I met Nari Savanorke-Joyce while living with 20 other people in a double-wide row home in Boston's most elite neighborhood. She had just graduated from Wellesley College (Hilary Clinton's Alma Mater) and was getting started in entry-level corporate America.
Within a year she had become one of her company's most valuable data scientists.
Nari and I used to go sailing on the Charles River. We'd talk about economics, education, and the future of technology. Those conversations were fascinating to be a part of, so I thought: "Why not bring the genius of Nari on the show?"
As a professional, Nari takes cutting edge predictive models from the dusty shelves of academia and puts them to work on important business cases. She's a technical expert in data science but more than that, she's a chameleon who deftly maneuvers the social and political conditions of whatever situation she's in.
Our conversation in episode 4 of Hacker Practice takes place on Skype, with Nari calling in from a poppin' lounge in Stockholm. If you're unfamiliar with data science or are looking for career advice for ambitious millennials, you will certainly enjoy this conversation with Nari Savanorke-Joyce.
[1.10] Why Nari booked a trip to Stockholm, Sweden on a whim?
[5.50] How Nari learnt about entrepreneurship through her parents
[6.30] Why Nari uses meditation to stay focused
[9.30] Adapting to the corporate world despite having entrepreneurship
in your blood
[13.50] Why putting yourself in a position where you aren't in control is important for self-development
[16.10] Discussion on data science
Good data scientists excel in three directions:
DATA SCIENCE = Taking massive quantities of data and turning it into actionable insights
[18.30] Discussion on the methodology of data science (How to Data Science 101)
[22.10] How an insurance company uses data science to stop insurance fraud?
[30.30] Incentive structures in a data science role
[33.50] Using logistic regression to ask binary questions i.e. is person x likely to commit fraud?
[37.30] Why data cleansing is the most time consuming component of data science?
[42.20] Discussion on behavioural economics (psychology and economics) and how to derive value in data science
[45.00] Behavioral economics is not classical economics
[45.30] Specific advice for ambitious young people
[47.00] Importance in investing in continuous education
[51.50] Diversification vs focus lesson from Nari's parents - "You have to go all in if you really want to pursue something"
[55.00] On insurance start-ups attracting corporate talent
[58.10] Personal finance and budgeting
[1.03.20] Future of data science
[1.05.00] Nari provides podcast interview tactics that she'd like to see adopted by Hacker Practice podcast
[1.06.00] Nari's Top tier interviewees:
[1.10.10] Nari's book recommendations
[1.15.10] Travel hacks to save money
[1.16.20] Final piece of advice to listeners
