By the end of 2013 I will no longer be a grad student. Whether I cash in my chips and get a Masters, see it all the way through to the PhD, or just walk away is yet to be determined. By the end of 2013 I will rejoin the work force.

I entered graduate school with the ultimate goal of technical leadership. My prior employer, a government contractor, put a great deal of important on the PhD credential. All positions of impact required a PhD, and I wanted impact.

In pursuit of my PhD, however, I discovered #BigData and found my calling. I found great joy in teasing out patterns no one else had seen before. My ability to find simple approaches made me extremely effective, as complexity often does not scale with big data. I had impact in terms of features shipped and patent applications doing something that I loved during my internships.

The career I want has changed, and a PhD is no longer required.

I’m close to graduating. Close enough that I started sending out my resume with my adviser’s blessing. I’ve updated my online resume and linkedin profile. I am still working on my thesis, but it’s secondary to my job search. This is happening. I’m excited for this new chapter, whether or not it’s with the word ‘dr’ in my title. I’m ready (so, so ready) to rejoin the workforce.

Posted in Student Life, Work Life