I feel like I have finally come into terms with what I want to do with my career after the PhD. Although a postdoc won’t hurt, I am not very certain how far that will take me. Teaching is something that I might consider in future, but at this juncture I feel otherwise.
Given that my work is partially automated for the time being with little or no supervision required, I am able to find time to do online courses. Most of them have been programming languages (edX, Mosh). Since I have gotten better in using Python for data analysis, I am also taking advanced courses in areas like Machine Learning (mostly regression approaches) and development.
The problem is that I am more of a visual thinker, meaning I have to see the output to believe the code works, rather than an algorithmic thinker. This “defect” of mine is probably beneficial in areas of data analysis. But in certain areas you need an algorithm first approach. Since I have no formal training in Algorithms or Data Structures, to fill this gap and possibly be ready for a challenging career in development, I have chosen to take up MIT 6.006 and MIT 6.046. This is exciting.
