My Journey to Data Science
Growing up in a stereotypical Asian American household. I was only exposed to a handful of careers to pursue. Regardless of my talents or interests becoming a doctor, pharmacist, lawyer, or business owner seemed to be the only practical career choices out there (according to my parents). I started watching medical documentaries every weekend in second grade with my mom as it fascinated me. The fascination only continued to grow as I made my way through middle school and high school. At the young age of 7 years old I made the decision to pursue medicine and that’s where my journey began. As many kid's answers change to the classic question, “who do you want to be when you grow up”, my answer has always been consistent without hesitation, a doctor. I continued to pursue medicine throughout college, volunteering at hospitals, going on medical mission trips, and switching between science majors until I was hit by a brick wall.
As I exposed myself to the world of medicine the desire to pursue it seemed less desirable. The dream I once had for the past 10 years vanished. I started questioning myself and my desires. What did I really want my life to look like? What am I capable of becoming? The reality hit me that this wasn’t the only route to become successful. I started to ask myself if this dream that I carried for so long, was created and steered by my parents and the Asian American community in my life, or was it really me? The instilling belief that this is the only way to success ran me with tunnel vision for so long that I didn’t know what other options I had. I knew if I became a doctor my parents would be proud and I would have reached the level of success they wanted for me. That’s what success was made to look like in my eyes. I frankly, didn’t know any other way. I hit a life-changing crossroads at 20 years old. To be a doctor or not to be. The fear of not knowing what I would do if I didn’t, sucked me into a deep black hole. I subconsciously put, becoming a doctor, on a pedestal.
As I struggled to find myself, my passions, and my desires in what I wanted for my life. My parents stopped supporting my college education and eventually, I dropped out no longer being able to afford out-of-state tuition. I wasn’t able to graduate which meant medical school was no longer an option, for now. I stood at the intersection of what now?
I started to work multiple jobs to pay the bills while exploring different career options. I thoroughly enjoyed this season of my life. It was fun and exciting to try different things and to gain a wide variety of work experience while trying to find what I wanted to pursue. Thankfully, It was never a struggle to find employment. I quickly received offers at all the places I applied to. After 5 years of working service, administrative, and project jobs I knew I couldn’t stop right here. I needed something more. Thankfully, the different types of experiences at large companies like Starbucks, Tesla, Hospitals, etc. helped me develop and create this vision of what I wanted and didn’t want in my life. As I was referenced into a new job opportunity I ended up in the Chicago Google office. Unfortunately, not as they call a Googler, but as a barista, serving the employes in the Google office. Little did I know, the main department that works out of Chicago offices are engineers. I quickly started to question what these people did in such a magical workplace called Google.
Becoming an engineer or any kind of STEM profession was never introduced to me. As I was a female, second generation, Asian American. No one in my life had a career in STEM, no one ever talked to me about opportunities in STEM, I didn’t even know what a lot of STEM jobs were. I, unfortunately, as an adult in their mid-twenties knew nothing about it. As the majority of people I served coffee to on a daily basis were software engineers, data scientists, and other tech people. I started to become exposed to this new world of careers every day. I wondered why I never knew any of this existed before.
As I started to dream of a life on the other side of the coffee bar. I started having deeper conversations with people in the office and researched different career opportunities in this exciting new world I have just found. Working there really inspired me to pursue a new opportunity. Opened my mind to something new and exciting. The idea of becoming a data scientist was a breath of fresh air and is the only moment that parallels to the same fascination with medicine that I had in 2nd grade. From then to the new ecstatic dream and fascination with data was special because it didn’t come from my parents, culture, other people. It came from me and it was mine. I made a choice. I enrolled in a data science program, quit my job, and started my own journey to becoming a data scientist.
