The pandemic has changed us all somehow. Last January I decided to quit my job. It was only two days before my birthday. My idea was to start a data science full-time bootcamp that could allow me to learn new and challenging things. Why data science? I discovered that in this field I could analyze data and deliver my insights. On the other hand, I was more and more aware about data racism and AI bias and I wanted to understand in depth what I could do to help reduce this kind of inequalities or at least how to be less illiterate.

So here I am a fresh data science graduate with a lot to win after ten weeks of hard work. During these months I developed habits that for sure are helping me to gain more skills and experience on the field. Some of these are new and some are old, some are good and some bad. Today I want to share some of them in order to make you understand my exciting journey.

New Habits

When Covid-19 arrived I was luckily able to cope with the sensation of staying at home all day. Thanks to the course and other things I did to entertain myself I developed new habits like:

• Attending virtual fairs. It made me happy learning that there is a strong STEM community out there. There’s a lot of people willing to share their knowledge and connections with the rest. I specially enjoyed those events that were organised by women. The vibes were amazing and I always learned many things from their experiences. I wonder how this will this be once the pandemic is over. I wish fairs or events like these could continue being online and open to all when the pandemic is over.

• Networking. For me it has always been bizarre talking to strangers. As an introvert, I barely start a conversation without having a reason to. Last May I started to network in a platform called Lunchclub where I was able to meet people from all the globe and share ideas. I feel proud of the connections I gained and this made me think networking is not as bad as I thought and it can be funny if you know how to do it.

• Visualize my goals. When I started my bootcamp I had a lot of doubts about my performance and I always wondered if I should do more. Visualizing myself as a data scientist and analyst was something that made me feel peaceful. I imagined myself working in the field, my working space, my colleagues and my tasks. Sometimes I visualized also the process of becoming one and my feelings. Your mind starts being used to your dream before you achieve it and makes you feel you are doing the correct thing to accomplish your goal.

Old habits

Habits always come and go. They say it takes twenty-one days to be comfortable with a habit, but how long it takes to forget one? I used to have good habits, but I stopped practicing them. Who knows the reason why, I managed to take them with me again:

• Writing a blog. This is the first post of some I want to write in this platform about my data journey and my learnings through the process. I used to have two blogs in the past (one was active for three years), but I have always been afraid of starting a new one and fail. Luckily I met a woman who encouraged me to start again in Medium and for the first time she gave me a good reason: trying to be comfortable in an uncomfortable space and have an online presence.

• Discipline. Years ago I used to be a very disciplined person, but until now I did not feel the strong necessity of using this super power again. Discipline has made me not give up in the art of studying data science and this has made me feel very active since I began and it still continues!

• Meditation. I have a kind of love and hate relationship with this habit. I always practiced it when I was feeling down and now I need to clear my mind from time to time. I am using meditation to help me disconnect and feel aware of the present.

Bad habits

And last but not least, good and old habits always come along with bad ones. Fortunately, there’s nothing to worry about them. I am conscious that if I abuse they can become something serious.

• Procrastination. This is the side effect of long study hours. My temptations are: reading my e-mails, Linkedin and reading the latest news about the data field and industry. It’s been a never ending loop for me, but they don’t seem that bad if it’s all about reading and stay informed, right?

• No long walks. I enjoy having a good conversation whilst having long walks in the streets of Barcelona. This is something I stopped in March and my body notices it a lot. Being seated for long hours makes my blood run in a different way and sometimes I felt it was weak. Little by little I am having my walks back. I am astonished how many things changed since March and how lonesome is the city without all the tourists visiting.

• No rest. These crazy months have not let me space to think outside the box or at least think in terms of how to become daily creative and allow myself to improvise a bit. Allowing myself fresh air makes me renew my mind and feel convinced that everything is part of the process. Doing nothing is also doing something and I have to give permit to myself to feel bored sometimes and accept that all the days cannot be as productive as I would like to.

Many people feel sorry for me because I decided to quit my job just a few weeks before Covid-19 beat my country, but honestly I feel very proud of my decision. No one knows how scared I was of making this big step. And I wish I did it earlier. I was afraid I was not going to be able to learn more in the company and fortunately I let myself space to learn in a different way. And this list is only a little part of the journey I began once I quit. I am very proud of the ongoing process and that’s why I wanted to start my contribution to Medium this way: sometimes I feel I am on top of the wave, sometimes I feel a bit scary too, but it’s ok. One day I will be back to the seashore again as a data heroine.