By Beth Bezaire Oommen,
Publication Date: 2026-02-03 22:28:00
I just finished listening to the latest episode of our Find Yourself in the Future series, and I have to tell you—if you’ve ever thought that a career in data science was out of your reach or “too technical,” you’ll definitely want to watch this session.
Our host, Yasmeen Seddeek, Junior Technical Advocate for Learn with Cisco, sat down with two of the brilliant minds powering data science at Cisco Networking Academy: Amy Guimond and Tashia Avery. Hearing the “how” and the “why” behind their journeys was inspiring! Here are my top takeaways from their conversation.
1. The data science career zigzag is real.
One of the most refreshing parts of the conversation was hearing that neither Amy nor Tashia started in a traditional computer science role. Amy began as a preschool teacher with a background in psychology, while Tashia spent years in academia as a research faculty member.
The message was clear: Your unique background is a strength. Whether you’re coming…
