Ditch the Anxiety, Make Bold Moves, and Design Your Meaningful Tech Career

Please join Charlottesville Data Science for the talk Ditch the Anxiety, Make Bold Moves, and Design Your Meaningful Tech Career by seasoned data science leader Kim Scott! We'll be gathering in person at Vault Virginia on the Downtown Mall.

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About the talk

For tech professionals who pride themselves on superior analytical thinking, it can be hard to admit that we’re, collectively speaking, quite emotionally dysregulated these days. With AI hype-mongering threatening livelihoods and massive government and big tech layoffs, I’m witnessing many colleagues going through an existential career crisis. There’s a lot of tactical advice out there for which new tech skills to develop, how to create a stunning personal brand, and so on. But frankly, tactics alone won't calm your nerves or get you where you want to go in the long run.

How do I know this? I’ve spent decades as a high-achieving career woman, with an impressive career taking me from astronomy to data science to product management, working in academia, corporate, and startups, and holding multiple leadership roles. At least…that’s what you can see from the outside. Internally, I was suffering from anxiety, trying (and failing) to maintain a persona I thought was necessary for success, and acting in ways that went against my core values. Fast forward to today, where I spend little time worrying, show up authentically, and have the self-efficacy to know I’m capable of shaping the career and life I want to live.

In this talk, I’ll start by discussing some of the common challenges tech professionals face today that are leading to an increase in anxiety, burnout, and disillusionment, including rapid technology changes, job insecurity, and challenging workplace cultures. Next, I’ll share the story of my own professional journey in data science, with a backstage pass to the not-so-pretty side. Along the way, I’ll teach how concepts and exercises in emotional agility, thought models, and coaching helped me develop the
awareness, self-compassion, and self-love to break the anxiety cycle, manage challenging situations with a lot more ease, and finally make bold decisions that benefit me and align with my values. I’ll end with some practical tools and mindset shifts that can help you stay calm, collected, and able to direct your energy to what matters most. Even if everyone else is freaking out.

How to find us

Please enter the building using the side door on 3rd Street SE, right across 3rd Street from the Front Porch Music School, then take the stairs or elevator to the first floor. We'll be gathering in the Great Hall and Gallery area.