3 reasons why data talents can’t make a career choice
Here you are… An analytical degree and a passion for data. Companies screaming for your attention, but you have no idea who or what… This feeling is totally normal, and something almost each young talents experiences. On top of the typical stressors like expectations, social media, and your willingness to have an impact, … the field you choose ads some extra stressors. In this article, we dig deeper in the reasons why data talents have a tough time choosing a job in the hope it will be easier for you. A little bit at least 😉
1. The data universe is chaotic
If you type ‘data scientist’ into Google, you’ll quickly notice plenty of definitions exist.A data scientist on one site can be a data engineer on the other. This is the same at companies. There is no unity in the description of roles, making it difficult to determine which jobs align best with your interests, skills, and long-term goals.
2. The war for talent is huge
Every company collects countless amounts of data and thus searches for plenty of data talent to use it correctly. Resulting in career events with over 100 companies screaming for your attention with fancy gadgets and function titles. Making it extremely hard for you to make an objective decision. Creating pressure to accept the first job offer you receive.
3. Your analytical talent could block you
Due to your analytical background, you may tend to over-analyze your options. Evaluating every detail of each job offer, including the job responsibilities, company culture, compensation package, and career advancement opportunities. This can lead to analysis paralysis, where you become overwhelmed and thus, make your decision harder.
Overall, selecting your first job can be challenging, but each of the above challenges can be avoided. How? With some good old reflection of course! Before actively searching for a job, we would advise you to take your time to reflect on your interests, skills, and long-term goals. This will help you among other things to define keywords to do a focused search and to determine which companies you’ll visit on career events.
And remember, your first job doesn’t necessarily have to be the “perfect” job. It’s okay to accept a job that may not tick all the boxes but that will help you to develop some skills that are important to reach your long-term career goals. Really no idea what to pick? A traineeship where you get the chance to taste distinct roles might be exactly what you are looking for!