Stepping out on any form of social media is, let's just say, difficult. The worry is real. The worry associated with "putting yourself out there" - wondering - what the persons viewing your posts will think of you is... real.

When you are posting about a career change to data science you may feel anxious for a number of reasons, however posting your intentions on social media has advantages as well.  In this blog post, hopefully, I am going to convince you that the benefits of stating your intentions on social media will outweigh the drawbacks.

Potential to make new data science connections

As the famous hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, stated, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Putting your intention on social media will help to increase your network is taking a shot and by putting your intentions out there you're increasing you chances for success.  The larger your network is the more opportunities you have to get connected to a position that fits your needs. You never know your network may have more data science opportunities than you expect.

Support

Although there are a few outliers, in general people want to see you succeed. Even more so, they want to help you succeed. Making your intentions known online can bring people into your corner, people who will support you and cheer you on when things get tough.  

Accountability

Using social media to help keep you accountable can be a double-edged sword.  On one hand it would be nice to have somewhere public to track your progress, but on the other hand you are now publicly tracking your progress and what happens if you do not succeed or decide to give up. Being held accountable publicly is not a bad thing, although the fear of failure is heightened, the likelihood of being successful is as well.

For Example

Here are a few examples of what posting your intentions on social media may look like:

"Hello everyone, for those that may not know I am looking to start a career in data science, I am looking for a position working with healthcare companies, as that is my background. I am very excited about this transition, and I would appreciate you forwarding my information to any connection you may have to the data science community." 

"Any data analytic friends out there? I am starting a job search in data analytics and would appreciate any tips or tricks you could offer to help me move forward with this goal. Bonus points if you know of any financial institutions hiring data analysts. Thank you!"

Wrap Up

Overall, you should post your intentions on social media because it will increase your chances of landing the position you've been looking for. I know that stating your intentions on social media can be nerve wracking but once you get started you are going to find that making new connections, having accountability and increasing your support network will be worth it.