Your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) in the military service does not always equate to your cleared career in civilian life.
Imagine working as an Intelligence Analyst but are great at doing the analytical work. You transition out of the military and start the job seeking journey and find that you can apply to several federal agencies doing the same duties. But it’s not fulfilling you completely.
Ted Hallum found that he loved intelligence analysis but wanted to upskill to work in a growing field: Data Science.
There is a large need for data science and machine learning in the national security world, but not a lot of groups dedicated toward mentoring military veterans in this field.
Veterans in Data Science & Machine Learning is a valuable and supportive community for current and aspiring data professionals with military experience, and there aim is to further the careers of fellow veterans through intentional sharing of collective knowledge and experience. They support this goal through a few initiatives.
Veteran DATA SCIENCE & MACHINE LEARNING Mentorship
Veterans in Data Science & Machine Learning offers a valuable and supportive mentorship program for current and aspiring data professionals with military experience.
They want to create a supportive community for these professionals with military experience and envision a cohort that’s intentional in sharing its collective knowledge and experience in order to further the careers of fellow veterans.
This pilot mentoring program used to support one another in honing their technical skills, cultivating domain expertise, developing coaching skills, enhancing personal marketability/branding, and expanding professional networks.
Mentor-mentee pairings are designed to support the specific needs of the community members. For instance, an experienced practitioner might support someone at an early stage of their career. An equally valuable pairing might also occur between individuals across vastly different sectors/focus areas; sharing mutual challenges, understanding alternative points of view, or learning new technical skills.
The Data Canteen Podcast
In this newer project, Ted dives into the stories of Veterans in data science and machine learning and the institutions that support them. The Data Canteen weaves a narrative journey about veterans transitioning into data science and the roads they took to enter the profession.
You can certainly pivot your career and your career progression does not need to be traditional.
“Good things take time, but great things happen all at once.”
