Source: towardsdatascience.com
Data Scientist is one of the hottest job on the market right now. Demand for data science is huge and will only grow, and it seems it’s growing much faster than the actual number of data scientist. So if you want to make a career change and become a data scientist, now is the time.
Who is a Data Scientist?
A data scientist is an expert with a deep knowledge of data, algorithms and data visualization. To be a data scientist, you need to possess the ability to work as part of a team, understand data structure, analyze data, design and create charts and graphs, and write concise code.
What is a Data Scientist Salary?
A Data Scientist is one of the most sought after jobs in the industry right now, and it comes with a lot of perks. They can earn anywhere between $120,000-$180,000 per year. For comparison, a Software Developer makes between $110,000-$135,000.
Of course a Data Scientist’s salary depends on their specific role, but they typically work in the field of analytics or machine learning, often working with large data sets.
They need to have excellent analytical skills, experience in programming or databases, and strong writing skills.
A Data Scientist Job Description
A Data Scientist’s job is to develop and analyze data, and then analyze that data to create insight. These insights can be used in a variety of ways, including in various business decisions, and are often used to make recommendations or to help make a business case for a new product or service. Data scientists work across a variety of different data science topics such as
business intelligence, web analytics, natural language processing, social media analysis, predictive analytics, machine learning, data mining, and so on.
You can find a list of some of the key positions and how to apply to these positions on LinkedIn or AngelList or various other sites which allow you to browse job offers in your area.
What skills you’ll need to become a Data Scientist
Data Scientists are in high demand, so you’ll need to have a well-rounded skill set if you’re interested in this type of job.
Some of the skills you’ll need include:
– Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to understand data
– Good project management skills, including the ability to plan and manage projects and communicate with others
– Good communication skills, including the ability to write clearly and concisely
– An understanding of the importance of data integrity and privacy issues, as well as the importance of knowing your users
– Excellent quantitative skills, including the ability to use data to gain insight and communicate the results clearly
– Ability to understand complex information and interpret results
– The ability to think critically and problem solve, both in terms of understanding the big picture and in terms of making specific decisions on how to solve a particular problem
Technical skills of Data Scientist
From more technical standpoint you will also need some of the following — especially if you’re applying for non-junior positions:
– Expertise in Excel, SAS, R or Python (note: Excel is a programming language)
– Experience in machine learning
– Experience with databases (e.g., relational databases or NoSQL databases)
– Experience in data visualization
– A strong technical background and/or background in computer science
– Ability to learn quickly
In addition, data scientists typically work in teams, which means you’ll be asked to learn a lot of things quickly.
It’s not all about data, but rather information, so you’ll need to be an active learner if you want to develop the skills necessary to be successful in this industry.
3 steps to become a Data Scientist
Now for the very practical things:
- Build your repository on GitHub and start an open-source project. You can take a dataset from Kaggle and build something around that. Usually classification problems tend to be easier. This will allow you to hone your skills and show a potential employer your engagement.
- Engage in Facebook/LinkedIn groups about Data Science and Machine Learning. Try finding meetups and conferences near and attend them to meet more people. It’s always good to have someone to guide you.
- Write more code! Data Science is a practical skill in the end. Share it on your social media — update your LinkedIn profile to have better chances to find a job.