00:00 Become friends with your fears. That's the advice to young women looking to make waves as data scientists. Women in data science came into focus on day two of the United Nations Big Data Forum. During a panel discussion experts in the field shared insight on how to break down the barriers facing women in data science.
00:21 Sometimes it's just making sure that we're heard. I think one of the things in data science being in industry is that there's a misconception that you're totally on the academic side and the technical side and that's not true. When you're applying these models in industry part of what you have to be is a good salesperson. You have to be able to understand context. You know I heard some of the other speakers talking about you know being in the space and being able to understand the business. That's critical. You know there are translator roles analytics translator roles because you have to be able to understand the business.
00:50 You have to be able to understand not just how to build a model but how does this relate in context to the business that you actually have. Because if they don't speak to each other you're not solving problems and probably changing the paradigm. No. What we have to recognize is that we can all achieve similar things if we just have a growth mindset. And it's not about being in one space. This is for boys. This is for girls.
01:15 It's really about understanding if you really have a passion that you can put yourself in that space and there are opportunities to be able to grow.
01:25 The panel also discussed the importance of having mentors who can help break down those barriers for women in data science.
01:35 Well I have two children of my own. So motherhood shows an entirely different twist on anybody who is in a technologically advancing field. So at one point I was like you know what. Why am I doing this.
01:48 And this professor out of I think it was Italy. She works in Asian based learning. I asked her well why are you still. What is in this for you. She's she's a professor of computing.
01:58 So she said you know it's hard. But when my little girl looks at me and says that's my mom that's a professor and she is the person who I look up to. She said that's enough.
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