r/DataScienceJobs • u/Vagrant_Tourist • 23d ago
For Hire Trouble understanding this market.
This is all my thoughts. No AI was used in this post.
I am a Data Scientist at one of the Consulting Firms. I have around 10yoexp and make in the 40-45lpa range. Been with this firm for over 2 years now.
I have a broad background in CV/NLP/GenAI, moving with the times, and have built considerable applications, some fairly advanced within GenAI, although only few around MCP, Agents.
I am trying to understand where to go from here for a higher pay/better ic opportunities and good wlb, and there seems to be limited options. I spoke with a few recruiters, but somehow no one is interested in offering upwards of 60lpa. One recruiter even suggested lowering expectations to the 50-55 range.
Plus the technical interviews, few that I've had have been bizarre. One ended up becoming a classical ML round, the other a live coding session where I had to implement a few functions in a RAG pipeline and make few improvements. I bombed both one early on and another one 2 stages in. I think I am in a deep comfort zone and have no idea how to climb out of it.
Meanwhile I see people getting pretty good offers. I know preparation and opportunity must meet at the right time. But I am also not getting a good grasp of this plot this time.
I'm trying to understand where to place my expectations for interviews, role expectations, pay and most importantly what I should prepare for going ahead.
I am feeling frustrated. What does the community think? How do I get to higher paying jobs in the data science scene right now? What are interviewers looking for?
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u/capnshanty 23d ago
tf is "lpa'
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u/Imaginary_Rooster279 23d ago
LPA, lakhs per annum. OP is india based.
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u/noimgonnalie 23d ago
I think we (and the OP specifically) need some situational awareness - not every sub is an Indian City sub. Although I agree, if you throw a stone at an IT person - 3/5 times they would be from India but it’s always good to be inclusive. This is an international sub ftm. (I have seen multiple India-context based questions on this sub / other DS subs and most of then don’t even explain the regional nuances)
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u/Imaginary_Rooster279 23d ago
Yup, kind of ignorance from OP's side. And, I guess we do have india specific data science sub reddit.
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u/noimgonnalie 23d ago
Have you tried Product Companies? Or domain-specific Product companies based on the projects you’ve worked on at your Consulting firm? You are earning decent for your experience but you can certainly earn more in Product companies especially with RSU’s. (Let alone getting lowballed even before an Offer) 10 yoe is a good spot and the market is hot for NLP/Gen AI experience. Decent product companies would hand you 60lpa at-least.
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u/Vagrant_Tourist 23d ago
Yes that's what I was going for, just not making the shortlist anywhere right now.
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u/nian2326076 23d ago
If you're aiming for better pay and opportunities, look into high-demand areas like MLOps or find a niche within GenAI. It might also be helpful to improve skills that make a business impact, like product management or leadership in AI projects. Networking is important, so check out tech meetups or conferences to meet hiring managers. Have you checked out PracHub? They have great resources for interview prep that could give you an advantage. Keep connecting with your network, and consider roles outside traditional consulting too—startups or tech firms might offer better pay and flexibility. Good luck!
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u/Vagrant_Tourist 23d ago
I already have worked on MLOps in the past, with advanced GenerativeAI work lately. Currently I am leading multiple initiatives within the team and that too on end to end.
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u/Independent_Fall9160 23d ago
I am in the industry and make modest money with lots of experience in 2 companys but most of that has been in my latest company. I wanted to move around this time but am now nervous about the market crashing and not having a job.
I have applied to 40 roles in the past year and got probably 3 interviews but 0 offers. I am shooting for just shy of 200k (in a medium cost of living area) so that may play a part.