I work in mergers & acquisitions (math major undergrad, Python classes) but enjoy looking at interesting financial and non-financial datasets in what little free time I have.
What project(s) have you worked on? Can a self-taught hobby data scientist produce solid/meaningful statistical analysis/results products?
I did have a statistical background before starting at Apple however. Most of my projects were self-taught and done as self-research (I am not a fan of the take-a-million-MOOCs strategy everyone likes).