Steve Levkoff
Lecturer / Data Science Consultant
University of California, San Diego/Nerd Kingdom
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I helped co-found Nerd Kingdom with three or four other people.
This was my first venture into data science; I worked my way up to chief economist.
I also acted as the chief financial officer of the company for some time, which was eye-opening.
We ran a Kickstarter campaign, raised a quarter of a million dollars, and launched the company.
The company has grown from 4 to over 60 employees over the last 4 years.
I hold appointments at UCSD in the Department of Economics and School of Global Policy & Strategy.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Lecturer / Data Science Consultant
I watch and analyze people playing video games in a strategic setting to learn about human behavior.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Science
Technology
Problem Solving
Day to Day
I might be in my office on campus, lecturing or working problems on the whiteboard; or I could be on my computer coding, which means I could be anywhere from my house to the beach, as long as there's wifi. The beauty of data science and the nature of technology right now is the ability to work on collaborative problems in a remote fashion, without being bound by the geographical differences within your team.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
First of all, make sure you're in a good position to acquire your technical skills: that means you're doing well in your math, writing and / or computer science courses. Without some demonstration of the basic skill set needed, it's going to be hard to augment your education and extend your portfolio of knowledge in a meaningful and applicable way.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"Why should I believe in your business?"
