How I networked with one of the most prominent Data Scientists online[Storytime Saturdays]
The steps I took to meet Ken Jee, a Data Scientist whose work reaches millions.
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How can you network with well-established individuals in your domain, especially when you’re a nobody? A lot of you have asked me this.
Whether it is for a referral, guidance on a particular venture you’re working on, or for any of many other reasons that you would want for adding people to your network, the art of networking is one of the most useful skills to add to your toolbox. However, people often struggle to network effectively. Whether it is for personal growth, career progression, or helping someone out, having a strong network is a great asset to rely on.
In this post/email, I will cover the story of how I was able to network with Ken Jee, one of the most prominent data scientists online. He has phenomenal videos catered towards beginners, aimed at helping them develop the skills to break into Data Science and Machine Learning. He has established himself as one of the most prominent voices in the domain. Ken and I have been able to develop a good relationship, which even culminated in my appearance on his excellent Podcast (which you can watch here).
Some of you might be skeptical because I have an online presence myself. You may not have the same leverage in this regard. However, I met Ken in Jan 2022, before I had real ‘clout’. Back then, I had started to commit more to my writing. This newsletter had fewer than 100 readers (and 0 paying subs). Back then, I was a complete nobody. However, using the principles that I will go over in this article, I was able to stand out from the thousands of other people who try to reach out to him. And you will too.
For another proof of this approach working, here is the video on how I got my first 100 USD/hour contract, without even graduating from university. I got this role, because of networking with the right people. This gave me the opportunity to show off my knowledge/skills to the right individuals, which ultimately lead to the contract.
Devansh is the ninja of networking.
-My grandma (hopefully)
Sound like a good time? Let’s get right into it.
The Story
Find their work- The first and most overlooked step to networking with people, especially those that are more prominent is to really seek out their work. What does this mean? Say you wanted a referral from an employee at Google named DJ-EQ. The standard advice is to send a connection request, saying something like, “Hey DJ-EQ, I am interested in working at Google. Have a few questions, that I would love to get your input on. Would love to connect and talk further“. If you’re from the same university/city/former company, you might throw that in. This is not bad advice, but it is extremely boring. This will work if you have a strong connection with them (mutual friends, you’re involved in something they’re passionate about, etc), but there’s a high likelihood you’ll be ignored. A better bet is to find their work. Go through their old posts/Googling them online and find out something that you can use as a crutch to reach out to them. This gives them a reason to want to talk to you, beyond just the frame of them being an employee at a company you’re into. In Ken’s case, this was relatively straightforward. He has a giant YouTube channel, in a very similar domain to mine (my work is geared more towards advanced practitioners, but it is still in Data and Machine Learning). Once you have a crutch to begin, the next step becomes crucial.
Engage on their terms- Once you find their work, your best bet is to engage with people on their terms. Since Ken has a huge YouTube channel, I engaged with his work by commenting on his videos. I would watch his videos and do my best to leave a comment to add value. By constantly sharing valuable comments, I was able to stand out in the comments section. He (and his viewers) appreciated what I had to say and this encouraged them to engage with me further. This worked out much better than I was expecting since it lead to Ken subscribing to my YouTube channel. Keep in mind, I had no viewers/subs at this point, and my production quality/presentation was terrible. I had no memes!!!
Speak their lingo- An important component of the above point is to speak the language of the people you’re talking to. Ken’s videos are geared towards beginners and focus more on the behaviors/principles that allow data scientists to excel. It would be foolish for me to go into my AI Research breakdowns or use more advanced jargon. I save this for a creator like Yannic Kilcher, who covers the important developments in Machine Learning and AI Research.
Be a middleman- Once this person has become familiar with your presence, you drop this nuke on them. Of all my networking techniques, this is probably the most impactful. You reach out to this person and offer to introduce them to another group/person that is of interest to them. I did so by introducing Ken to Patrick Akil, the host of the exceptional Beyond Coding Podcast, and other possible guests. I had no real friendship with either, but I knew that they were both engaged with work that the other would find valuable. You too can apply this. Take 2 people/groups that are doing great work, and tell them both that you would love to connect them with the other. They will both generally say yes and will be grateful for you. And you will be able to see amazing work out of it (both Ken and Patrick appeared on each other’s podcast and the results were bangers. Catch them here and here).
Have hobbies- One of the best ways to have deeper relationships with people is to have common interests with them. This allows you to deepen your relationship. By showing common interests, you allow the people you’re reaching out to see you as more than a LinkedIn profile. They start to see you as a person. I call this, getting drunk with people of common interest (after how Software Legend Harish Mehta used this alcohol to get very strong personalities to work together). It is a crucial part of developing your relationship with people that you want to work with. By having a wide array of interests, you increase the chances of having common hooks that you can use to engage with a multitude of people.
Closing Thoughts- There is a strong element of luck involved in this process. My connection with Ken was more due to the fact that he reciprocated my engagement than it was my own genius. If you apply this approach, you will hear a lot of nothing. People will go ghost, not reply to you, etc. Don’t take this personally. That is expected. Eventually, you will figure whose not receptive. Drop the amount of time you spend reaching out to them, and spend time on the ones that appreciate your presence. Say your goal is to reach 10 people per week. If 20% of people reply, that’s 2 new engaged connections per week. Don’t underestimate how much of an impact this can make.
Even in this newsletter, which people have to sign up for, only about 20% of people open my emails regularly. When you’re trying to work with people, keep a thick skin.
Once you actually add a person to your network, you want to water your garden and foster your relationship with them. I will do a separate post on this, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, use these techniques to stand out and network with Tech Leaders, the right way.
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Stay Woke,
Go kill all,
Devansh <3
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