The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
University Graduate (STEM)
0-1 year post-graduationSkills to master
- Transitioning academic knowledge to practical, production-ready code
- understanding real-world data challenges
- effective team collaboration.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully completed a final year project involving data analysis or ML.
- Demonstrated proficiency in Python and basic SQL.
- Completed relevant internships or extra-curricular coding activities.
- 2
Specialised AI/Data Science Bootcamp Graduate
0-1 year post-bootcampSkills to master
- Deepening theoretical understanding
- applying bootcamp skills to enterprise-scale problems
- adhering to corporate coding standards.
You're ready to move on when
- Strong portfolio of bootcamp projects, especially those solving business-relevant problems.
- Solid grasp of ML fundamentals and common libraries.
- Ability to articulate technical concepts clearly.
- 3
Self-Taught Developer / Data Enthusiast
1-2 years of dedicated self-study/project workSkills to master
- Formalising self-taught knowledge
- understanding software engineering best practices (Git, testing)
- working in a structured team environment.
You're ready to move on when
- Impressive personal project portfolio, ideally on GitHub, with clean, well-documented code.
- Active participation in online communities or open-source contributions.
- Can clearly explain their learning journey and technical decisions.


