Hi everyone,

I’m currently considering offers for data science internships at two companies, both leaders in their respective industries in the U.S. (top 5 in terms of size). One is a healthcare insurance company, and the other is a telecommunications company. The pay for both positions is comparable after accounting for all factors, but I’m seeking advice on the future prospects and growth potential of these fields, as well as insights about the teams and roles.

About the Roles and Teams:

Healthcare Insurance Internship:

• Likely involves projects around healthcare modeling, claims analysis, and enterprise applications like Databricks, SAS, and Snowflake.
• The team is composed of data engineers, BI engineers, and software engineers but lacks data scientists or machine learning experts.
• My concern: The absence of experienced data scientists might limit the feedback and mentorship I receive, potentially affecting my technical growth.

Telecommunications Internship:

• Likely focuses on network outages, customer success, operational analytics, and modeling.
• The team has 2-3 data scientists and an additional analyst, all working on data-centric tasks.
• Uses Python or R for modeling and analyses, with Excel and CSV files as primary data sources.
• My concern: The team is small, and the work shared so far doesn’t appear very technically intensive. With already a few data scientists on board, I worry it might be harder for me to stand out or contribute uniquely.

My Concerns:

1. Healthcare Insurance: While the role involves exposure to cutting-edge tools, the lack of a strong data science presence on the team could limit my opportunities to receive data science-specific feedback and mentorship. I have worked in such teams before and have received wonderful advise which has helped me grow, but not necessarily on data science heavy areas, more so logic and soft skills.
2. Telecommunications: Although the team has existing data scientists, the nature of the work seems less technically intensive, and the small team size could mean fewer opportunities to stand out or make a unique impact.

Key Questions:

1. Which field (healthcare insurance or telecommunications) offers better growth and future prospects for data science roles in the U.S.?
2. How important is the presence of experienced data scientists for mentorship and feedback during an internship?
3. What would you guys pick if you had the choice?

Any advice or insights on these industries, the roles, and the team dynamics would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and input!