions we are basing. BTW - Im converting from civil engineering to data engineering - not changing company.
I absolutely agree with you. I love the point you made about assumptions - in the absence of information, it's so crucial to verify your assumptions. Good luck with the data engineering role!
Data science is another name for statistics. They made that name to sound fancier. Statistics is part of economics. I think now they teach very light computer science at university. They also use high level languages like python and java and not go much into details. But there will be less demand in the future for hardcore programmers, because those internet giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Aliaba etc will create ecosystems where people will program in that environment.
True, it is certainly heading in that direction, but full automation is still far away!
Karolina, hello again! Thank you for the video! That was great, I've been waiting for it, and I like it! I have a personal question. Now, I am studying Engineering, and it is quite related with Computer Science. If I will be able to decide to go to the data engineering in economic sphere, nevertheless for weighted companies it is good to having some knowledge about economics, should I apply to master's degree to economics, or are there enough just having the certificates from online courses like coursera to proof that I know it, then just continue path of CS?
Master's degree in Economics? Definitely no!! Financial companies don't care about your financial knowledge if you join as a programmer. They will teach you and pay for your certifications:)
@@karolinasowinska Haha, that's how it works! I got it, then I will go forward to deeply learning the CS! Thanks, Karolina!
How funny! Your story is soo similar to mine, the difference is- I'm currently at my second year of Economics major.
Oh nice! How are you finding it?
@@karolinasowinska I'm doing fine with Economics now, besides I don’t care how many maths are there in Economics anymore since my math fear has kind of disappeared😄. But deep down always looking for ways to merge economics with computer science. Do you know Stanford Economist Susan Athey? She did her Phd in Computer Science and then switched to Economics. Recently she, along with many other economists are working on Machine Learning for research in the fields of Economics!
Hi I've made plenty of bad decisions in my life. I studied computer science but i found it very very dry. I'm not a practical guy i hate to fix things when they are broken. i switched to animation. I love watching anime but I'm bad at drawing so I gave up.after years i was wondering what career fit me. İ eventually decided to study economics.the best decision in my life and I'd like to combine economics with data science
Ya, I studied economics and I actually work as an economist now and I’m making the move to data science. I’m finding it very boring tbh, I do have work experience in tech and I feel likes it’s more fun. I should have gone into an economist role that focuses more on econometrics. I’m self teaching myself now and building projects to hopefully move into data science .
I'm sure you'll make it! :) Awesome that you want to switch
Exactly describes me
I'm in year 3 economics course now. I enjoy the policies and theories but I do feel like I'm taking the backseat in alot of the problem solving. It is only because of econometrics that got me immensely interested in computer science and data science and it compelled me to take a data science major along with my double degree.
Im not sure if that might have been a good idea but I feel I do need to build some basic fundamentals to show I have handled the rigour of data science rather than a one-off hackathon or boot camps. It is also harder to get into hackathons with just very basic online course knowledge... :(
You followed your intuition.
Indeed
I did my engineering first , and then my MBA. I work in an Indian IT powerhouse. I never liked engineering, i liked economics in my mba. I topped economics papers in Calcutta University. But now i work in SAP in fico. In my work, i only try to solve business problems with my accounting skills. So now i try to apply my economics knowledge in understanding general Indian macroeconomics. I sometimes think why i did engineering...may be that was just an opportunity cost. Then i think why i am stuck with my sap job. This is where i go nuts. Now at 35 sometimes i think i have reached a nadir.
You look gorgeous as always. Best of luck for your passion. May you understand how to create a system and then monetise it. Thats the way you create wealth.
When you were choosing to do engineering, you couldn't know what you truly like. We only find out by experience!
@@karolinasowinska connecting the dots...like Steve Jobs said. In india 🇮🇳 to get into engineering you need to clear a JEE. In my case it was WBJEE, it was a tough exam. When I gave that exam, I only wanted to clear it....not giving much thought to what I ll learn in engineering. In Electronics engineering course, I learnt many things, but didnot get any opportunity to do job. Thus joined software. But didnot like it much, so joined mba. Now Fico consultant in sap.
As an economist, you are automatically a data scientist (except you don't realise it). You just have to know how to use some of the statistical software packages like Excel, STATA, EViews , etc and be able to analyse and interpret data. The term 'data scientist' is just a fancy title that allows anyone to become an expert in the field.
please do not stop publishing videos you are a good girl i love y too much
Haha never thought of myself as a good girl ;) thanks though!
Hello, am Bright third year student of the Bsc In Economics and Finance and very keen on doing into the data analytics roles. What do you think about doing a Masters in Business Analytics . is it a good degree to equip me with the data science tools
Thanks for cool content ! Could you recommend entities or online course that offers same values as master degree with the fraction cost ....
Yes! Visit dataappreciationsociety.com
Hey Karolina,
In doing masters in AI&ML is it necessary for the high role jobs ?
It's not necessary but it helps :)
Where did you get the cs conversion degree? I'm literally in the same position you were holding an e on degree. Great video btw. Thank you
I have a whole video about it, feel free to watch it! But in short, I did it at Imperial in London!
@@karolinasowinska thank you. You are awesome. Keep it at.
Hi, i am now studying quantitative methods and information systems at Warsaw School of Economics, and I would really like to start my career in data science/data engineering, do you find it feasible, to get a master degree in computer science and simultaneously go to work, not necessarily connected to IT, cause now it is really hard to get even internship program without previous experience. Btw, I love your videos.
With your Bachelor degree you're on a great path to becoming a data scientist or a researcher of some kind. But if you prefer engineering over quantitative stuff, then yes, it is definitely possible to make this move! I would still suggest looking for an internship in data science, because you have good background for it, while simultaneously building up your tech/programmingknowledge. With that one internship in DS it'll be much easier for you to make the move to data engineering :)
you look like an artist
Haha thanks!
That city was beautiful. Where is this place?
your a very entertaining woman..
Ha, thanks I guess!
My career is kind of same as yours. I wanted to study Computer science in university but then I ended up in economics but I like computer science, technology with all my heart and I still want to study it. Now my degree in economics is about to complete in a year and I am looking for online computer courses. And also a Masters degree related to computer. Can you guide me further about which courses I should do?
She looks beautiful. ❤️
Doesn't CS contain more advanced math than Econ? How were you able to survive that masters degree (given that you initially hated math)?
It doesn't! Econ is definitely more maths heavy. CS is more about problem solving, but not necessarily using advanced maths.
ok
Do you have an idea about a good portfolio for a data science/ML for a graduate ?
I might make a video about it, but for now I'd suggest searching through Kaggle datasets and competitions:)
Hi Karonlina where did you do your conversion masters?
Imperial College London, I actually have a separate video about it!
love your euphemism "its extremely not useful"
Hey Carolina you are just awesome... I am from India and just want to ask you that is data science really gives any fruitful result in economics....... As I am currently pursuing my bachelor in economics and I have just heard about growing career of data science in economics and I am also passionate about coding ... So please guide me ^_^
I need your guidance for my IT career switch from IT Management domain to core technical Data Engineer/Data Scientist field, because i am really exhausted due to my current professional life and very much confused about finding best path for getting into the said technical domain, hence i have sent you message on your official instagram account, i will be looking forward to hearing from you
Thanks for sharing your experience on career switch ! and Lots Of Love from India !
I'm sorry, I think your message got lost. Could you ping me on Instagram again?
Aside from showing that you earned a legitimate degree, how applicable was the math you learned throughout your econ degree in your daily tasks as a data scientist?
With the benefit of time, I can definitely say that studying Economics was useful (particularly econometrics). Also learning derivatives and partial derivatives (which we did in Econ) is useful for things like backpropagation in neutral nets.
@@karolinasowinska Would you have been lost without econometrics, or do you think you could've self-studied the material need when you started your career?
@@Christian-dg9qt of course you can self-study anything, and if you have sufficient willpower, you'll achieve whatever you set your mind to, with or without a formal degree.
@@karolinasowinska Thank you so much for your insight. I've been trying to distinguish between what is actually necessary knowledge for the job, and what is needed to get your foot in the door according to HR requirements. You've been most helpful. Thanks again.
Haha this is like I hear myself talking. I studied geographical economics. Next to that, I chickened out of CS because I am a girl. Back then CS was not cool at all
Im working in sales & Marketing can i switch ?? Also im in my 30' :)
Of course you can! ;)
@@karolinasowinska Thank you for the kind reply ❤
What country do you live?
England :)
@@karolinasowinska Let me know when you are in New Zealand, I can show you show we do ETL here