"When I was choosing my undergraduate degree in the early 2000s, people told me to pick computer science, the hot field of the time. Instead, I studied physics, all the way to getting my Ph.D in 2011, because I really enjoyed it. In 2012, after working at NASA for roughly a year, I was thinking about what was next, and I looked into fields like defense contracting."
"My cousin, with good intentions, advised me to downplay my Ph.D in applications, by not bolding it on my resume and placing it lower down the page than my other experience. It shocked me to the core. I'd worked so hard and learned a lot of skills, and felt my Ph.D had to be useful somewhere. In the end, I stayed with NASA for several more years before pivoting into the data science industry."
"My Ph.D at the University of Maryland focused on cold atom physics and involved a lot of research and lab duties, which made it feel more like I was working full-time rather than studying. When I finished, I wanted to do something with real-world applications and landed a postdoctoral fellowship at NASA. I spent six years there as a contracted research scientist, where I worked with a lot of data, which I really enjoyed."
"This became a bridge for me into the field of data science, and I also did a few related courses to upskill. I saw how my Ph.D and research experience could be transferable to the data science industry, and between 2017 and 2024, I worked as a data analyst and scientist at Capital One, and as a data scientist at Audible. Since July 2024, I've work"
A physics Ph.D. built research and lab experience that felt like full-time work. After completing the degree, a postdoctoral fellowship at NASA provided real-world, data-heavy contracted research for six years. The experience became a bridge into data science, supported by additional courses to build new skills. Despite advice to minimize the Ph.D on job applications, the degree remained a source of pride and usefulness. Later roles included data analyst and scientist work at Capital One and data scientist work at Audible. Since July 2024, work continues at Meta, with recognition that Ph.D.-developed skills transfer to Big Tech.
Read at www.businessinsider.com
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