What Type of Person Thrives in the Tech Industry, According to a Data Linguistic Analyst at Meta

When I was in undergrad, I wasn't really considering grad school. I think that's one of my biggest regrets about university. I thought, "I can learn whatever I need to learn. Grad school is a far-off concept."

I wasn't concerned about my grades for getting into a good grad school. But, as I mentioned before, if you're interested in data analysis, data science, machine learning, or anything foundational to AI and even software engineering, there's a lot of talk about compensation.

People got excited and flocked to those jobs, which raised the bar. Now, to get into those roles, it's expected that companies, especially with higher interest rates, will be more cautious about hiring costs.

There's a great expectation that you either have four-plus years of experience as a software engineer or data scientist. Sometimes, those four years can be replaced by a master's degree, and sometimes a PhD is needed for certain roles.

These were high expectations I had to deal with. I came to terms with them and took a role that wasn't as demanding. I'm still aiming for those jobs, and it's difficult to imagine attaining one without a master's degree.

A master's degree provides a bit of extra specialization and credibility. Without it, the job search can feel like chasing your tail. Every role I find requires previous experience, creating a paradox where the job requirement is a prerequisite for itself.

I know many people are frustrated about this, and it feels unfair. Personally, I had to do an unpaid volunteer internship my junior year, and even that is often overlooked as not real experience.

It's tough to break into something. Any experience, even a slight internship or prior work in a similar field, helps. Employers consider the cost of hiring and taking a chance on someone starting out.

They likely have a tough time evaluating people based on resumes and short interviews. I personally find resumes superficial and difficult to represent who I am and what I can offer.

It's a tough situation, but there are constraints that require creativity. There's a lot of room for entrepreneurial ideas from passion projects or small gaps in a field. I definitely encourage everyone to consider this.

Once you get the job, it's easier. It's hard to break in, but once you're in, it takes hard work and dedication. As I said, there's a lot of demand for these jobs.

I'm not programming in my current job, but I'm trying to keep up with research and program in my own time to learn outside of work. I'm trying to see if I can add value in other ways.