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 🚁

DATA SCIENCE MENTOR

Harpreet Sahota

I was born and raised in South Sacramento, California. I’m a product of one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the world, and I couldn’t be more proud of the cultural legacy that I come from.

When my data science dream job search got started I was steadily just getting rejected - it seemed like nothing I could do would ever get me respected. Most days I was stressed and sometimes I felt so pathetic - I had all the pieces to the puzzle, just no way to connect it. I was fighting through every concept, tightening up every line of code, and never resting to question if I was out of my mind. It finally came time to do it or let it die, so I put the chips on the table and told Kyle to sign me up - now I’m here, helping students along the journey and sharing my experiences in hopes of inspiring and motivating our students.

• DS Superpower: Helping people make better decisions.
• Favorite Algorithm: HDBSCAN and Random Forest
• #1 Favorite Book: It’s hard to pick a favorite book - but I can honestly say the one book that changed my life was The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I can’t articulate the number of ways this book as affected me, the way I think, and who I am now (even if it’s only been a year since I read it).
  
  My favorite fiction books include The Alchemist by Paolo Cohelo and Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. We should all aspire to more like Santiago and the Seagull.
• Motivated By: I really enjoy working on vague problem statements and nebulous questions. I’m talking about those problems where there is no clear-cut path forward, where there is no right or wrong answer. I’m talking about those questions where you’re trying to find an accurate representation of some observed phenomenon - and you’re doing it with data.
  
  There’s more than one way to solve a problem, and I make sure I don’t fall in love with one particular solution - which means I’m always trying to find problems with my possible answer. There’s a certain joy I feel while mentally wrestling with the seemingly infinite paths towards the best possible solution - and that's what motivates me, the joy of doing data science.
• When not working you are: I am a lifelong student and always striving to improve who I am as learn and grow as a human being - and this in itself is a full-time job with no time off. When I’m not at the office you can find me at home reading a book, listening to music and reflecting, or wandering around my city looking for news experiences whether its eating at amazing local restaurants, drinking local craft beer, or on a walking tour learning about the history of things.
• Favorite Movie character: Marty McFly from Back to the Future ⚡

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. 😎⚔️