Are you a (data) scientist or engineer? 3 questions to figure this out

Are you a natural-born scientist or engineer? In this video I've prepared 3 questions to help you figure this out. Hopefully this will answer the question : "What career should I choose"?
After two years in engineering, I'm moving to research this month. This is because I believe my natural talents are more suited to that area.
If you're interested in pursuing data engineering career, visit:
karolinasowinska.notion.site/...
Find me on IG:
@karo_sowinska

[@nicolaanzelmo3127]

It's the first time that someone makes me notice how my obsession with "the subtleties of the language" can affect the understanding of my career path. It is not a trivial one, thank you.

[@karolinasowinska]

I'm glad you found this insightful!

[@ivanj.angulo4589]

I could not agree more . I admire scientific communicators to the point that it is difficult for me to trust people who are not precise with language or who have absolute, self-referential opinions about things. Scientists are always aware of their own biases and methodological flaws of their arguments. Also, that's why I'm still single.

[@karolinasowinska]

I think the point you made about biases is really good! However, I'm not sure how this relates to relationships?;)

[@HariShankar-jj6ef]

I've been asking myself a similar question with regards to my career path, and this video was really helpful! Thanks Karolina 🍃

[@chimac531]

Wow! First time I have finished a KZbin video without clicking out to read an article or find something else. I have been struggling with the analyst, scientist, or engineer questions for a while! Thank you for the clarity. I look forward to exploring your other content. I am fully on the scientist side. Even a kid, I wanted to be a doctor-scientist (not deal with patients but focus on medical research). I fit the MBTI personality - INTP, Holland Code - IC; Type 5; Analyst, Investivagor, Researcher,etc. (but I don't exactly follow all those personality trends but they are fun to take).

[@urukhai8196]

Amazing video as always! I've noticed a definite improvement in quality, and also a bit with the contents presented, I like how you opened up about personal stuff whilst also addressing the three questions regarding both data engineers and data scientists, not to mention how the same questions can apply to multiple careers and/or dichotomies.

[@karolinasowinska]

Thank you so much for the feedback! I really appreciate it, it helps me to go in the right direction :)

[@renatorobles7440]

You're so relaxed that it's almost an ASMR video, thanks and blessings girl ! ¡Cheers from México! 👏❤️☺️☕👍🏻

[@karolinasowinska]

Haha I came back chilled from holiday ;)

[@victorpinasarnault9135]

I like to create solutions, because I have a passion for problem solving. But I really appreciate see relations and pattern seeking/recognition.

[@TopBagChaser]

Very insightful! Great video. Thank You.

[@seanmackenziedataengineering]

Nice video! I like the idea of the overlap. I see this constantly in my work. Data engineers will work on data science solutions up to a point (even completing many), but will generally bow out when advanced domain knowledge and more advanced statistical work is needed. In the same way, data scientists will be able to ask the right questions from their domain knowledge in order to set up their hypothesis, but when they need to design a data framework, or more commonly, effectively retrieve data from production systems in a manner where they are sure of what they retrieved, they will leave that to the engineers. In between those two is a huge overlap of skills!

[@karolinasowinska]

100% agreed, there is definitely an overlap between the two!

[@andreanderson9652]

I can't thank you enough, Karolina! Your videos most certainly do not suck! hahaha As a former mathematician, I've always felt out of place doing engineering things: the whole process never had any appeal for me, just as you said. My biggest fear was that data science was just more of the same stuff.. But your insights answered my fears. I might just give it a try real soon! :D

[@karolinasowinska]

I'm so happy that you're on your path to rediscovering your passion for science! I hope you'll feel more fulfilled! Haha and thanks! (btw, I was just trying to be funny with my comment to the video book 😆)

[@AzulonKaiba]

I'm glad that you prioritize your mental health before the videos uploads :) I'm also notice that I'm afraid with people.

[@karolinasowinska]

Perhaps we both have a mild social anxiety then!

[@Diego0wnz]

Data science sparks a lot more curiousity and exploration in me. But there is no data science without data! Both are important

[@karolinasowinska]

Definitely both are important and interdependent!

[@DEtchells]

Wow, very interesting, insightful questions! Based on them, I’m 100% a scientist. I’m not at all surprised, despite my career having been in engineering - but it was in R&D, not production. I’m *always* asking questions and curious about how the world works :-)

[@johnnayjohneson7525]

Haha wow, after these 3 unexpected questions I know that I am in the right field as a scientist. To the last point, I always thought, why should anyone care about my looks? It's about what comes out of my mouth. Great Video

[@untraff]

Karolina, you are awesome.

[@elis8185]

I'm right in the middle somehow and I work as somewhat of a data scientist alongside engineers. Interested in maybe switching to data engineering, however. 🤔 So interesting hearing how the personality types affect these things! Great work!!

[@karolinasowinska]

I'm glad it was interesting for you!

[@elis8185]

Yes! Good luck with your research. Can't wait to hear more =)

[@rauls3477]

Love your videos!

[@nkvlogsbd7313]

Good to see you again!

[@karolinasowinska]

Thanks for being here!

[@ravenecho2410]

architecture, as explained in like distributed systems hits the nail in the head for me. engineering presumes problems are able to be solved by divide and conquer, scientists qualify the problem space for expirements and quantify outcomes. archs approach an NP problem with intuition gained from both areas of analysis 😌

[@koifishes]

I relate more to the engineering side of this video, but I'm more interested in data science :)

[@prod.hxrford3896]

thank you, insightful video by the way, in the reference frame of psychology/psychiatry the scientist traits you are describing are essentially the traits of ADHD, especially the inattentive category of ADHD. I find it interesting that the different disciplines and areas of life end up describing the same fundamental phenomena but with different lenses. Ironically, I'd say this is the scientist in me speaking, the part that loves to find patterns and associations between things

[@karolinasowinska]

I completely agree with you on the same phenonema/different lenses pattern across many disciplines. It almost makes me think that humanity is missing some basic, fundamental idea!

[@mario_luis_dev]

funnily enough, I’m looking to go in the OPPOSITE direction. I’m a scientist looking to transition into an AI/ML engineering role….Good luck to both of us!

[@karolinasowinska]

That's great, I'm glad to hear that you're going towards what makes you happier! :)

[@owlcatxx]

super interesting video! i've been thinking about this topic a fair bit recently and trying to figure out where my inclinations lie. i do hope you throw out that J Peterson🙈😄

[@JoaoVitorBRgomes]

I liked your reflections. Abs do Brasil!

[@sunandaghosh1002]

Amazing video! Amazing viewpoints and a beautiful analysis. Just curious , why not become both if given the opportunities of data science and data engineering or even ML Engineering!😅 On a serious note, in startup’s the same resource is made to wear multiple hats. Obviously it’s not a generic scenario, and this is purely my humble opinion. Love to know others thoughts on this. Cheers! Thank you Karolina for the beautiful video!

[@fpgaguy]

I think I have 5 of the books you mentioned, also about the same more or less I have read.

[@Rafonu]

Same thing with readings books but I feel bad leaving them unreaded. Yeah my problem is that I can both describe myself as an engineer and scientist. Now I'm R&D engineer. Maybe that's the "golden mean". As a numerological 5 (yes I partly identify with this idea) I'm pretty messy in my live and pretty like changes. You brought up an interesting topic ;). Pozdrowionka!

[@karolinasowinska]

It sounds like a good mixture of science and engineering indeed! Dzięki! :)

[@amandaj3742]

Hello, Karolina. I always learn so much from your videos. I am currently studying Computer Information Systems for undergrad and was applying for masters programs. Do you recommend going for a data engineering focused masters, or a masters in computer science?

[@karolinasowinska]

I think going for a Master's in CS will give you exposure to various paths, and at this stage it's probably better to keep your mind open! Although a Master's in DE would be great too ;)

[@ChaosArtist]

I can see a bit of myself in both scientist and engineer. At this stage, I think I finish about half the books I read. Congrats on your transition into data science. Will you be using Python in your job or some other language like R?

[@karolinasowinska]

That makes total sense - we're not black or white! Thanks! Although I'm not actually moving to data science per se, but general research in finance

[@grifith2196]

Wow, this is really good content. Subscribed and Liked!

[@grifith2196]

What is the difference between a backend and a Data Engineer- because backend also involves DB queries, general logic and devops and some HLD..

[@AnweshDash]

very engaging and soothing video

[@sebisamuel2605]

"Scientists tend to be precise in speech" Lobster club member: I AM A SCIENTIST 🤠🤠 🦞🦞

[@karolinasowinska]

Haha JP seems to have a more scientific mind ;)

[@rlagusrlagus]

I’m definitely more of a scientist, but I’m going into data engineering as it feels like there’s a lot more graduate opportunities for getting into it.

[@karolinasowinska]

That's true, there's probably more openings for engineers at the moment

[@ronalerquinigoagurto555]

Hi do you have a video where you tell about the specific skillset to become a data engineer? Like for me coding is not just a skill, it covers many skills, like memory, patience,... etc

[@geevinz]

If I am applying for data science job, should I include a couple data engineering projects on my resume? Or keep it strictly just data science projects. Thanks

[@RenWater]

Miss you so much !!!!!!

[@karolinasowinska]

Thanks! I missed uploading too!

[@CyBreNos]

Hi. Nice video. how did you decide change from engineering to science. Introspection/disinterest or disappointing work.: what was the first thing that trigerred the will to

[@karolinasowinska]

I think introspection always comes first for me, I try to align myself, or the idea of who I am, to what I do.

[@DavidLindes]

Haha, 0:47 gave me a chuckle after a comment thread I recently added to on a different video of yours. ;)

[@SensatioNEO]

Woo!

[@victorpinasarnault9135]

Came just when I need most. Thank you.

[@karolinasowinska]

My pleasure :)

[@analisamelojete1966]

Excuse me, do you have any advice on how to move from a background in finance to CS? I currently work as a Data Scientist in a financial company but I’ve found out that I really like the coding aspect of it and I find myself more in love with engineering (proper engineering) than DS. Any advice is much appreciated.

[@karolinasowinska]

Definitely a conversion masters would help :) if not, perhaps individual study, individual projects/building portfolio and then applying to jobs:)

[@analisamelojete1966]

@@karolinasowinska What kind of projects can I do to demonstrate my skills? What would you consider to be some good projects? I’d really love to work in the U.K. as a Data Engineer or MLE. Possible to see a video on how to build up your CV?

[@Nedwin]

Nice sharing. Love your accent btw. ❤️

[@karolinasowinska]

Oh thank you ;)

[@DavidLindes]

3:45 - indubitably!; affirmative. :D ;) 5:13 - Yes, I...... Oh, was there a question 3? Well, this comment is a mess, but I'm pretty sure I'm more of a scientist. ;) Also, have you seen Cliff Stoll's TED talk ("The call to learn")? He presents it as: "The first time you do something, it's science. The second time, it's engineering. The third time it's... just being a technician". Elsewhere, he also talks about science as being about questions and curiosity, and engineering being about answers, solutions to problems, etc. Interesting stuff to think about!

[@karolinasowinska]

I haven't seen the TED talk but it sounds like the speaker has a similar outlook on science and engineering! :)

[@HasinaHr]

I loved the video. I relate to most of your arguments really. Gives me a lot of insights on why I never finish things. I have a MSc but have been working in research for 6/7 years now and kinda suits me well

[@karolinasowinska]

I'm glad to hear that you're in a field that's right for you! :)

[@stephanieherrera2468]

Why exactly did you make the switch? Did you find that the role of a data scientist might be a better fit for you?

[@karolinasowinska]

Yes, that was it. Plus frankly, I personally find science/research more interesting. But that's just me!

[@michaelrobinson8382]

I'm still unsure. I very strategic and analytical thinker. I know would love research

[@karolinasowinska]

Perhaps you're just a little bit of both!

[@sebisamuel2605]

Well I knew I lean towards science more and this has only made it more stronger. Anyways glad you're back from the break and all the best for the future job 🤠🤠 PS: I'm struggling to read both of the JBP books as well and I giggled a bit during the MBti bit coz of the discord debate 🤡🤡

[@karolinasowinska]

Yeah, his books are a little hard to follow sometimes, that was certainly true about the first one (for me). Hahah I'm not giving up on MBTI ;)).

[@gerardomayelfernandezalami7196]

One day I heard that one hobby is to buy new books and a very different hobby is to read those books 📚

[@karolinasowinska]

Ha, I love that distinction!

[@officialquate1341]

Hey watched every video. In the First One you talked about " How to become a software engineer without degree " you mentioned jp Morgan and Kubrick but how these programs work? I Just got my diploma and don't want to continue for degree, i like more to self learn and really wondering where to step my foots on and how to go in another country without a lot of Money.

[@karolinasowinska]

Wow, every single video! To answer your question, you can also look for apprenticeships in the UK, they often don't require a degree :)

[@officialquate1341]

@@karolinasowinska thank you!

[@coolsajib]

Hi Karolina, a new subscriber here! Great content. Are you living in Germany? Found some similarity with my surroundings :).

[@karolinasowinska]

UK actually:)

[@victorpinasarnault9135]

Pause. I just came out from a UI clone exercise, because a friend give a opportunity in a front end freelacing role. I still not quiettly shore, but I want to work with data... What I doing with front end development? (Existential crisis trigger). I need to work, just it.

[@karolinasowinska]

Hah I can relate to your existential crisis... too much. It'll be all alright!

[@renatorobles7440]

Bonjour du Mexique la fille, merci beaucoup! 👏❤️☺️☕👍🏻

[@karolinasowinska]

Merci :))

[@darkcoder5799]

... Que guapa! Hola, que tal estas?. Hace mucho tiempo que no sacas ningun video mas en KZbin. Feliz año 2023! 🎄🎇

[@albertocatania6165]

Jesus... You clarify something to me. I think I'm a scientist... Thinking of how I'm. I jump from an idea to another and I cannot get concentrated on 1. I'm 40 and still struggling to find myself and my way...

[@karolinasowinska]

That might be the case...!

[@barathrc2585]

👌🤝

[@renjithviswanath5035]

eyeopener. I am now going to switch my job...

[@platano5805]

I like to compare it to music production: The engineer is like the producer; they have the technical knowledge of how the tools work and how they work together. The scientist is like the artist, they have the vision and create useful arrangements with the aid of the producer. Each brings a unique skillset to the equation that makes the other better.

[@karolinasowinska]

I like this metaphor!

[@slavkokaradzic86]

Cool. I’m working a swing trading system. Currently working on UI. Looking to implement Time-Series machine learning to identify good set ups. Any good recommendations? Your videos are encouraging for me as a student studying engineering (BTW I’m def an engineer according to your analysis 🤣). Cheers.

[@seyiogunnowo5700]

It’s painful when you don’t get a job opportunity because you don’t have a computer science or related discipline degree. Any advice?

[@karolinasowinska]

I have a few videos about this;) you can definitely still get a job!

[@seyiogunnowo5700]

@@karolinasowinska thanks, I will search for those videos on your channel. But if you can, will you drop links to these videos? Thanks once again.

[@ronalerquinigoagurto555]

In order to become succesfull, scientist need to have some engineering mindset, and that goes for the inverse too

[@jamirajamira7303]

Parc Güell!

[@karolinasowinska]

You got it! ;)

[@jamirajamira7303]

@@karolinasowinska I got hit by nostalgia when I saw it. I have fond memories of Barcelona. Everywhere there looks immaculate, even the rough areas.

[@rdmanalo9946]

Is Big data engineer the same for data engineer?

[@karolinasowinska]

Pretty much yes :)

[@dominiczygadlo845]

I related too much on the entire book section, so you have my subscription :)

[@karolinasowinska]

I was hoping someone would relate to the books selection ;)

[@victorpinasarnault9135]

Can data engineers be MLOps later?

[@karolinasowinska]

Sure;) moving within the engineering domain shouldn't be too challenging!

[@mohamedaminemkhaibou6538]

Thx for this amazing video. Now, I'm sure that I want to be data engineer 😇

[@karolinasowinska]

I'm glad this video managed to clarify this! ;)

[@Robi2009]

Ooo po raz 1y u Ciebie pokazała mi się reklama ;) Czyżby?

[@karolinasowinska]

Tak? Mam reklamy już od jakiegoś czasu. Hmm... czyli prześlizgnęła się jakaś i do Ciebie! ;)

[@Robi2009]

@@karolinasowinska Gratulacje!

[@DistortedV12]

I'm both: Research Engineer (babyyy)

[@karolinasowinska]

Nice one haha! How did you find the quiz? Was it roughly 50/50 for you?

[@txori_]

ocd and messy? I am both :D

[@sajarnitsa]

Very good and clear presentation of the differences between scientists and engineers. Your videos are very good and you are even better at articulating your ideas. The idea of finishing a book because you started reading it is not an efficient way of investing your time.

[@karolinasowinska]

Thank you so much! And I agree on the finishing books point :)

[@uttamsingh6705]

I'm definitely an engineer , at least according to this quiz 🥦

[@karolinasowinska]

I'm glad it was pretty clear cut for you!

[@uttamsingh6705]

@@karolinasowinska @Karolina Sowinska well it is , I'm also working towards DE skills so that I don't get only dependent on my DA skills . Just finished intro of pyspark.

[@funagwacky]

Engintist = Sciengineer ;-)

[@abbasaliyev1751]

ah yes, i am not abandonning my projects halfways through for no reason, i am just a scientist xdd!

[@karolinasowinska]

Haha there you go! :D

[@denismerigold486]

I think being a deep learning engineer is many times more interesting than being a data scientist or a data engineer.

[@karolinasowinska]

There's definitely a huge difference between deep learning and data engineering

[@ahmedrezk9208]

I like your accent. Where it come from?

[@karolinasowinska]

Polish+English environment:)

[@ukaszzbrozek6470]

Please start listening to audiobooks instead of reading. There is a much higher chance that you would finish what you started.

[@karolinasowinska]

Might give it a go!

[@patocarrasco6266]

so my answers are: 1) yes 2) yes 3) asjdnhfkqawer *a few convulsions later*: yesn't. I guess I will have to try both. I recently found out that, as a civil engineer, I am eligible for a master's degree in data science in my country. I hope this will give me an answer. Question: is it possible to study directly to become a data engineer or is studying data science the common path for both careers? By "studying" I mean having a formal education with a degree. In my country there seems to be no other way. btw, I agree that your videos don't suck. I've spent a whole night watching some of them xD Thank you!

[@karolinasowinska]

Haha I'm sure the answer will clarify for you along the way! I'd say that a degree in computer science or some sort of engineering is perhaps more useful for data engineering. Maths, statistics, and data science degrees are a good background for a data science career. Haha thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed watching the videos!

[@StefanBrock_PL]

Mistrz i Małgorzata skończone?

[@antoniop3080]

Nice video; however, let's be honest about engineers here, we too really like being right ahahah

[@karolinasowinska]

Hahaha true!

[@jankucera8505]

istj = engineer intp = scientist

[@jankucera8505]

ah you said it too

[@severlight]

Morning - science, architecture design, evening - engineering)

[@karolinasowinska]

That works too! ;)

[@victorpinasarnault9135]

I make my personality test again, I am INFJ-A type.

[@alexandrunknown1456]

respect for Peterson, Karolina

[@PureGonzo]

I left Jordan Peterson Self Authoring program 75% unfinished. Hahaha. I mean, I don't even finish my university textbooks. hahaha! What a mess. I'm mostly an INTP, but very close to ENTP.

[@karolinasowinska]

Hahah that's very relatable, I didn't finish his programme either 😅

[@carlosemiralonso7997]

I have a mix of everything but also my mother think im more of a philosopher, i could actually being doing both jobs.

[@TheLifeOfRyanB]

Ah crap, almost 2 decades into engineering and it turns out I'm a scientist. That explains why I enjoy Two Minute Papers channel so much.

[@karolinasowinska]

Ha, I hope this was a good realisation!

[@shauryajain4851]

Looks like you are more of psychologist now 😂😂

[@karolinasowinska]

Always, at heart!

[@appliedstatistics2043]

Can't believe that Jordan Peterson is that popular!

[@karolinasowinska]

Haha he is quite. Or perhaps he just happens to be in my information bubble!

[@appliedstatistics2043]

@@karolinasowinska yes he's a low key person, recently he's embarking a new global public speeching, I'm so happy that he recovered from the coma. And I think he's a data scientist too at some level, since he always quote some statistics and the result of statistical inference, and his favourite probability distribution is Pareto distribution because he found it somehow appears in his research frequently.

[@candyfloss184]

Hi 👋 how are you? You seem to have lost weight. I wish you well.

[@karolinasowinska]

I'm good thanks! I think it's just the camera lens making me look thin!

[@candyfloss184]

@@karolinasowinska then it’s fine..☺️ needless to say I was kinda missing you 😘

[@diconicabastion5790]

My background includes nuclear, equipment and electrical engineering and CS. I've worked both Engineering and Science. Your views of scientist will change the more you get to know and the longer you are in the field. Lets just say there is a reason 85% of all research papers are full of lies.(No, they aren't mistakes. They are intentional falsehoods.) You will find that most talk very differently at home when they feel they are talking to a friend even discussing the same topic. Myself, I adjust my conversation to what is going on around me and the people I am talking to. About the only time you will see me raise the conversation level is when an someone thinks I am not as capable as I am. Then I do it just to make a point. That usually results in them feeling embarrassed. You will also find that the tendency lies is higher in some fields than others. Usually if the actual risk to human life decreases and the more politics are surrounding it then you can count on more lies.

[@karolinasowinska]

Interesting point. Why do you think scientists do that?

[@victorpinasarnault9135]

Normaly, here in Brazil, the data engineer job offers are for seniors. There is no juniors offers. I think that I can began as a data scientist and then go to data engineering.

[@karolinasowinska]

Oh that's very interesting! Perhaps data scientists also take on more data engineering tasks then, such as building pipelines

[@victorpinasarnault9135]

@@karolinasowinska Yes, probably.