At some point you have dedicated yourself to accumulating knowledge and helping others in the field of data science. You may not have realized it, but you are laying the foundation to have your own business. In addition to a traditional corporate gig you want to build a data science business. This can be profitable, educational, and believe it or not, fun. Think about it. You can pursue professional relationships that are actually meaningful to you.
The Ideal
You can solve problems and help people. Not just any people, but the people you choose to work with. You get to boldly display all of these technical skills that you have been building for all these years.
If you are diligent, you will at least generate enough cash flow to have some flexibility in your life. If you are careful with your budget and stash some cash away in investments, you can actually get to financial independence more quickly than your peers.
The Reality
When you build a business, it means to take a risk in terms of time and money to create something of value. It is not a hobby. Hobbies don’t create a profit. At some point, others need to recognize this value and present you with money (society’s IOU for work done) that exceeds the value of the amount of time and money you risked in the first place. When…
