Discouraged with Data Science? - Watch THIS video.

Feeling down on your data science journey? This video may just help. I go through how I have dealt with feelings of overwhelm, inadequacy, hopelessness, confusion, stress, and anxiety during my data science learning.

In order to deal with these discouraging feelings, we need to first get more specific with what we are feeling. More broadly, I find that these feelings come in a couple different varieties. (Confusion, anxiety, stress, and frustration), overwhelm/ Hopelessness, and inadequacy.

The first group of feelings are usually temporary. The arise when we are struggling with a specific problem. I find that these manifest themselves in physical symptoms for myself. I get headaches, I get antsy, I feel tired. To combat these, I have found that a physical change is the most effective remedy.

For overwhelm and hopelessness in data science, these feelings don't go away easily. Usually you feel helpless after you get overwhelmed by how big the field is. First, no one is expected to have an understanding over the complete domain of data science. There are a couple things you can do here. First, focus on projects. These are a great way to narrow the scope of learning. Second, build or subscribe to a structured course of study. 365 Data Science (the sponsor of this video), provides a great curriculum for this.

Finally, the feeling of inadequacy is the largest contributor to discouragement (Impostor Syndrome). I first recommend starting to cultivate a growth mindset. Second, track your progress, remind yourself how far you've come. Finally, use real data to evaluate yourself.

0:00 Intro
1:00 Find out Why
1:32 Anxiety, Confusion, & Frustration
3:25 Overwhelm & Hopelessness
6:20 Inadequacy (Impostor Syndrome)
9:05 Stop Discouragement Before It Starts!
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[nelsondevera]

Thank you for this video. But the bird pooped at 9:34 lol.

[davidrebellon]

I think importer syndrome seems to be what hits me hardest. After starting on a project it doesn’t feel so daunting, but up until I start, it feels way too out of reach.

[jameshizon]

Timed breaks + personal metrics + community --> Great for the mind.

[davidrebellon]

PS I love that there are always papayas hidden in your videos. It’s that same feeling of finding the pineapple in Psych.

[LeonLokk]

I've always struggled with building up the courage to teach others (especially online) due to imposter syndrome.

What I realised was that you don't need to know everything to teach others, you just need to be their guide.
You're both on the same journey, but you're just sharing the things that seem obvious to you which might not be to them :)

[theoutlet]

The best way to overcome discouragement i found is to accept failure. Accept that you are gonna fail but also have the confidence that you are gonna get through it if you work hard. Recently was given a task which I thought I could never do. Right now, i just finished the prototype for it and will be presenting it on Monday :)

[AssadJawaid]

My last project I decided to use sklearn and ended up with an overfitted and underfitted model. Definitely felt discouraged and realized taking a nap or tackling it after not thinking about it helped to feel more confident. Another is learning so much based on job postings. Have learned so much for Data Science and looking at SQL feels overwhelming. Thanks for this video and I'll probably watch it a few more times to help me.

[anubhavgoyal]

15 minutes of fresh air change your day💪🏼

[indoorfishh]

really nice to see im not the only one. thanks Ken

[thinamG]

Absolutely, taking a break for a while while getting confusion and frustration has helped me as well. It's informative for lots of learners out there like me. Thank you so much for sharing, Ken.

[LukeBarousse]

2:46 Ken very much resonate with this of taking the time to think and contemplate. I do this with short bike breaks during the day and it's done wonders with helping me come up with solutions to complex problems!! Thanks for sharing your insights on this important topic!!

[DataProfessor]

Great video as always Ken! For me, re-evaluating my Why helps to bring perspectives and motivation to get back up again. As you suggested, changing environments or taking a walk does really help to declog a stuck state. The realization that it’s okay not to know everything does give great comfort, great tips!

[Xavier-wwzy]

This was awesome! I've been feeling discouraged because I would do well in interviews, even receiving compliments for my growth and enthusiasm, but then I'd be rejected, only to be invited to compete again. After 6 months of this, I've got an internship! Thank you for teaching me how to stick it out and go on, Ken. God bless you!

[taylorbosier]

Ken, I think that my therapist has helped me a lot in my journey as a Business Analyst. They have allowed me to get to the root of my problem, which is exactly what data science is about. I highly recommend pursuing EMDR with a trained therapist to tackle the core issues of one's character. This therapeutic journey has allowed me to get over myself and to just jump straight into my work problems.

[mariopaul]

Heavily relate to feeling overwhelmed at times!

I've always felt overwhelmed when I think about how vast the field of data science is and all that there is to learn and keep up with.

What helped me was understanding that I will not 100% know and understand everything and that is okay, nobody does:)

Taking small baby steps and learning through 1 project as a time has been a huge success for me & for those trying to learn, I highly recommend the "Data Science Project By Scratch" series on Ken's channel!

[AndrewAlarcon]

Being able to re-frame imposter syndrome into something that motivates you is game changing. Definitely not a master at it but I'm starting to get into that mindset. Also loving the podcast! Christian's journey from Photographer to Data Analyst was so amazing to listen to and highly inspiring.

[aamnasuhail]

I was feeling discouraged but I didn't gave up the idea of diving into the field. That speaks in itself that I wanted to learn this .
Great Video Ken!!! I needed it.

[GriefHC]

Great video, Ken. What I realized overtime is that you’ll never be free of worry, anxiety or feelings of inadequacy. But what I’ve learned to accept is that these feelings are your body and mind’s way of self-regulating to push you past your comfort zone.

Life is a struggle, learning new fields of study is a struggle, but as long as you learn to accept the struggle and push forward regardless, when you zoom out you should get a better picture in how much you’ve accomplished over a course of time. And you should be very proud about that.

[heather]

After completing my BSc Honours (biology) degree in January this year I started a self-study journey into data science. I went over various resources including Kens and Tinas YT channels which helped. In the past 5 months my main accomplishment was the IBM certificate in Data Science and I’m so happy to say I secured my first job as a Jnr Data Scientist starting last week!!!

It’s possible guys, keep up the hard work!

[Arshi-rc]

Thanks for your existense man, this channel has come for me like a blessing, waiting for more cool stuffs.Thank your so much.