Discovering and Reading Content

I read blogs related to data science, the industry I’m working in, and technology in general both because it can be fun and because it keeps me informed for my career. I think others should do the same.

I have a kind of ‘systematized’ approach to how I do this that I’ll share at the end of the post since I’m kind of a nerd for processes. But the main takeaway I would want to share is that staying informed in your business, and even in general career advice, can definitely be a good way to help your career.

Find writers you enjoy reading and follow them. Subscribe to content related to the industry you are in: Your own company’s newsletter and your competitors. Find a way to keep your finger on the pulse of information that could benefit your career that makes it easy to build habits around because you enjoy doing it.

Content I Like – Email Subscriptions

Email newsletters about data science can be great, but only if you limit the number you subscribe to. Too many means too many emails, and you’re more likely to ignore them and have them just clutter your email inbox.

To avoid the clutter in your email inbox, use some way to automatically categorize these once you receive them. For example, in Gmail, this could be Label and Filters; in Outlook, this could be Inbox Folders and Rules. I check these weekly to add to my queue in Pocket, but then only read when I have time.

  • Google Alerts related to your company/competitors/industry. For example, “BC Real Estate”, “Company Name”. Make sure you set “How often” to “at most once a week” and “How many” to “Only the best results” so you don’t get too many emails.
  • Your company’s newsletter, and any competitors so you know what content is being put out.
  • Data Science Weekly – Always unique new content. I skim most but usually find 1-2 of the links worth a deep read.
  • Avinash Kaushik’s – I almost always find this great.
  • O’Reilly Data Newsletter – Surprisingly good! Almost all the content is worthy of deep reads.
  • KDnuggets – I find 1-3 things in here maybe once a month. They often feel a bit repetitive to me. Try to unsubscribe from those marketing lists so you only get the KDnuggets News emails.

Content I Like – Blogs

One way I discover content is following blogs on Feedly. I then save any posts that look interesting to Pocket.

My Content Discovery Process

  1. Discover Content
    • Blogs (followed on Feedly)
    • Email Subscriptions
    • Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook)
    • Pocket
  2. Save Content
    (on Pocket using the browser extension on desktop/app on mobile)

    • If applicable, categorize (career-help, data-science, fun, ai)
  3. Read Content
    • Now, when you have time, you have a queue built up of information
    • I mostly end up reading this on my commute to work