Time for a change

After 4 years of writing, I'm exploring what's next for me in ML / data science / AI (or whatever you want to call it)

Sometimes you have to make a big change in life. You’ve probably been there yourself.

For me, this time is now.

In 2022, I made the scary decision to become self-employed as a writer for technical books. With the Interpretable ML book already under my belt, some financial runway, and a support network, I gave it a try. I didn’t want to look back at my life and regret never trying the author life. There was a real risk, since most authors can’t live from writing books. Fortunately, I managed to make a living from just books, and I am super grateful to everyone buying my books, making it possible for me to become a full-time author.

At some point, though, I felt my world shrinking due to the self-inflicted constraint of saying no to everything that is not about writing. So I added more projects to the mix: I gave workshops on ML topics like interpretability and uncertainty quantification, and I consulted clients. At one point, I even (successfully!) invested 3 months into a machine learning competition to prove to myself that I’m still in the data science game and not just an impostor. Adding projects next to writing temporarily helped.

But now it’s time for a bigger change. I miss being part of a team, working together on a shared goal and projects. I miss ongoing exchanges with colleagues, the deadlines (yes, really), and this certain randomness (in the positive sense) you only get when being part of something bigger.

What’s next

I don’t have a concrete job lined up right now, but I started applying and having first conversations. I have no idea where I will end up yet, and that’s quite exciting.

If you would like to work with me or know of a job opening in the ML/data science space, I’d be very happy to hear about it! Just reply to this email, or send an email to chris at christophmolnar.com.

What it means for Mindful Modeler: I will continue posting here, but maybe on a more irregular schedule. Long-term, my writing for Mindful Modeler depends on what job I will have, whether it’s part-time or full-time. For some jobs, it might even make sense to post as part of the job itself.

I’ll continue writing the Tabular Foundation Models book during the job search. It’s probably going to be a bit shorter, focusing on the essentials. I already published a few chapters; check the tabular foundation book out here.

I’ll forever be grateful for having been able to write full-time. Thanks again to everyone who bought my books and followed along on my journey, here and elsewhere!