OUR MISSION
We help data scientists get jobs
We want to fix the broken system created by today’s education and recruiting systems—it really shouldn’t be so difficult to have a career that you love. That’s why we started DSDJ: we think you deserve career training that actually works and gets results fast without breaking the bank.
So abandon Reddit, stop sifting through 10,000 Google results and throw out that student loan application: the Data Science Dream Job program is the absolute best and most comprehensive job search resource out there for aspiring data scientists.
Meet our dream team—
FOUNDER & CEO
Kyle McKiou
When I started in data science, I had virtually no experience and I was stuck in a small college town working as a software engineer with no career prospects. I struggled to break into the field for months and was just as frustrated as anybody else. I was rejected over and over again and told that I would never get hired as a data scientist because I didn't have the “right experience”. With a lot of hard work, persistence, and experimentation, I was finally able to prove those people wrong, crack the code, and land my first job in the field.
I perfected my data science job search strategies over time and eventually became Sr Director of Data Science at one of the world’s largest privately held marketing agencies. Along the way I interviewed hundreds of data science candidates and hired 30+ data scientists across all levels.
Once I made the transition into data science, I knew I had to share my system to help others start do the same. It became my mission to help others succeed where I struggled. With both job seeker and hiring manager perspectives in mind, I worked tirelessly to distill my years of job search knowledge into the battle-tested DSDJ system. And since its inception in late 2017, DSDJ has helped aspiring data scientists get jobs at Microsoft, Amazon, Verizon, BCG Gamma, Allstate, LinkedIn and others.
I believe that it shouldn't be so difficult for hardworking, dedicated people like you to find a job that you love, and that's why I started DSDJ - so that you don't have to go through months or years of heartache like I did so that you can have an exciting, fulfilling career and live the life you’ve been dreaming of.
- DS Superpower: Strategic thinking and relentless execution
- Favorite Algorithm: Random Forest - I’ve used it in almost every industry to solve almost every problem
- #1 Favorite Book: Be Obsessed or Be Average by Grant Cardone
- Motivated By: Empowering others to be masters of their own destinies
- When not working you are: Reading!
- Favorite Dragon Ball Z character: Vegeta - always the hardest working guy in the room (he'd totally be the strongest in real life!)
DATA SCIENTIST AND MENTOR
Randy Lao
My ultimate goal is to impact as many people as possible and to help motivate everybody to get into the data science space. Whether you're a student, a transitioner, or someone who is curious about this field, I believe that data science has a place for everybody. When I first got myself into this field, I thought it'll be a lonely journey. But I was totally wrong.
I learned so much from so many different people in this community and the most important concept was the act of giving back. We all have our own stories and experiences to share and that is what I found to be the best part about this community. At DSDJ, we've built this culture of dreaming big, working hard, and never giving up.
And this is our way of giving back. We're here to dream big with you. We're here to put in the work with you. We're here to never give up. That's our motive and that's what we live by. And I couldn’t be happier doing just that.
- DS Superpower: Making the complex simple
- Favorite Algorithm: The mighty random forest
- #1 Favorite Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. #lifechanger
- Motivated By: Progress & Pressure
- When not working you are: I'll be writing down random thoughts and ideas on my handy-dandy notepad app
- Favorite Dragon Ball Z character: Yajarobi. He's the real hero in DBZ!
DATA SCIENCE MENTOR
Chris Cochet
I never excelled at math or other technical subjects at school but when I discovered software engineering in my early 20s I found that I could spend hours in front of a computer and code trying to make a program work. I naturally started my career as software engineer working on telecom platforms at HP and coding in C/C++. After going back to business school, I transitioned into the world of consulting where I learned how industry operates and developed crucial business skills like stakeholder engagement. Over time I became more and more interested in building data science skills but never found enough time to make real progress so I decided to quit work and upskill for a few months.
That’s when I came across Kyle and DSDJ - the spirit and approach of the program really resonated with me, in particular: be consistent, keep learning by doing, iterate, don’t be a perfectionist and never give up. I was one of the first DSDJ students and leveraged what I learned to land a job in the field!
And now I get to be a part of this awesome team. I’m having a blast helping the students, giving back to the community as well as continuing to learn and improve.
- DS Superpower: I’m a “purple people” (purple because it is a mix of red and blue where “red” is technology and “blue” is business). I truly love to bridge business with data science and make a real impact on the organization’s bottom line
- Favorite Algorithm: Deep Q Reinforcement Learning: I have no doubt that one day we will have drones flying on Mars autonomously thanks to such algorithms. It is true machine learning
- #1 Favorite Book: The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle
- Motivated By: Constant improvement. I strive to the best I possibly can be so I can make lasting, positive impacts in domains like healthcare
- When not working you are: Cooking, hiking, watching e-sports professional gaming on Twitch
- Favorite Movie character: Jack Ryan from Tom Clancy’s books 🚁
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
Christie Klinger
After 4 years studying biology in college and 3 long years of grinding through grad school, I finally earned a M.S. degree in evolutionary genomics. But there was one problem: I realized I was chasing someone else’s dream and didn’t actually want to do science. I decided I had to change my situation—and Kyle was eager to help.
Following many of the exact job search tactics outlined in the DSDJ program back in 2015, Kyle helped me break into graphic design and land my first job at a creative agency near Chicago without a design degree. And negotiate a $10,000 salary increase with a performance-based promotion after 6 months. But more than that, Kyle helped me start doing work that I truly loved (I can go +12-hours and not even realize it!).
Nothing is worse than realizing that the life you’ve chosen is actually making you miserable. That’s why I’m so excited to be able to help others change their circumstances and start their dream careers! Leveraging all of my unique experiences as a researcher, teaching assistant, and professional designer, it is my number one goal to help DSDJ students learn better and faster and get the attention they deserve from hiring managers.
- Superpower: Transforming vision into reality
- Favorite Algorithm: Christie’s Perfect French Press Coffee Algorithm
- Favorite Books: Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman & Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
- Motivated By: beautiful design and storytelling that changes lives and inspires others to dream bigger
- When not working you are: Making retro-neon tiger artwork on Instagram
- Favorite Dragon Ball Z character: Teen Trunks! I loved all the mystery behind his character—he’s the epitome of cool. 😎⚔️
And these are our core values that we live by everyday—
Core Values
- Dream big, work hard + never give up
- Customers come first
- Cultivate community
- Inspire and teach
- Focus
- Be honest
- Simplify
- Choose positivity
- Grow and improve indefinitely
- Be open-minded
- Feedback is our fuel
- Iteration over perfection
- Do the right thing
- Have fun and celebrate wins
- Invest in the future
- Teamwork makes the dream work
