I Quit My Six-Figure Data Job To Do Something Stupid
On January 4th, 2021, I did one the the scariest (and stupidest) things of my entire life.
I quit my six-figure data science job at ExxonMobil.
I made great money. I never worked more than 40 hours a week. Great co-workers. But deep down, I was miserable.
Most days, walking into the office felt like a 2 out of 10.
I was building apps the company valued at over $1 billion, but I still felt unseen. I felt trapped by corporate rules. My manager was actively working against me.
I knew something had to change.
The Move That Almost Ruined Me
I quit my job to become an entrepreneur and start a data analytics agency.
As soon as I got off the phone with my boss, I just sat there. Crying. Laughing Hyperventilating.
What did I just do? What if this fails? How will I feed my family?
The next few months were messy and uncertain. I worked on some great data projects. Then, one day, someone suggested I build a data course. Me? Build a course?
But I realized I actually loved teaching. So, I spent three months building a course on how to pivot your career into data science.
This eventually became what’s known as wildly successful Data Analytics Accelerator.
But it wasn’t always successful. The first year was rocky. We had some students lands job. But a lot of students struggled (more on this in a second).
And while I was trying to figure all of that out, things got even worse. A major magazine published an article about me leaving ExxonMobil, and it went viral. At first, I thought it might be good exposure.
Then anonymous online forums started talking about me. Complete strangers started posting horrible lies about me.
People said I was fired for performance. They said I stole company property. One rumor even claimed I snuck back onto the Exxon campus, got in a fight, threw papers everywhere, and trashed the office.
It was a total smear campaign. Phone calls. Emails. It was terrifying.
On top of this, my wife and I decided we wanted to have kids. This obviously be a huge commitment. Mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially. We wanted my wife to be able to stay home with the kids, which meant losing her income and insurance.
A mediocre bootcamp.
An epic smear campaign.
And increased family responsibilities.
Things were looking grim. I felt like giving up. Just go back to my old corporate life.
But I didn't give up. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started asking hard questions.
My Redemption Arc
I sat down & analyzed all my bootcamp students closely. Why did these students land jobs? While these students continued to struggle?
I realized many of the student who did land jobs went from their previous role (teacher, warehouser worker, delivery driver, etc.) to Data Analyst. And many who were struggling were trying to land Data Scientist roles.
I realized that going from a non-technical job to Data Scientist was just too massive of a jump. At least for a 12 week bootcamp.
I also saw the students who did land jobs often were doing great networking and making great projects. Not surprising, but differentiating for sure.
So I scraped the bootcamp entirely.
I restarted from scratch, around the idea of “The SPN Method”:
I shifted the goal from landing "Data Scientist" jobs to landing "Data Analyst" jobs.
I stopped using personal data projects and focused on real projects that actual companies use.
I created a brand-new system called the SPN Method (Skills, Portfolio, Networking).
Today, that rebuilt program is the Data Analytics Accelerator. Over 1,000 students have gone through it. They’ve landed jobs. Increased their salaries. Started working remotely. Found a new career. Peace. Happiness.
It all worked out. Both for me, and for my students.
Was it Worth it?
Looking back 5 years later, the journey has been difficult. Many people ask, “Has it been worth it?”
The answer is found in an old voicemail I got from one of my students.
She was a special needs teacher and completely burnt out. When she first joined, she said, "Avery, I can't take it anymore. Help me become a data analyst."
She joined the program. And a few months later, she left me voicemail. Crying. Thanking me.
She had just landed an analyst offer from Chase. New career. Salary increase. Remote work.
It has been 100% worth it. For calls like that.
It’s been a wild ride, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.
And it’s only the start :)
I’m just getting started!
Much love to each of you,
Avery
ps: if you are on the wild ride of pivoting into data analytics, and want some extra help, consider that very bootcamp, The Data Analytics Accelerator. It’s designed to help you land a data job.
