I’m an undergraduate studying Physics and Math and decided a few months ago that I want to break in to the ML field as a career (previously I wanted to pursue Physics/Academia). I was hoping some people working in the field here could offer some advice as to what it takes to get there.

​

I’ve been learning about ML in my limited free time during the semester and I’m hoping to take advantage of the summer to help make myself marketable in around a year or so (I’m graduating next Spring). I’ve been mostly reading about theory through things like ISLR and various resources for Neural Networks/DL. I have a reading list covering several facets of the ML field. I applied and interviewed for a few ML/DS internships but didn’t get any of them due to lack of practical experience. My plan is to work on a few projects to build a portfolio and fill that hole in my resume. One of my main concerns is figuring out what kind of problems/projects to tackle, any advice in this area is welcome. I’d really like to work on projects outside of tutorials but I can’t seem to think of anything to work on.

​

I guess what I’m asking is: What can I do over the course of the next year to make me a strong candidate for ML/DS jobs? I feel like there’s this gap between me and getting a job in the field and I’m not sure how to cross it. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks In Advance.