An honest appraisal of your current technical skills, and your willingness and capacity to learn and develop in this area, is a good starting point. For example, if you have developed programming and coding skills, how confident do you feel with using these professionally? Speaking with LSE graduates via the LSE LinkedIn alumni finder, engaging with employers on campus and attending events run by LSE Generate and LSE Careers can help clarify which role might suit you.
If you are looking to gain experience
Internships and work experience will provide an advantage but are not the only option. Look out for coding clubs, hackathons and other collaborative data-focused events on campus or beyond. Meeting with students from different institutions, including those with technical and engineering degree programmes such as UCL and Imperial, can help develop your knowledge and skills along with your network of contacts.
Consider how to showcase your development, projects and contributions via an online portfolio – you can present your skills and learning journey by setting up a GitHub profile (which is standard practice in the sector) and a professional website.
Take advantage of online learning opportunities and certifications, such as those offered via courses on platforms like Coursera, edX or DataCamp. These often provide tangible credentials that can be included on a CV, GitHub or LinkedIn profile.
If you are early on in your career
Data-related graduate programmes are available across a range of organisations. A graduate programme can be a good way of accessing training and development opportunities for non-IT graduates, and are often used as an entry point into this field by LSE students. Alternatively, you may wish to explore opportunities within SMEs and start-ups where your drive, adaptability and entrepreneurial skills will be equally valued.
If you have more experience
The best route is likely to be through recruitment agencies and search firms, networking within the sector and applying directly for roles on company websites and via LinkedIn. An ability to demonstrate your continuous professional development in relation to data, coding and innovation will be key to ensuring that your previous work experience is relevant to future employers.
If you’re changing career
Reflect on what your existing skills might add to a data-focused role. Be prepared to be flexible. LSE alumni who have changed careers often emphasise the important of making a number of moves in the first few years. This blog from LSE Careers highlights some of the areas to focus on. If you’re looking to make a considerable career shift, then targeted upskilling through bootcamps or specialised master's programmes may be a valuable way to develop skills and make connections.