Data science aspirants are often confused when looking to enter the field, especially when contemplating what they should do. Should they dive into a Python or R course, or study a curated data science-based curriculum which would give an excellent base in analytical and quantitative techniques?
This is where mentors and industry experts, armed with years of experience, can help. They can guide learners on making the journey across the complex data science domain, cut through the noise and build a successful career trajectory.
Mentorship represents a powerful new way to connect a mentee with a mentor, giving them access to an extensive network of data science professionals. Mentors assess their mentees’ technical skills and thought processes to provide them with the guidance they need to grow and succeed in their data science career. Mentors are highly appreciated by junior data scientists for the value and guidance they can provide. But, it is not just the mentees who are solely benefitting from this. Mentors too enjoy a lot of benefits by going down this path.
These mentors are usually available for one-on-one sessions with data science learners and support them in establishing their target training goals and obtain them efficiently. These mentors also resolve subject matter queries, provide feedback on data science projects, and career guidance. Mentors also help mentees with problem-solving data logic to make them understand why data is pulled/coded in a certain way, and how it might need to be amended for a project.
Mentoring Can Help Mentors Enhance Their Expertise
Mentors can help students focus on Python, statistics, probability, linear algebra, data analysis, machine learning, big data, distributed computing, model building, as well as narrating stories with data. Mentors not only help aspirants decide on the tool they will require to get a mastery over a technique, but also enhance their own expertise. This continually helps mentors acquire a profound understanding of the basics of data science.
They say teaching is the best way of learning. There is no better way to be an expert in data science than to be a mentor. Explaining data science concepts and ideas to beginners is the best way to master them.
Mentoring Can Help Keep Up With Latest Trends In Data Science Education
Mentors can also gain insights on when the best model is the simple one, and when it is not. Apart from data science techniques, mentors also gain valuable insights when dealing with career-related matters, especially around the best practices, as they interact with multiple learners. This adds a lot to the learning experience of the data science mentor. It allows senior data scientists to stay up to date on more advanced technologies and tools as well.
Mentors can help mentees understand the thought process behind research questions, hypotheses, and why they should use specific methods or data structures. Through mentoring, experts can enhance their own understanding of the complexities of the AI systems. For experienced data scientists, the model-building side is more comfortable. Still, when mentors spend a lot of time to solve queries of mentees, this can help them on how to approach complex problems. They improve their manner of approaching a problem (i.e. questions to ask, things to consider, people to talk to) rather than just model-building.
Mentors Can Become Data Science Community Influencers
Being a well-established data science mentor indicates that you are being recognized as a thought leader in the industry. The industry has identified you as someone with excellent skills in data science. Leadership skills and mentoring are the keys to career growth and promotion.
Being a mentor also widens your circle of influence, and allows you to become more well-known and influential in the industry. Being a mentor and helping multiple data scientists learn techniques and make career choices is seen as a recipe to gain vast social media following. Being a data science mentor also provides an opportunity to hone and refine their leadership skills, based on feedback and conversations with junior data scientists.
Mutual Benefits Of A Mentor-Mentee Relationship
Mentorship is also advantageous for both sides — students acquire valuable tips and learn how to move into a data science career. Mentors get a talent pool of keen, industry-ready data scientists.
It can be a two-way learning process, where both the junior mentee and older mentor can benefit from working closely. Experienced and junior data scientists can have very divergent perspectives on data science techniques, building models and choosing hyperparameters. With this process of mentoring, both can learn ways to build relationships and communicate across different experience levels and each others’ technology perspective.
Interacting with mentees can help experienced data scientists enhance their knowledge, break their established habits and get them adapted to the newer technology trends of the industry. If they like, data scientists can interact and discuss their work with someone more inexperienced and with raw ambition.
Mentors Gain Entry Membership To An Elite Club Of Experts
By joining an online mentorship program, data science mentors, with time, can be a part of a group of esteemed experts. They will get networking benefits that will help them further enhance their career trajectory. Connecting with people from all backgrounds will help mentors learn how to unlearn and learn new leadership skills.
Have Access To Upcoming Talent
Being a data science mentor can help your company gain access to upcoming talent in the field. That way mentors can help solve the challenges faced in hiring talented young data scientists and leverage their skills in the context of your company’s operations.
About AIM Mentoring Circle
AIM Mentoring Circle is a community-based mentoring program, which has been designed to encourage and support mutually beneficial, long-standing relationships between data scientists.
By joining ‘AIM Mentoring Circle’— world’s largest one-on-one mentorship network, data scientists enthusiasts and professionals will have the fantastic opportunity to learn in-demand skills like AI, data science, machine learning, and more; and upskill themselves to launch their career with community-driven mentorship.
AIM Mentoring Circle represents a powerful new way to connect mentee with a mentor, giving them access to an extensive network of data science professionals. Our platform will help you connect one-to-one with an appropriate mentor, who will guide you through your data science journey.
Along with one-on-one coaching with a data science expert professional coach, at AIM Mentoring Circle, you’ll also have access to skill-building sessions, self-assessments, 360-degree feedback.
How It Works:
To become a data science mentor at Analytics India Magazine, one should have at least five years of experience in data science and a zeal to help others with their query in a one-to-one format. AIM Mentoring Circle is an open and free platform, and therefore the success of this platform depends on how well you spend your valuable time in mentoring those in need.
