A Change of Direction

In this post: a brief summary of what I got up to, work-wise, in 2016 and my plans for a rather different 2017. The short version: it’s goodbye bioinformatics and hello educational data science! It feels as though 2016 was a challenging year for many people in various ways. My year was no exception. I spent the first 6 months working as a data scientist for a healthcare technology startup. It was a new, different and very enjoyable experience. However, a change in the focus of their business resulted in my redundancy mid-way through the year. I took some time out, then began applying for jobs. I received a lot of support during my “time off”, including offers of short-term work (one of which I had to decline due to other commitments) and assistance with enquiries about remote working possibilities. You know who you are and I am very grateful. All of those people I have met over the years through my online networks: some I now know in person, others not. I hope this illustrates one very real way in which those networks are valuable and I really appreciate that people would think to reach out to me in this way. After several months and many applications, I was offered a role as a contract data scientist with the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation. They are part of the New South Wales government Department of Education and you can read about their mission here. I’ve always had a general interest in education and I helped out with a little pro...
Source: What You're Doing Is Rather Desperate - Category: Bioinformatics Authors: Tags: career education personal cese nsw Source Type: blogs