Thread by @kareem_carr

A few people have DMed me about career advice as in "How do I get started in statistics?" I'm not where I want to be in life yet! But I have switched fields *multiple* times. So here are my tips on moving from insider to outsider ...
#epitwitter #statstwitter #datascience

1. Google a few people who started where you are and got to where you want to be. Look at their resume, work backwards and copy what they did. (This doesn't always work, especially if you are the first person like you.)

2. Find a person who's where you want to be. Tell them your background honestly. If they tell you that you aren't suited to their industry, ignore that for now. Get them to name one concrete gap that you have. Fill the gap. If you don't know how, then ask. Repeat as needed.

3. You can't significantly level up without creating space in your life for growth. That means time, physical space and emotional space. You need to protect that space (from family, friends, your job, partying) so you always show up ready to get work done.

4. There are two components to any profession. (a) Can you do the work? A lot of people know about working on this aspect. (b) Are you a good fit for the culture? A lot of people forget this one. Make sure you work on both things.

5. As much as possible, socialize with the people in the field you want to enter. See what they are like. You need to meet enough people in the field until you find people who are like you personality-wise. That's how you'll learn how to *be* in that field.

6. Move your goals from general to specific. "Statistics is cool!" is a good, but you want to move to "I want to study topic X at school A with person B in order to do C" and know why it's X and not Y. People in a field will often interpret vagueness in outsiders as incompetence.

7. Switching fields is hard, and it's brave of you to try! You are used to sounding smart in your old field, and now you have to ask a lot of dumb questions so you can learn something. Accept that it will be a hit to your ego. But also, take breaks so you don't burn out!

8. Two things to look for in textbook selection: (a) Are you in the target audience? (math level, self-learner vs for a course) (b) Does the presentation style work for you? Exhaustive (Complete) vs conversational (Lots of context) vs Recipe Book (Clear applications)