Welcome to Dive Into Data!

What to expect from the newsletter, why I started it, and why you should join our community.

A Special Welcome

Welcome to Dive Into Data, a weekly newsletter to those without a technical background to dive into the world of data science and natural language processing!

What to Expect Each Month

Week 1: Deep Dive

This segment delves into essential skills and foundational concepts, such as math and statistics, programming, and more, to provide a deep understanding of critical tools and techniques in NLP and data science.

Week 2: Coding Corner

Focused on practical applications, this section offers step-by-step coding tutorials and projects to help you implement the theories and concepts discussed in the Deep Dive.

Week 3: Career Insights

Explore various career opportunities within NLP and data science, and hear from me or invited industry experts on how to navigate and advance in these fields.

Week 4: Community Q&A

Submit questions and participate in discussions that enrich our community. Each month, either I or an invited guest will answer questions from our community about data science, natural language processing, or careers in the data world.

Every week includes a Resource Roundup, which is a selection of the best tools, books, courses, and websites to further your learning and enhance your skills in NLP and data science.

Why I Started Dive Into Data

Well what am I supposed to do now?

Lying in bed, that’s what I thought the day after I finished my Bachelor’s of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature. Probably with some expletives in there somewhere.

I was passionate about Hispanic Linguistics, and languages in general, but I felt that ‘traditional’ routes for linguists, like translation, interpretation, and teaching just weren’t right for me.

I had an interest in natural language processing, but I was scared. I was scared of making mistakes. I was scared of math. I was scared of being a beginner in something. I was scared of not being smart enough to write code, or to understand machine learning, and I was scared of failing. I was scared of never finding a job. But I had to do something.

Following my graduation, I applied to graduate school, and while waiting for responses from universities, I began to search for online tutorials. I started them, then quit them, then started again, and I scoured the internet for any resources I could find to help me make this transition into computational linguistics, natural language processing and data science.

I didn’t find much. It caused a lot of angst. I felt lost, frustrated. None of the tutorials or resources seemed to click. Everything felt like it was tailor-made for people who were already in the field. I took what I could from it and kept pushing through.

Graduate school, as many of you may know, was an absolutely brutal experience. However, it gave me a much stronger foundation in data science and natural language processing.

I completed a dual Master’s of Arts in Hispanic Linguistics and Computational Linguistics, and now I am working full-time as a Data Science Analyst, where I work as the main data science representative on a cross-functional team focused on product development. Every day, I do things that felt so far out of reach to me that day after graduating from undergrad.

The knowledge that I gained during that journey is what I hope to share with you all here.

I'm writing this newsletter to share a resource I deeply needed, not only during the challenging six months after graduation, but all through out graduate school. It was a time marked by uncertainty, and having access to knowledge tailored to my background would have been a beacon of hope.

My aim is to offer you that same hope and clarity now, helping you navigate your own transitions with confidence and insight.

Building Our Community

My goal is to create a thriving community of learners that help and support each other. This community will not just be a network, but a place where you can connect, share, and learn from each other’s experiences. Together, we will discuss challenges, celebrate milestones, motivate one another, and provide constructive feedback that enriches our collective learning journey. So, no matter if you come from a background in [insert your background here], you are more than welcome to join.

Once the newsletter gets 50 followers, I will launch a channel for subscribers to join! (Either on Slack, Discord, or a LinkedIn group)

Let me know what you think!