I ruined my career?

Aug 23, 2021 20 Comments

Right after getting my phd in CS specializing in data science, due to visa issues and also to payoff debts, I accepted the first offer that I got which was engineering in a team that was barely related to data.. followed by that high risk pregnancies (I am in my late 30s, so couldn't sacrifice my life over career) and raising children.. meanwhile trying to change teams.. but now I feel I won't be able to land on ML job ever again because I would be an industry hire and they expect me to have lots of expertise on variety of projects. I feel so down that I can't even start leetcoding..
Why I ruined my career? All my classmates on linkedIn are getting promoted and becoming managers and such and I am still the dumbest person in my team because I simply do not care about these projects anymore. I am done with pretending that I enjoy this job..😭

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TOP 20 Comments
  • Microsoft / Data
    CBso70

    Go to company page Microsoft Data

    CBso70
    First, don’t obsess on ML, the hype is over
    Aug 23, 2021 7
  • I did PhD in machine learning and I went for postdoc in healthcare ended up for 8 years in academia with very low TC compared to Blind standards. I usually don’t compare myself with others but at times I used to feel I shouldn’t have gone into academia. International students have to make tough decisions.

    Luckily I got into FB with a decent pay. I failed in several coding interviews and I was told I am too specialized in skills and failed in interviews because I didn’t have industry experience. Our skills never be wasted. Good luck and stay strong. You should be proud of your accomplishments rather than comparing yourself with others. You might have got your greencard much quicker than your friends (to make you feel better).
    Aug 23, 2021 0
  • Walmart
    Crash&Burn

    Go to company page Walmart

    Crash&Burn
    Am sorry to hear that. All you need to do is convince someone internally to take a chance. Not sure how it looks in your company but that’d be my bet
    Aug 23, 2021 0
  • Amazon
    @wuz_

    Go to company page Amazon

    @wuz_
    Hello op, don't stress out too much. Life is always over career in priority.

    The ship for an ml career is still not sailed for you. You can try to take an entry level job and grow your career in it...
    Aug 23, 2021 0
  • Juniper
    goodhuman

    Go to company page Juniper

    goodhuman
    Hey, all are in the same boat. Linkedin is a lie. Dont let it bring you down. You will find your way, keep working at it. Good luck.

    If you were in the role that you dream about, then you will be wondering if you still made the right choices. Such is life. Tech keeps changing, it is not easy to catchup on it with family obligations. We can only try to stay afloat and hope we dont drift too far into unknowns!
    Aug 24, 2021 1
    • Amazon
      aiU

      Go to company page Amazon

      aiU
      > If you were in the role that you dream about, then you will be wondering if you still made the right choices.

      Completely agree. If you had taken DS role, you would be thinking I should I have taken SDE role as it has more opportunities and pays more.
      Aug 24, 2021