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Hello Hòa, could you introduce yourself? 

I'm Hòa, commonly known as Hola. With over 6 years of experience working with data and nearly 4 years as a Data Scientist at Cốc Cốc, I hope that I can answer many of your questions if you're looking to pursue this career. Feel free to ask! 

On a scale of 1-100, how HOT is Data Scientist profession? 

I’d rate it 100/100. The demand is consistently high, especially with the boom of Big Data and AI requiring in-depth data analysis and processing to make more accurate business decisions. Companies need Data Scientists for this reason. 

Is it exciting or stressful working with large data sets and new technologies? 

It's both exciting and stressful. 

Exciting: Every day, I get to uncover hidden information and trends in data, which helps the company make important business decisions. Constantly learning and applying new technologies also keeps you competitive. 

Stressful: The job demands high standards like ensuring data to be cleaned, processed, and analyzed accurately, and having deep knowledge in many fields. The strategic importance of data leads to high expectations from management and other departments. 

How do you handle stress? 

When stressed, I walk around, chat with teammates, and seek advice from more experienced colleagues. Sometimes, I grab a snack, make a cup of noodles, or use the company's massage chair. Additionally, I listen to music or exercise. I play badminton twice a week, which I’ve maintained for 5 years, as good health helps manage stress better. 

Is the Data Scientist role at Cốc Cốc HOT? 

Very HOT. Cốc Cốc is hiring Data Scientists from Junior to Middle levels. We're eagerly looking for new team members to tackle exciting problems in the AI Lab, providing AI/ML solutions to all other departments. 

What makes the Data Scientist role at Cốc Cốc different? 

As a Vietnamese browser product with millions of users, Data Scientists at Cốc Cốc work with vast and diverse data sources daily, including user behavior and search activities. This offers challenges and opportunities for development, learning, and applying new techniques to problems such as AI Chat (RAG), Text Summarization, News Recommendation, LLM...

We often discover interesting user behavior trends, like significant changes in user interaction on holidays, which helps adjust content strategies for optimal traffic. For example, the spike in ads at 9 AM aligns with flash sales of brands. 

At Cốc Cốc, you work in a creative environment where all ideas are heard. You’ll collaborate with industry experts, offering great opportunities to learn, share experiences, and build meaningful long-term relationships. This workplace also enhances your teamwork and communication skills, with opportunities for future leadership roles. 

Can you share a memorable project at Cốc Cốc? 

My first project at Cốc Cốc was building a Click Through Rate (CTR) prediction system. Initially, I attended many meetings to understand the business metrics from project managers. The next three months involved researching suitable models, collecting and processing data, and building and evaluating the model’s quality. Integration with the system and coordination with other departments took another six months, involving progressive testing phases. Balancing model metrics with business metrics was challenging. Even after publishing, we monitored real-time dashboards to track system performance and adjusted for special events affecting model accuracy, like sports events and festivals. 

Will Data Scientist profession remain HOT in the next 3-5 years? How will it evolve? 

In the next 3-5 years, the demand for skilled Data Scientists will remain high and the profession will become more complex with AI’s rapid growth. Strong programming skills and knowledge of new technologies will be increasingly important. There will also be a tighter integration between data science and other fields like finance, healthcare, and IT. 

What technologies/trends should be focused on now? 

Currently, we should focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLM). Additionally, data processing and analysis techniques (DataOps), as well as deploying and maintaining AI models in production (MLOps), are also very important.

Three essential tools for aspiring Data Scientists? 

1. Solid knowledge of mathematics and statistics: Understanding probability, distributions, hypothesis testing, and statistical models is crucial. 

2. Strong programming skills: Python and R are the most common languages in this field. 

3. Problem-solving and analytical thinking: You need to logically analyze problems and find optimal solutions. Analytical thinking helps in understanding data, building accurate predictive models, and making data-driven decisions. 

Thank you, Hola! We wish you continuous energy and inspiration to tackle challenges in the field of Data Science!