I just finished a PhD in stats, and before that, studied computer science. I had planned to go back to industry to do software engineering or be a data scientist afterwards.
However, it seems that in the meantime, vibe coding has taken over the software industry and swallowed most data scientist roles. Few open positions, and the ones that do exist are just pushing a button instead of thinking and solving problems. Is this a correct assessment? Should I try to get back in or just find a new career? I am not too keen on staying in academia either.
With a PhD in stats you should be able to make more than most software developers. Companies need scientists to sign off on certain claims for liability reasons and it’s easier for them to just have one in house. That’s a licensed position that AI will not be able to take away.