The last time I updated my LinkedIn, I told people I was working on a personal project and to keep and eye out! Well, of course life happens and I was busy with interviews and vacation and living, so I haven't been able to attack it the way I wanted.
It was a good lesson in remembering that side projects, hustles, and productivity do not define my worth. I wanted to start data science because of a few reasons, including money and jobs and professional growth, but also because I truly enjoy statistics. I remembered my favorite classes in college and how they centered around social statistics and predictions.
I will be working on the project because I want to study conspiracy theories, help people combat misinformation, and identify white supremacist dog whistles - not because I want to impress my LinkedIn contacts. I feel like there are many seemingly innocuous conspiracies that on the surface are fun, silly, slightly believable....and then as you delve further into them, they release the stench of white supremacy.
Abbie Richards has a helpful and elegant explanation of conspiracies. An inverted pyramid (lol) that starts narrow and "grounded in reality" grows into a large, detached-from-reality, anti-Semitic group of common rightwing conspiracies.
I find this fascinating, and want to spend some time researching it using my data science skills. I will uncover the dog whistles that create these white supremacist lies, and maybe someday create a bot, or dictionary, or app that identifies the language and alerts people to it. I would hope that this can slow the malignant spread of misinformation and prevent the brainwashing that is now putting peoples lives at risk. But, I also need to find a full-time job.
I spent time this summer looking for a job, prepping for interviews, and stressed about those interviews. I aced some interviews, messed up a lot, forgot how to code, remembered how to code, cried, drank wine, worked out, slept in, went paddle boarding, went boating, walked my dog, and so much more. I got married, I saw my family, and my best friend had a baby. I lived so much of my life in the last few months, and remembered how nice it is to have time to enjoy these things.
The job search after an intense coding bootcamp can challenge your coping skills and shake your confidence. But it can also open your eyes up to a life that doesn't revolve around work. I realized that I don't have a dream job, I have a dream life, and my next job will help me get there. That is what I hope to take with me when I start my new role in a few weeks. Until then, I will be sleeping in, walking my dog, and pondering (without a timeline) my next project.