The Third Door: why higher education isn't the only way toward career development

“Life, business, success… it’s just like a nightclub. There are always three ways in.

There’s the First Door: the main entrance, where the line curves around the block; where 99 percent of people wait around, hoping to get in. There’s the Second Door: the VIP entrance where the billionaires, […] slip through.

But what no one tells you is that there is always, always… the Third Door. It’s the entrance where you have to jump out of line, run down the alley, bang on the door a hundred times, crack open the window, sneak through the kitchen - there’s always a way.”

The first 90 days in my first data science role: Most important lessons retrospective

Following my posts about entering the data science field, here's what I think is useful to know for those starting in their very first data scientist role, based on lessons I learned.

Year end wind-down: Why disconnecting and recharging helps me in all my pursuits

At the end of 2020 approaches, I enter a wind down period to recharge for the upcoming year. In this post I'll quickly describe why this is important, in case I ever forget what makes me so effective at my multiple projects.

The danger of closed systems, and the benefits of challenging our own beliefs

You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with... but how this really works is if you already have a large, varied pool of people to draw from. Here I explain how this works for me, and how it's benefitted me.

3 levels of complexity: How I approach data science storytelling

I often speak about technical topics in machine learning or game development. The audience usually ranges from highly technical to non-technical. Here's how I tailor the talks for maximum communication.

Yearly retrospective - how did my prioritization hold up?

Every year I hold a little retrospective session to see how my projects and accomplishments turned out. Here is the process I go through to reflect on the good and the bad, and identify what to improve.

How I view building my career: a forward-looking decision framework

We work for a huge portion of our lives, and I don't want to spend that time in misery. With deliberate decision making, we can grow and gain satisfaction. Here's my thought process.

Time value of time: Create more time in the future by investing it now

Thought experiement on what it means to use time now to get ahead in the future.

Increase public speaking confidence: 3 ways I've trained myself to not get nervous

With years of public speaking experience, I share my favorite tips to reduce nervousness and increase confidence.

Creation vs. consumption: How and why I see creation as the ultimate form of entertainment

Work and play, what is the difference? In this article I discuss creation vs. passive consumption, and how one can learn to see creation as fun and entertainment.