It's never too late to relearn. That's what StackFuel alumni Alex Schmitt thought, and he took a very special continuing education path. In 2020, he completed not only the Data Literacy Training, but also the Data Analyst Continuing Education with certificate. At the beginning of 2022, Alex also completed the Data Scientist and mastered the job entry into the data industry.
But that wasn't all, during this time he continued to work in parallel in his profession as a software developer and pursued his further education outside of working hours. Alex's diligence and perseverance made a lasting impression on us. How he experienced the training period at StackFuel and where he gets his motivation from, we would like to let him tell us himself in the following interview.
Interview
Hello Alex, thank you for sharing your success story with us. What can you tell us and our readers about your career path so far and your decision to continue your education?
I was born in Rostock and now live here again. In the early 90s, I moved to Berlin to study computer science and also worked in the telecommunications industry there. Later, I switched to biometrics and worked for almost 10 years for a company that manufactures printing machines for ID cards and passports. Today I work as a software developer in the eBusiness sector.
With over 20 years of professional experience, I have now already completed more than half of my working life and wanted to change professionally. Through an extra-occupational training, I wanted to venture out of the classic software development, the lateral entry into a job that is promising and at the same time exciting and secure.
I came across StackFuel via the "c't"a magazine for computer technology. At that time, I already had the topic of "Data Science" in the back of my mind. To find out whether StackFuel is the right learning provider for me and whether the topic of "Data Science" really suits me, I first booked the entry-level training "Data Awareness". I liked the training and especially StackFuel's webinar concept and mentoring convinced me to follow up on the first training.
You are now in your third consecutive training at StackFuel. What motivated you to make the leap from the Data Awareness course to the Data Analyst and now to the Data Scientist training?
The goal of "Data Science" was in my focus from the beginning. I thought it made sense to take the "Data Analyst" course first before deepening your newly acquired knowledge in the Data Scientist training. In mathematics, the introduction to probability theory is also easier via statistics.
I took mathematics as a minor subject in my studies, so I had no difficulties or fears of contact in this respect during further training. Instead, programming with Python new to me, but I managed to get started relatively quickly during the training. Here the Learning environment from StackFuel particularly well. You can tell that StackFuel is constantly developing and noticeably optimizing it.
It's really inspiring to see the motivation with which you approach your continuing education. Does lifelong learning have a special significance for you?
Especially in the IT industry, so much changes on a regular basis that training becomes necessary again and again. Here, you always have to keep at it and not let up. When I studied computer science in the 90s, the topic of "neural networks" was just a marginal topic with nothing to gain. That has changed fundamentally since then, and today an entire industry with numerous jobs has developed around this topic.
I am convinced that the growing job market also offers jobs for career changers in the field of data science. So far, I haven't thought about the fields of activity in which I would like to gain a foothold. I'm approaching this with an open mind.
What do you think is holding others back so far from furthering their education in Data Science and do you have a recommendation you would like to share with those who are currently hesitant?
Perhaps there are reservations about "data science" because some people think of data protection. Others are put off by the mathematics component in the training courses, who might otherwise be very well suited as data experts. With regard to mathematical skills, I recommend: just persevere. All those who have come into contact with mathematics during their studies will easily be able to cope with it.
I can only recommend the StackFuel training courses. Especially in the area of data science, especially for software developers who already have a good background in mathematics and can therefore master the training well. In my opinion, this area will continue to grow in the future.
In many companies, new fields of activity can be created in which work processes can be improved through data science. For example, in the area of CRM (Customer Relationship Management), where, among other things, customer behavior and customer satisfaction are analyzed and new actions and campaigns are planned on the basis of this. In this and other areas, data analysts and data scientists can offer great added value.
How to become a certified Data Scientist
Alex has successfully demonstrated how the in-service training to become a Data Scientist can succeed. With a clear goal in mind, Alex has always stayed motivated and has thus achieved perhaps the most important Characteristics of Data Scientists shown: The will to lifelong learning. We wish him every success in his lateral entry as a Data Scientist and thank him for the joint interview.
If you want to know what the day-to-day work of a Data Scientist looks like, what skills you need for the job and how to get started as a Data Scientist, then check out our article "How to Become a Data Scientist." an.
A lateral entry requires courage. With StackFuel, you can handle any new challenge. Learn more about our sponsored training courses with a Bildungsgutschein from the job center or the employment agency with a 100 percent cost coverage. Start your new data career today.
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