Why are data scientists in demand?
Data science is a career for tomorrow. With the advancement of technology, businesses are getting data-driven and innovative every day.
As a data scientist, you have the opportunity to design better products and deliver a personalized customer experience.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the demand for data science skills will increase by 27.9 percent by 2026.
Therefore, If you have a knack for data, it can prove to be a very lucrative career for you. Follow this guide to learn if data science is the right career path for you.
For the key points of the article, read the points written below:
- Data science can be a rewarding career for anyone who has a knack for data and possesses the required programming skills and knowledge for analytical tools.
- To kick-start your career in data science, you need to have a bachelor’s degree in a related field or enroll yourself in a relevant Bootcamp or online course.
- There is a high demand for data scientists and low supply; therefore, the job market is comparatively less saturated, and it is easy to grab a high-paying job.
- A data scientist plays a vital role in bolstering business performance by enhancing customer experience by designing customer-oriented products.
In this article, we will discuss the following in detail:
- What is data science?
- What is a data scientist salary?
- How to become a data scientist?
- What is a data scientist job description?
- What are the top 3 skills for data scientist?
What is Data Science?
Data science is a multidisciplinary field that uses scientific methods, algorithms, and analysis to extract actionable insights from complex datasets. Data scientists process and interpret data across a broad range of domains.
Is data scientist a good career option for you?
- Growing Demand
With the realization of the importance of data, the size of the data science market is increasing tremendously. It is one of the most fastest-growing jobs on Linkedin and is predicted to create 11.5 million jobs by 2026.
- Sky-high Salary
Data scientists are paid a handsome amount. Data scientists are paid much above the expected market standards for the sudden increase in demand and less supply.
- Less Competitive
There is an abundance of data science opportunities in the job market. Since there are very few people with the required skills set, it makes the data science market less saturated than other IT jobs.
- Decision-Maker
As a data scientist, you will be responsible for making informed business decisions. Not all professions give you this opportunity. Helping businesses with making advanced decisions, you support the organization climb the growth ladder faster and smoother.
- Non-Technical
You can kick-start your career in data science with the required knowledge of analytical tools such as SQL, Tableau, and excel. You can dive into the journey even if you hail from a non-technical educational background.
Also read: In-depth guide on what is data sience.
Data Scientist Skills
In this day and age it is not a mandatory requirement to have certain degrees or academic accomplishments to be eligible for the job, rather a good skill set is more important.
To have a lucrative career in data science you need a combination of both technical and non technical skills, a few of those are mentioned below:
- Programming languages such as C/C++, SQL, Python
- Analytical tools such as SAS, Hadoop, Spark, Hive
- Machine Learning
- Deep Learning
- Communication
- Data Visualization
How Much Do Data Scientists Make?
According to Indeed, the average salary for a data scientist is $115,690 per year in the United States. However, the pay can vary depending on location.
Let us have a look at average salaries in cities across the United States:
| Sl No. | City | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | San Francisco | $124,570 |
| 2. | Seattle | $111,202 |
| 3. | New York | $105,993 |
| 4. | Boston | $101,507 |
| 5. | Los Angelas | $100,615 |
| 6. | Austin | $98,675 |
| 7. | Atlanta | $91,867 |
| 8. | Washington | $91,456 |
| 9. | Chicago | $91,333 |
| 10. | Charlotte | $86,586 |
As you gain experience, you move to a higher position with a higher pay. Let us have a look at the compensation w.r.t. senior job positions:
| Sl. No. | Job Title | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Senior Data Scientist | $127,420 |
| 2. | Data Science Manager | $138,043 |
| 3. | Data Science Director | $155,166 |
Also read: What is the average data scientist salary?
How to Become a Data Scientist?
To become a data scientist, you need a format training and hone the required skills. Let us have a look at the steps to becoming a data scientist:
- Get a data science degree
A related bachelor’s degree in statistics, big data, or computer science is required to start with your career as a data scientist. Further, you can get a master’s and Ph.D. in data science to dive into deeper statistical study and potentially conduct your own research.
- Hone Your Skills
To become a data scientist, you need to be well aware of programming languages including Python, R, SQL, SAS, and tools including Tableau, PowerBI, Excel for visualizing data. For polishing your data science skills, you can consider enrolling in Bootcamp or taking an online course.
- Prepare for Interviews
For bagging a data scientist job, you will encounter both technical and behavioral questions.
Here a a few questions that you can encounter during an interview:
-
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a linear model?
-
What is a random forest?
-
Explain the steps in making a decision tree
-
How will you correct the imbalance of data
-
Discuss your approach towards solving any data analytics project?
-
Get your first job
Seek a position as an entry-level data scientist job for expanding your knowledge gain expertise in data science.
Also read: How to build a career in data science?
What Does a Data Scientist Do?
Let us have a look at the data scientist job description:
- To liaise with key stakeholders for identifying growth opportunities by leveraging organizational data.
- Analyze market trends and develop business strategies for creating products that meet customers’ requirements
- Assess the effectiveness and accuracy of the methods and tools utilized for collecting & analyzing data.
- Develop and apply algorithms and custom models to datasets
- Present findings to the cross-functional teams and senior managers to enable decision-making.
Also read: How to prepare for data science interview?
Key Takeaways
- Get a bachelor’s degree in data science or any related field to start your career as a data scientist.
- Enroll yourself in an online course or a relevant Bootcamp to polish your data science skills
- Gain enormous knowledge in analytical tools including SQL, Tableau, Excel, and programming languages including Python, R, SQL, SAS.
- Prepare for both technical and behavioral questions for interviews to bag your first job and kick start your career as a data scientist.
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