3 answers
Sheila’s Answer
Everyone who wants to become a data scientist will need to take several key steps. These include choosing a career path and expanding your industry knowledge. Further education is a must; your options include a traditional college program or data science boot camp, which has become a more popular choice among working adults.
1) CHOOSE A PATH
Data science is a broad field that offers countless opportunities for growth and success. If you are looking to become a data scientist, it will be beneficial to identify which industry you ultimately want to work within.
2) BRUSH UP ON ESSENTIAL SKILLS
In terms of essential skills for a data scientist role, mathematics and computer science rank at the top of the list.
3) GET AN EDUCATION
Specialized education is a necessity for data scientists. It doesn’t matter how much of a knack you might have for statistics or linear algebra — if you don’t have certain industry skills and theoretical knowledge, no one is likely to hire you.
4) KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM AN ENTRY-LEVEL ROLE
While the ways companies use data will vary, data scientists often provide analysis to improve cost-efficiency and financial performance, influence strategies, manage risk levels, and assess product or service quality and success. Knowing how to use the tools of the trade is a must, so you should be confident in your abilities and be able to demonstrate your expertise if prompted.
5) BOOST YOUR HIRING POTENTIAL
The demand for data scientists is growing, but the industry is also highly competitive. It’s not enough to have the skills and the will to use them; you also need to stand out among your peers.
Best of luck to you on your journey!
Sheila recommends the following next steps:
Geoff’s Answer
If yes, there are many great resources online to discover the skills you need to develop to be successful as a Data Scientist. Here are a few I would recommend: 1) Try reviewing some of the Webinars on Data Science Central to see the range of problems being solved by Data Scientists; 2) Check out Kaggle.com to see different volunteer projects in Data Science, and 3) Search on popular job sites like Indeed using Data Scientist as a search term to see the skills and experience that companies are typically looking for.
Preparing to be a Data Scientist requires a combination of statistics and programming, so plan to learn both the concepts behind data science and put in practice the hands-on development of models. If you have an interest in this field, try to find a project online from Kaggle.com or another non-profit you can develop some first-hand experience to explore your interest. Best !
Barry’s Answer
Hi Yulia, That's a great question. The Data Scientist position is a really desired role, and more and more industries are seeing the value of having one on staff as the internet of everything expands to almost every field the amount of data being collected is expanding, and everyone wants to know how to use that data to improve operations and processes.
Most of the data scientists on our team are really good with spreadsheets, numbers, and entering and understanding data points, understanding and identifying variables causing change, and they can communicate the findings to the executive team to bring change for the company or operations.
It would be great to get an education making you comfortable with spreadsheets and calculations in something like computer science, math, IT, or physics. And also work to gain experience in the field you would like to work in.
Best of luck!