Hilary Parker (@hspter) is a Data Scientist, previously of Stitch Fix, Etsy, and the 2020 Biden for President Campaign. Her work focuses on the intersection of data science and product, from deeply understanding users to designing new experiences that depend on innovative data pipelines and client interactions.
Episode Description
Impacting the statistical data science communities has an aspiration many of us share. Outlets for such impact include work environments where we may collaborate with interdisciplinary teams as well as other newer outlets such as podcasting and a variety of publishing platforms. Today we will explore the origin story of such a contributor in Hilary Parker.
+Full Transcript
John Bailer Impacting the statistical data science communities has an aspiration many of us share. Outlets for such impact include work environments where we may collaborate with interdisciplinary teams as well as other newer outlets such as podcasting and a variety of publishing platforms. Today we will explore the origin story of such a contributor. I'm John Bailer, Stats and Stories is a production of Miami University's departments of statistics and media, journalism and film as well as the American Statistical Association. Joining me as always is regular panelist Rosemary Pennington for the Media Journalism and Film department. Our Guest today is one of the host of The Not So Standard Deviations podcast Hilary Parker. Parker is a data scientists previously of Stitch Fix and the 2020 Biden for President campaign focuses on the intersection of data science deeply understanding users to designing new experiences that depend on Innovative data pipelines and client interactions thank you so much for joining us today.
Hilary Parker
Thank you
John Bailer
Could talk a little bit about your trajectory, your path that's led to these different opportunities? And, and, you know, what, what caused you to be attracted to some of these alternatives that emerged as you were in one position to go to another?
Hilary Parker
Yeah, I mean, I'm excited to talk about it. Because if I have a soapbox, this is really one of them. When I feel like this, it was meaningful for me in my life, to start to trust my intuition or not try to overanalyze my decision making. And so I feel like this is such a sandpit, the analytical thinkers and that data scientists fall into so I'm always like, wanting to provide this sort of alternative way of thinking about it, which is that I had no clue what I was doing. There was never a path. I mean, I think at various points, I had a grand plan about what to do. But I, I think, what has served me really well and that I've started to understand better about myself is that for a lot of these choices, I tried to make them quote unquote, empirically, where I would collect sort of, like job interviews or opportunities, or just sort of tried to, to get enough data on how I was emotionally reacting to these things. So I could be like, it seems like I like this idea. So I'm going to do it and try to calm down the part of me that's like, let me explain exactly why I feel like this is important. And so it's like I said, I feel like in this field, there's such an impulse to try to try to like chart things out and have the security like I know exactly what's going to happen. then. And so I think, you know, I went to Etsy because I really liked the people I interviewed with. And I like the product. And so I mean, again, those are kind of the rationalizations I have now. But I was looking at academic jobs, I was looking at tech jobs. And that one, just like I lit up, and I was so excited so I did it. And then with Citrix, it was the same thing where it just felt right, I was really excited about the product, I kind of wanted to move to San Francisco, I couldn't even really articulate why. And then going to the Biden campaign, it was like, I was having this anxiety, I had a friend there, you know, it just everything ended up being very, it was a good idea at the time, you know. And so and I think the reality of this field now is that it's much more like that, like, especially if you're in tech, the companies can change overnight, and you need to be just, yeah, have this kind of flexible attitude. And then I do think this like, like, now I've taken a bunch of time off just because I realized, like, I was trying to get myself going in interviews, and there was just such a pit in my stomach where I wasn't ready. And rather than trying to be like, let me write down a list of why. It's just like, whatever. I'm just gonna keep taking time off then because it feels right, right now.
Rosemary Pennington
What advice would you have for young women who want to go into data science? We were talking before about how it's not always been a space where there have been a lot of women in the room?
Hilary Parker
Yes, yeah. And I mean, I actually not just keep, I think this is a sim, I would have similar advice, where it's like, trust your intuition, like if you're in an interview or with people, because that, yeah, there's a lot of bad situations out there. And so I don't think people are evil, but I just think they happen. And so and if you don't work really hard to make them go away, they're just going to perpetuate. And so I feel like I've gotten really lucky in tech, because I've been at these wonderful places. And part of it is like, like, the products were women centric, the managers were women. So it's just it was like a very intuitive thing. So my advice to women would be just to like, listen to your instincts, and be really discriminating about what situations seem healthy and which ones don't.
John Bailer
So, you know, as you think about this, I mean, it sounds like, you know, I've often celebrated serendipity in my career. Yes. You know, the opportunities that emerge unexpectedly. And, well say it like a podcast. Yeah. Yeah. Many of us didn't plan on that as being part of our careers. Or it may be that it's a vocation as much as a vocation. But what, what kind of, what kind of things? Are you? Are you starting to hit submit? Maybe this is premature to ask, but do you have sort of things that are starting to pull you in? What do you think? Where do you see your future? Maybe heading?
Hilary Parker
Yeah, I mean, I think that the, you know, I just happened to build this personal brand for myself, you know, where I have the podcast, and I've done a lot of talking, and I haven't really had a plan for what that meant. But it seemed like a good thing. And it's something I enjoy doing. So I am right now. So I started consulting, because I just wasn't feeling ready to go back into a company. And I was like, I've given a lot of these talks. And I feel this need to synthesize things. So I'm starting to think about, how can I make the part of me that does podcasts and the part of me that likes giving talks and feels like we've gotten somewhere in our thinking about the field and assumed outlay? How can I kind of make that more in line with my professional activities. So like the consulting being more direct with people about the type of work I want to do versus like, hey, I can help out this big company in some way. So yeah, I would say right now, and then also, like, this COVID time, I think everyone's just like having a really big moment of like, what am I doing with my life? So I'm also pursuing, like, hobbies a lot more and trying to, like, how can I make like, I'm doing pottery, and I've been making these mugs with an RF handle. And so I'm like, Oh, how can I like, you know, make this part of the community and, you know, so just trying to, like, let myself have opened doors for everything, because like you said, the serendipity is just so I have some plans. But I'm also like those, I'm so much more comfortable now at this stage in my life, where I'm like, those might change. And I've been through it enough now that I know I'll survive. It won't be the end of the world like I thought it was when I was 20.
John Bailer
Well, thank you so much for taking the time to join us on this episode. This is the stats and short stories episode. It's so good to be able to chat with you.
Rosemary Pennington
Yes, thank you so much.
John Bailer Stats and Stories is a partnership between Miami University’s Departments of Statistics, and Media, Journalism and Film, and the American Statistical Association. You can follow us on Twitter, Apple podcasts, or other places you can find podcasts. If you’d like to share your thoughts on the program send your email to statsandstories@miamioh.edu or check us out at statsandstories.net, and be sure to listen for future editions of Stats and Stories, where we discuss the statistics behind the stories and the stories behind the statistics.