Navigating the Gray: A Day in the Life of a Data Scientist
By: Samantha Combs
Tags: Sap, Data Science, Early Career, Navigating The Next, Silicon Valley

Continuing on with the theme of “Navigating the Gray”, here is my take on ambiguity in the workplace as a data scientist. Like Greg and Cathy, I am in my first rotation in the SVNT program at SAP. I am currently working in a hybrid role, using data from the Competitive & Marketing Insights (CMI) team and applying it within the SAP.iO Fund & Foundries team. The CMI team works on leveraging data to research and make competitive strategy decisions for SAP. SAP.iO Fund invests and SAP.iO Foundries supports early-stage startups that compliment SAP solutions. Prior to SAP, I studied computer science at a small school in West Virginia while juggling DII soccer. I didn’t feel like computer science was a perfect fit and spent the spring of my senior year soul-searching. Thankfully, I found the field of data science, which turned out to be an ideal match.

Me post master’s degree — still clueless on where I would be kickstarting my career.

I joined the data science master’s program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, happily surrounded by the ocean. There I was able to get hands-on experience in data science. I worked data for a local startup in the pet food industry and holographic images on a marine biology labeling task. I also landed an internship at a public safety and justice software company. I remotely continued my role as I finished my degree (little did I know this was not my last run-in with remote work). My internship gave me valuable insight into industry work, as well as the world of software development. I finished my master’s in data science in December before joining SVNT in June.

Now that I am in my role here at SAP, I will say my life is quite different. For starters, I am now located at home in Ohio — the last place I expected to be. I am working West Coast-ish hours and fully remote. I will say it is a bummer to not be in person exploring new offices, meeting new coworkers, and experiencing a new city. I try to counteract these disappointments by being thankful for a healthy and happy life in these strange COVID times. Perks of working remotely — lack of commute, working from remote locations (like a lake cabin), and a relaxed dress code on meeting-less days. In my rotation, I am lucky to have a team that is trusting and avoids micromanaging. This being said, nobody is setting my schedule — the day is mine to command. Having a routine sets me up for success; it takes the mental energy out of planning every day. I treat my schedule as a guideline, staying flexible to adjustments.

I wake up between 6:15 and 7:15 and feel like an “early bird” since the east coast dwellers are three hours ahead of the Bay Area. I used to be a night owl, but about a year ago, I became a firm believer in 7–9 hours of sleep. I check my personal emails, which consist of morning news, tech blogs, and health/sustainability blogs while drinking my morning liter of water. I then get the blood flowing; I am a big fan of yoga but occasionally opt for a run. Some days these steps will get bypassed if I have to prep for an important deadline or meeting.

I have my first meeting of the day between 10 am-noon. Generally, I have most of my meetings towards the beginning of the week. I like to save my Thursday/Fridays for prepping demos that occur every 2–3 weeks. I work depending on the priority level of the task at hand, I don’t like to set aside specific times for email, coding, research, etc. I work around my meetings, approximately 1–4 per day. I elected to set up reoccurring meetings with my buddies/mentors. I come in with a written agenda of updates, topics to discuss, and roadblocks/questions. It allows for reflection on my progress, the ability to understand coworker’s work styles, and insightful career tips. My reoccurring meetings consist of weekly 1–1’s with my two mentors and weekly/biweekly meetings for the SAP.iO Fund, SAP.iO Foundries, and CMI teams.

Since I am working largely on my own for the project’s data side, I need to have set deliverables to avoid getting stuck in a particular area of code that may not provide tangible business results. Within my rotation, deadlines are set based upon my demos for the team and meetings with startups to show model results. I established the demo meetings. They have provided invaluable feedback for the project’s success and keep me on track by acting as “miniature deadlines”. I work closely with four team members on the project, so it is a great way to sync up and stay on the same page. My other method of communication is daily Friday email updates to my team. They have appreciated the added insight more informally. Find the process that works for you and your team; more communication is (usually) better — seek confirmation to see if your communication style/frequency aligns with your team’s workflow.

Next to address are my breaks and work hours. I schedule lunch around my meetings, but I tend to work and eat in hopes of finishing early (never the case). The work-life balance is my most significant work in progress. My hours worked are not a fact of external pressure, quite the opposite. An unfortunate side effect of my personal passion for the project at hand is that it makes it hard to log off at the end of the day. My compromise is keeping most of my extra-long days to the early portions of the week, if possible. Eventually, my goal is to pick a time zone and work within a typical workday instead of mixing the two zones for extended hours. In a virtual world, work scheduling is much more customizable. No individuals tell me what hours to work/not work as long as I accommodate meetings to alternative time zones and am making sufficient progress. SAP being a global company, I have meetings with individuals on the East Coast, West Coast, Germany, and India. I would strongly suggest setting up a routine to accommodate your most productive hours. Your process may vary entirely from my schedule.

Setting up my routine wasn’t preplanned before my time at SAP. It took at least a month to get a feel for how and when my team collaborated. Accept that you won’t have clear cut answers right from the start, that experience is the best judgment for setting your work habits. The nature of the SVNT is to learn, grow, and experiment. Ask questions, but also seek out answers on your own accord. SAP has a plethora of resources. Listen and take notes — this is especially crucial in your first rotation. Many individuals have been at SAP for longer than a bachelor’s degree — soak up their knowledge and experience. Listen to yourself as well; reflection is the key to growth. I began my time at SAP writing a brutally honest weekly work reflection. My consistency has dropped down to monthly but looking back, it is fantastic to see how far I have progressed.

Finally, I’ve come to realize that I have to take time to enjoy the continued pursuit of knowledge as I also evaluate my skills. When I first got hired, I felt like I couldn’t provide value, but I can see now that my fresh perspective, unique skillset and personal passion for the field is intrinsically valuable. So, while I do approach my role with equal parts humility and curiosity, I also embrace my own value and worth. There are always going to be times when I feel ambiguity and imposter syndrome, but, for me, ambiguity is what has made my time so far in SAP wonderful. Ambiguity is freedom — the ability to accept the unknown and mold it into success.