From Intern to full-time Data Scientist
Exploring the data with Kirill Shcherbakov
At bol.com we love to grow, in all different directions. Whether it’s by taking on a leadership position, deepening expertise or pursuing a completely new career path, our colleagues are encouraged to continuously challenge themselves and try out new things. In our ´Exploring the Data´ blog series, we catch up with Data Scientists at bol.com who have made career switches, changed directions, or explored different departments. You’ll meet people from diverse backgrounds and with a range of personalities – analytical, introverted, outgoing, chaotic, creative, and practical. But they all share a common trait: the courage to grow, to try something new, and to discover what works best for them.
Today we are talking to Kirill, who has started his career at bol.com as a Data Scientist Intern for the Powered Product department. He has since then moved to team Recommendations as a full-time Data Scientist. A switch that he has been able to create by taking initiative, and by connecting with many other members of the data science community.
”I was pleasantly surprised with how my internship turned out, and I was eager to stay and find a department that would suit my interests.”
Networking within the company
“My internship at bol.com has been a great experience. I felt like a vital part of the data science team and was constantly motivated to learn and bounce ideas off my fellow data scientists. After deciding that I wanted to stay on as a full-time employee, I took advantage of my time at bol.com to connect with other data scientists and check out different departments within the company. Through this process, I discovered the Recommendations team which really spoke to me. I loved the tech complexity of the department, and the impact that their outcomes have on the overall business.”
When asked to describe himself, Kirill sums up a list of traits. “Besides analytical, I am very curious, creative and slightly chaotic. By talking to a variety of people within bol.com and researching the different departments, I was really able to figure out what would suit my personality and interests best.”
What has surprised you through this process?
“Even though my time as an intern has taught me a lot, I feel like I continue to learn so much in my new job as a full-timer. I get the chance to work with senior Machine Learning Experts and Software Engineers, which is a great opportunity for me. At the same time, I have been given the chance to take full ownership of the algorithms behind Recommendations, which makes my job very challenging and fun.”
“Another thing that surprised me – in a good way – is that there is still so much to do! I expected that most data science-related problems would be solved by now, but there’s still a ton of ground to cover which means plenty to learn and to work on in the years ahead.”