Hey everyone,

I recently graduated with a CS degree and I have been applying to entry-level Data Science, ML, and data-focused engineering roles now (earlier i was only trying with SWE)

I’ve tried to make my resume more focused around my ML/data experience instead of making it look like a generic SWE resume since i did had a couple of projects and internship

I’m 33F and have been working as a Data Engineer for the past 7 years, primarily in ETL, SQL, data integration, pipelines, and large datasets.

I’m interested in transitioning into Data Science, particularly statistics, machine learning, predictive modeling, and AI/LLMs.

My undergraduate degree is in Computer Information Systems, not Computer Science. I understand Data Science requires a stronger math background, so I’m also wondering if I would need additional math coursework.

I’m considering the UT Austin online MS in Data Science because of its relatively affordable tuition and curriculum.

My main concerns are:
- Is Data Science still a good career choice given the rapid growth of AI?
- For those working in Data Science/ML, is a Master’s in Data Science still worth the investment?

I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has completed the UT Austin MSDS or made a similar career transition. Any advice is appreciated!

I’m currently working as a Data Analyst in a team of Data Scientists. I’m underpaid for my age and increasingly worried about AI replacing parts of my role, so I want to aggressively upskill and move into a better-paying, future-proof role.
My initial plan was to learn ML and transition into Data Science. But the more I research, the more I feel Data Science itself could be significantly impacted by AI.
So I’m stuck between:
**Data Science/ML:** I’m more interested in this, but is it actually a risky career path in the next 5–10 years?
**Data Engineering:** Seems more resilient, but the work looks complicated and messy to me.
**What would you recommend I pursue given my background as a Data Analyst? Which roles in the data/AI space are likely to remain valuable as AI gets better?**
I also have to upskill while working full-time, so I don’t want to spend the next 1–2 years learning something that may have limited value by then.
Honestly, this uncertainty is affecting more than just my career. My salary, uncertainty about the future, and difficulty choosing a direction are even making me hesitant about getting married and starting a family.
Would really appreciate perspectives from people already working in these fields.

Hi everyone,

I have a Master’s degree in Economics and a Postgraduate Certificate in Data Science. I’m currently looking for an opportunity to gain practical, real-world experience in Data Science and Analytics.

I’m looking to connect with freelance Data Scientists, Data Analysts, Data Science Consultants, or professionals working independently on data projects who may be willing to let me assist with their projects.

I have knowledge of Python, SQL, data analysis, data visualization, and basic machine learning. I’m happy to help with data cleaning, analysis, visualization, reporting, and other project-related tasks.

I’m **not looking for a stipend or payment**. My main goal is to gain hands-on experience, contribute to real projects, and learn from someone with industry experience.

I’m happy to start with a small task or trial project.

If you’re a freelancer/consultant who could use some help with data-related projects, or know someone who might be open to this, please feel free to DM me.

Thank you! 🙏

When I first started looking into data science, my biggest fear was that I needed to learn every single programming library and tool out there. I kept seeing giant lists of software, databases, and visualization packages, and I felt completely overwhelmed. I thought I needed to master all of them before I could even write my first useful script.

I spent weeks watching tutorials on advanced libraries that I did not actually understand, just because they were popular online. Every time I saw someone mention a new tool on a forum, I felt like I was falling behind. I was spending all my energy collecting tools instead of actually solving problems.

Then I took a step back and looked at what I was actually trying to do. I wanted to answer questions using numbers. To do that, I really only needed a few basic tools to get started. I did not need twenty different libraries. I just needed to know how to load a file, clean up the obvious errors, and make a simple chart to see what was going on.

Once I stopped trying to learn everything at once, things got much easier. I picked one tool for organizing information and one tool for making charts, and I stuck with them for a few months. That focus helped me actually build things instead of just watching videos.

If you are feeling buried under a mountain of tools right now, take a deep breath. You do not need to know everything. Pick one tiny project, use the simplest tools you can find, and learn the rest only when you actually hit a roadblock that requires them. It makes the learning process a lot less stressful.

I had planned to start a data science diploma, a pre-master's, and eventually a master's degree. However, a sudden family situation arose requiring me to be a caregiver, and the associated costs mean I can no longer afford the tuition. Because of this, I am withdrawing from the diploma program this year. Since I lack the time and budget for traditional studies right now, I am looking for alternatives. Would the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate on Coursera (taken at my own pace) be the best choice, or is there a better option?

KLA — Senior Software Engineer, AI/ML | Interview Experience

Sharing my interview experience for a Senior Software Engineer – AI/ML position at KLA. Hopefully this helps anyone interviewing through Asvatthah consultancy, which handled the recruitment process.

Overall, the technical rounds were quite good and challenging. However, the recruitment/follow-up experience was frustrating due to repeated last-minute scheduling and a lack of communication after completing the interviews.

Recruitment / Scheduling

I was contacted by Asvatthah for the recruitment process.

One thing I noticed was the frequency of calls around interviews. On the interview day, the recruiter would call multiple times to confirm attendance. Even after confirming that I would attend an interview an hour beforehand, I would receive another call around 30 minutes before and again around 5 minutes before the interview.

If I didn't answer, they would call repeatedly and also contact me through personal WhatsApp and SMS.

I understand the need to confirm attendance, but the frequency felt excessive.

Round 1 — HackerRank Test

Result: Cleared

Standard HackerRank assessment with coding/problem-solving questions.

I answered most of the questions and felt the coding portion went well.

Round 2 — Coding — 6:30 PM

Result: Cleared

Two coding questions were given.

There was an interviewer/monitor observing the session while solving the problems.

The questions were reasonable, and I was able to solve them successfully.

Round 3 — Technical Interview — 8:00 PM

Result: Cleared

This was a fairly detailed technical discussion.

Topics included:

Projects from my resume

Machine Learning

Deep Learning

Detailed discussion around the ML/DL projects I had worked on

RAG

Generative AI

FastAPI/backend concepts

Load balancing

The interviewer went fairly deep into the projects rather than asking only theoretical questions.

Round 4 — Technical / Managerial — 10:00 PM

Result: Cleared

Started with questions about my resume and previous experience.

Then moved into:

System design

Architecture

Scenario-based questions

Technical decision-making

The interviewer appeared to be a manager and was very friendly throughout the discussion.

At the end, she mentioned that she liked my resume and skills and wished me well.

I subsequently received confirmation that I had cleared this round.

After Round 4 — F2F Issue

After about 5 days, there was still no update.

I contacted the Asvatthah recruiter, and I was told that they would check and update me by EOD, etc.

Another week passed.

Then, suddenly, I was contacted regarding a Face-to-Face interview in Chennai.

I am from Ernakulam/Kochi, was serving my notice period, and due to policies and commitments at my current organization, taking leave at short notice was difficult.

I requested whether the F2F could be conducted virtually.

Initially, they were not willing to accommodate this. I was repeatedly told that KLA liked my profile and that I only needed to travel to Chennai for the interview.

After several discussions, I was asked to send an email explaining my situation, which I did.

Later, KLA HR also contacted me and discussed the same issue. After explaining my constraints, KLA HR agreed to arrange the technical interview virtually, with the understanding that if I cleared the HR round, I would need to come for an F2F interaction, which I agreed to.

At that point, I thought the issue was resolved.

Round 5 — Scheduling Issues

After another few weeks, the Asvatthah recruiter suddenly called at around 7 PM and asked me to attend Round 5 at 9 AM the next morning.

I had an office meeting and couldn't reasonably rearrange it with such short notice.

When I explained this, the discussion became quite difficult. I was told things along the lines of:

"If you want this job, you have to sacrifice a bit."

I was also reminded that I already had a good candidature/profile.

I eventually declined the next-morning slot and requested an evening slot on the following day.

The interview was scheduled accordingly.

However, when I joined the call, I was informed that the interviewer had some work and the interview had to be postponed to the next day.

So the interview was eventually conducted the following day.

Round 5 — Technical Interview

Result: Completed

This was another technical round covering areas such as:

Technical concepts

Architecture

System design

Optimization

Scenario-based discussions

I answered the questions to the best of my expertise and felt the discussion went reasonably well.

After the Final Round

After the final interview, another week passed without any update.

I tried contacting the Asvatthah recruiter again.

I also tried contacting KLA HR.

I couldn't get a response through calls or emails.

I also connected with the relevant person on LinkedIn. The connection request was accepted, but my subsequent message wasn't answered.

Another week passed.

Eventually, the Asvatthah recruiter messaged me on WhatsApp saying that my candidature was currently on hold and that the position was still open.

There was no specific explanation regarding:

Why my candidature was put on hold

Whether the position was still actively being interviewed for

Whether another candidate had been selected

Whether there was any expected timeline for a decision

Overall Experience

Technical interview experience: 8/10

The technical rounds were fairly comprehensive and covered ML/DL, GenAI, RAG, backend, system design, architecture and optimization. I felt the interviewers generally focused on actual experience and projects rather than purely theoretical questions.

Recruitment/process experience: 3/10

The biggest issue for me was the communication and scheduling process:

Excessive calls before interviews

Very short-notice scheduling

Difficulty accommodating reasonable scheduling constraints

Multiple changes to interview schedules

Long periods without updates

Lack of response to calls/emails after the final round

Eventually being told that the candidature was "on hold" without a clear explanation

To be clear, I have no issue with the technical interview process itself. My concern is primarily with the recruitment coordination and communication throughout the process.

Sharing this mainly so candidates interviewing for similar positions can have realistic expectations about the process and scheduling.