What 6 Years as a Data Scientist in Big Tech Taught Me

Six years. Four companies. One slightly burnt-out but (maybe) wiser data scientist. 🤓

In this video, I’m walking you through my full (chaotic but somewhat interesting) journey from being a physics major at UChicago to working at Nielsen, a startup, Uber, and now Stripe. It’s part career story, part therapy session, part “what I wish someone told me before I started working in tech.”

If you’re figuring out your data science path, thinking about jumping jobs, or just want some honest career talk with a little ✨ existential reflection ✨ — this one’s for you.

🕒 Timestamps
00:00 I'm BAAAAAACK
01:06 physics major and context
02:16 nielsen, a "kind of" tech company
03:22 the start-up life with Drizly
05:08 uber + lots of reflection
08:03 stripe + EVEN more reflection
09:59 genuine consolidated reflections, professional and personal

🧠 Keywords: data science career, life in tech, working at Uber, data scientist at Stripe, burnout in tech, women in STEM, SQL jobs, causal inference, career reflections, tech industry real talk

👉 Subscribe if you’re into real, unfiltered data science content. And leave a comment if anything hits — would love to hear your story too.

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Welcome to The Almost Astrophysicist — I’m Priya, a data scientist sharing real, unfiltered stories about navigating tech 💻, burnout 🧠, career growth 📈, and (mostly) just learning out loud. From physics undergrad to startups, Uber, and Stripe, I’ve picked up a lot (and maybe made a lot of mistakes too 😅). This channel is where I break down what it’s actually like to work in tech, reflect on the messy parts of ambition, and talk through both the qualitative and quantitative sides of building a meaningful career. Expect technical data science content, chat about what it's like working at high-growth companies, dealing with imposter syndrome, and figuring out what “success” even means.

Subscribe if you’re into data science that feels a little more human 🤍 — and comment anytime, I’d love to hear your story too!!

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/priya-l-520311145/