Who can ACTUALLY pivot to Data Science? My 5-Month Journey as a PM.

This is a story of my 5 month DS learning journey as a PM. This isn’t a bootcamp success story. It’s not about becoming a data scientist in 90 days. It’s for people who want a real, unvarnished view of what it actually takes to break into ML / DS without a CS degree. I’m a product manager with 9 years in tech, formal training in science and systems design, and I’ve been self-training in machine learning for 5 months while working full-time. This video breaks down what the journey really looks like - the mindset shift, the technical gaps, and who I think can realistically make the jump. If you’ve been toying with the idea of pivoting into DS or ML, this might help you sanity-check your odds. ⏱️ Chapters: 00:00 – Intro: No Bootcamp Fantasy 01:04 – Why I’m Doing This 04:28 – Where I’m Learning 05:36 – How It’s Going 08:23 – Who Can Actually Make the Switch 09:57 – Mental Blocks & Math Myths 13:03 – The Reality Check 14:48 – Do Degrees Matter? 15:11 – Who Has a Realistic Shot 16:01 - Who is Unlikely to Make It 16:57 – Final Thoughts ⚠️ Disclaimer: Data Science ≠ One Role Data Science is a broad field with many specialized domains (e.g. computer vision, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Time Series Forecasting, Recommender Systems, and more. The program I’m currently following is focused on the core foundations of applied data science and machine learning. This is not a specialization track in CV, NLP, or MLOps - it’s a generalist path aimed at preparing for junior ML developer or full-stack data science roles. ✅ Who This Is For: PMs, tech leads, and analysts in tech who want to level up with ML fluency Engineers/scientists from adjacent fields considering a pivot People with formal education in math, life sciences, or engineering Anyone who values truth over tactics when it comes to breaking into DS 🎓 Tools mentioned (not sponsored): 20% off @Dataquestio subscription: app.dataquest.io/referral-signup/qzrrt93v/ *This is not a sponsored link. It's a regular recommendation link available to all Dataquest subscribers. #datascience #machinelearning #productmanagement #ml #ai #techlayoffs