How To Get The Most Out Of A Data Science Slack channel

These days, we are all bombarded with several social media platforms but the one thing all techies are into these days is nothing but a slack channel.

Slack channel by definition is "A channel that brings order and clarity to work – you can create them for any project, topic or team. With the right people and information in one place, teams can share ideas, make decisions and move work forwards."

Now, let's see how we can use a slack channel to its fullest using these 3 trivial ways for budding data science and analytics professionals.

Networking:

I can't emphasize enough the importance of "Networking".

• Keep reaching out to people to develop professional relationships and social contacts. Some slack channels have meetups like 'coffee chats'. When you get to know people and their interests and at the same time exchange your interests, you can definitely come across some common interests which can lead to collaborating on some projects.

• Are you are researcher? Then you are in the right direction. You can share in your research works (if allowed) related to data science to the community wherein you can definitely expand your knowledge and also help others become aware of the current trends and ideas where the data community is directed to.

Communication:

Communication again is a form of networking however we can effectively communicate on the data community through the slack channels.

• Stay relevant to things happening in your slack channel. Try to comment on topics that seem interesting and try to leave a mark on your comments. By doing this way, you are building a brand for yourself.
• Promote your article but only relevant to your slacks channel (in this article, I am referring to data science slack channels). On such slack channel, you can post LinkedIn posts/articles that you have written and are willing to spread and contribute knowledge to the community. This leads to a win-win scenario where many collaborate and learn from each other.
• As a budding data science professional, keep on implementing and self-made projects to get some experience. But it doesn't stop there, you can post your self-made projects or applications in your slack channel and communicate them describing the idea of the projects.

Niche:

Some of the slack channels that I am part of related to data science have a clear niche like hosting mentor sessions, resume reviews, job postings, online courses, etc.

• Mentor sessions in some slack channels are fun and knowledgeable. This involves exchanges of ideas.

• There are some data leaders who are generous enough to check in your resumes and provide feedback as per their experience.

• There are also some people or data science aspirants who post in the list of currently hiring jobs in the organization which is the icing on the cake. You can directly reach out to them for more information regarding the job and its expectations.

• One thing I see often in several slack channels is that there are a lot of people who post discounted online Data Science courses. That definitely helps students and entry-level data science aspirants to pick up the courses at cheap rates. Make sure to get involved in such sessions and learn from data leaders and constantly learn from leaders.

Of all these trivial ways, there is one thing we can continue to strive for is by contributing and learning by staying active in your slack channel. The more you engage with people in channels, the more you get out there into the data community. As we move into an online/digital era, we are provided with several ways to learn, and making the right decisions will lead to everlasting success.

‘All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.’

— Michael John Bobak, digital artist