Data Science Career Services - Adam Nelson

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Adam Nelson, Founder of Data Science Career Services, (Up Level Data, LLC.), located in Chicago, IL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

If you are an established professional who is looking to transition your career into data science (or level up in data science), then these expertly guided programs are for you. As a client of mine, I will help you perfect your job search documents. I will teach you and personally guide you through the exact precise steps I used to transition into data science. My team and I will help you perfect your distributed data science professional portfolio - I will teach you how to efficiently generate high-quality entries for your data science professional portfolio.

My services include continuous one-to-one support via phone and video chat, as well as email and text message support. I strongly believe that this is the best way to help my clients achieve their goals. Some business experts say that offering unlimited service isn't a smart business, but I disagree. Providing the best possible career advice for current and aspiring data scientists is my top priority.

Tell us about yourself

I help established professionals transition into data careers as a career coach. I understand the challenges and opportunities involved in these roles, as earlier in my own career, I was the first data scientist at The Common Application. In this role, I managed undergraduate college application platforms for institutions globally. I have a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis from The University of Wisconsin - Madison. I also used to be an attorney and have experience working in higher education as well as teaching people of all ages. With this diverse background, I know how to transition careers, and I know how to help others make career transitions, too.

I also see it as important for me to focus my time, energy, and attention on projects that may promote access, equity, and integrity in the field. This means I strive to find ways for my work to challenge systems of oppression, injustice, and inequity. I work to help others break through the gates that have traditionally limited opportunities.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

In February of 2023, I will publish How To Become A Data Scientist: A Guide For Established Professionals. This book contains more than 55,000 words and is packed with advice for established professionals who are looking to enter or level up in data science.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Sometimes working as a business owner can be lonely. To undo that loneliness, I advise business owners to look for opportunities to collaborate often, for I collaborate in at least two major ways. The first is in marketing. I enjoy co-hosting marketing events with other business owners where we can combine our thoughts and ideas in order to share them in new useful ways.

The second is at informal gatherings among other business owners. A few times per year, I host gatherings among other business owners. We meet via Zoom and discuss specific business problems that we've decided on ahead of time. There is an agenda to keep the time productive. I also participate in other groups facilitated by other business owners. If anyone wants to collaborate on marketing or on a small business owner's roundtable like this, please let me know.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

I have one bit of advice that I'll put three times:

1. Establish your core values & beliefs.
2. Write out those core values and beliefs.
3. Communicate those core values & beliefs. For example (a partial list):
   • I am never in a rush.
   • Progress over perfection.
   • Everyone starts someplace.
   • Data science is not a "new" profession.

It is especially important to establish, write out, and communicate your core beliefs when those beliefs may be counter to one or more common perceptions among others. For example, faster work is not always better to work. But the sentiment I find among others is that sooner is better than later. I would rather wait for a quality result rather than cope with a compromised result.

Perfection is overrated. Perfection is not the goal. A tiny bit of progress, repeated over time, combined with even small measures of improvement, is far more rewarding than perfection. Because I believe everyone has to start someplace, I also argue that the path into data science is open to many. Becoming a data scientist is not easy (as some career coaches sometimes claim it is).

No, it is challenging, but through sustained effort, the field is open to many.
Another common misperception is that data science is a "new" profession or a "new" area of practice. I frequently write about how the origins of data science date back to the 1800s or even earlier, depending on exactly how you define the practice. Pushing back on the false narrative that data science is "new" makes the field more accessible and easier to understand.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://coaching.adamrossnelson.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamRossNelson
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/data-science-career-services/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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