EP 255: How an Astrophysicist Career-transitioned and Relaunched in Data Science with Avanti Tilak

Avanti Tilak's career transition and relaunch from astrophysics and academia to corporate data science was a triumph after a long, frustrating period of setbacks. Avanti explains how she updated her skills, which freelance roles contributed to her progress, how she dealt with repeated rejection, and what ultimately led to her successful relaunch into the corporate world via IBM's Tech Re-Entry program. Two and a half years later, she was part of a layoff from IBM during the pandemic. This meant that Avanti, at this point an experienced healthcare data scientist, needed to look for a new job. Her next role was at a small innovative start-up. She is now at a traditional health insurance company. Avanti walks us through her entire career path during our conversation.