Listen. Grow. Thrive.

Not many forces on Earth are comparable in power to a resilient spirit combined with a strong work ethic, and Dr. Glen Ferguson embodies this dynamic! Tune-in to this episode to hear how Dr. Ferguson went from a young man whose high school guidance counselor discouraged him from even applying to college, to enlisting in the U.S. Navy, to completing a PhD in materials science, to becoming a data science individual contributor, to his present day role as Director of AI & ML at Huckleberry Labs! It is a remarkable story of resilience in the face of adversity and triumph against daunting odds!

Sam Sipe was a naval aviator, VDSML's 2021 FourthBrain Scholarship recipient, and he's now a budding ML Engineer! In this episode, Sam and I chat about his childhood interest in rockets and flight, which led him to pursue an education in aerospace engineering and military experience as a pilot. Sam tells us about how his engineering pursuits initially sparked an interest in computer programming, which eventually grew into an interest machine learning. Soon after exiting military service, Sam won VDSML's inaugural FourthBrain Scholarship. Sam tells us about his experience with FourthBrain's bootcamp for aspiring ML engineers - as well as some preliminary information about VDSML's 2022 scholarship opportunities!

Rob Albritton, previous guest-star from episode #5, returns to The Data Canteen! Rob kicks things off by updating us on the metamorphosis of Octo's oLabs from the planning stage (where things were in episode #5), to the fully evolved physical instantiation that debuted just last month, to how he hopes to see it employed for positive impact going forward. Next, we go down a very cool and weird path talking about rogue robots, cyborgs, and artificial general intelligence :-)! Finally, Rob addresses questions submitted by you our listeners!

Do your professional interests straddle the domains of economics/finance and data science? Are you searching for a graduate school program that will teach you data science and machine learning skills within the context of economics and finance data? Would you like to learn these skills at a school with global cachet? If so, then you should consider UCLA's Master of Quantitative Economics (MQE) program!

Lak is an operating executive at Silver Lake focused on improving the value of portfolio companies through data and AI-driven innovation. Prior to Silver Lake, Lak was the Director for Data Analytics and AI Solutions on Google Cloud and a Research Scientist at NOAA. He co-founded Google's Advanced Solutions Lab and is the author of several O'Reilly books and Coursera courses. He was elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (the highest honor offered by the AMS) for his data science work.

In this episode, Host Ted Hallum and Lak dive into Google Cloud's evolved view of what data science encompasses (IT'S BROADER THAN EVER!), the biggest developments that Lak sees on the horizon for our field, how to deal with the blistering pace of change in the datasphere, and the challenges faced by all non-tech organizations that are striving for an edge with AI.

Matt Harrison is one of the foremost experts on Python and Pandas. He holds a degree in computer science from Stanford University, possesses experience in roles ranging from Senior Software Engineer to CTO, and operates a consulting firm named MetaSnake.

In this episode, Host Ted Hallum and Matt dive into the most crucial, powerful, challenging, and enjoyable content in his new book entitled Effective Pandas!

Nick Singh is ex-Facebook, ex-Google, and co-author of the new best selling book entitled Ace The Data Science Interview: 201 Real Interview Questions Asked By FAANG, Tech Startups, & Wall Street!

In this episode, Host Ted Hallum and Nick Singh unpack everything you need to know about the data science hiring process, to include: resume tips. building portfolio projects, cold-contacting hiring managers, the behavioral interview, and the technical interview!

In this episode, I'm joined by Al Bellamy who tells us about his journey from Marine Corps logistician to his current role as a Senior Marketing Intelligence Analyst! During his military transition, Al became exceptionally proficient with networking and personal branding on LinkedIn. In this episode, Al shares some of the secret sauce and introduces the #LinkedInHardMode Challenge!

In this episode, I'm joined by Erick Quintero to trace his incredible journey from Nicaragua, to California, into the U.S. Marine Corps as an Anti-tank Assaultman/Machine Gunner, and onward into data science! Erick and I also chat in-depth about the challenges some combat veterans in the datasphere face related to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Erick provides examples of healthy techniques to manage those challenges and live your best life!

In this episode, I have a great chat with Dr. Dan Hudson, Director of Advanced Analytics and Intelligent Automation at Guidehouse. Dan and I having a wide ranging conversation, to include: the veteran-friendly culture at Guidehouse, Dan's military background and personal data science journey, insights from his experiences as an analytics and automation hiring manager, the future of our field, and the skills you should focus on to remain in-demand over the long-term.

In this episode, Chris Sanchez and I have a fantastic conversation with Molly Larkin, Director of Operations at FourthBrain. If you haven’t heard of it, FourthBrain is an awesome bootcamp that’s backed by Andrew Ng’s AI Fund. FourthBrain offers hybrid online programs for budding machine learning engineers.

Are you comparing graduate school programs to determine which one would best help you obtain data science & machine learning skills? Are your data science interests more applied rather than theoretical? Would you like to learn these skills within the context of solving business problems? If so, then you should consider Wake Forest’s Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program!

In this episode, I'm joined by Katie Keller who is the Editorial Communications Manager for ClearanceJobs. Katie shares generously from her wealth of knowledge and experience to help you land your next great opportunity in cleared data science or machine learning! We chat about the trajectory of cleared data science salaries in 2021, your best bets for making it past applicant tracking systems, and she answers each of your most common questions about the hiring process!

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Keith Allen to trace his journey from U.S. Army Infantry officer to data science consultant! Dr. Allen and I also chat in-depth about his passion for sports analytics, and how that drove him to focus his PhD dissertation on the question “Should we go for it on fourth down?”

Are you looking for a veteran-friendly school that offers both name recognition and a technically rigorous entry point into data science and machine learning? You should consider the College of William and Mary's Master of Science in Business Analytics program (MSBA)! This program offers the opportunity to become proficient in quantitative data skills while grappling with challenging business problems! As for William and Mary itself, it's one of the eight original "Public Ivies" and stands as the second oldest institution of higher learning in this hemisphere (it's only behind Harvard)! What's more, U.S. News and World Report highly ranks this program for U.S. military veterans! Listen-in to learn more!

In this episode, I chat with Rob Albritton, Senior Director for the Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence within Octo's oLabs. Rob and I have a wide ranging conversation about the cutting edge work being done at Octo, why especially veterans should consider opportunities at Octo, Rob's personal data science journey/background in the Air Force, his insights as a hiring manager for AI/ML teams, and finally the current AI race and what keeps him up at night.

In this episode, former guest and fellow Veterans in Data Science & Machine Learning community member, Chris Sanchez, provides a formal introduction to your host here on The Data Canteen, Ted Hallum.

Are you comparing graduate school programs to determine which one would best help you obtain data science & machine learning skills? Are your data science interests more applied rather than theoretical? Would you like to learn these skills within the context of solving business problems? If so, then you should consider Notre Dame’s Veteran-friendly Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program!

So, you’ve decided that you’re ready to take the plunge and seriously upskill into data science & machine learning…but should you do a master’s degree or a boot camp?

In this episode, I'm joined by Chris Sanchez, a retired Navy SEAL and fellow member of the Veterans in Data Science & Machine Learning community. The conversation starts with an overview of his journey through the military and into data science.

Chris' unique perspective extends beyond just his background with Special Operations Forces (SOF). He's also rather rare in the sense that he attended both a data science graduate program (UC Berkley’s Master of Information and Data Science) and a data science boot camp (Galvanize Data Science Immersive Bootcamp).

Welcome to The Data Canteen, a podcast focused on the care & feeding of data scientists who share in the common bond of U.S. Military service.