Data Science as an area of study involves extracting knowledge from all of the data collected and compiled. Industries are demanding professionals who are capable of turning data analysis into a competitive benefit for their organizations. As a data scientist, you will be responsible for developing data-driven business solutions and analytics.
Data Scientists are highly demanded in different industries, and thus the career opportunities for certified Data Scientists are enormous. Data Science is going to be the future’s technology. Many aspirants of the Information Technology sector seek to build a career in Data Science as the chances for a bright career are very high in this field. This article will discuss the various benefits of pursuing Data Science for professionals and what skills to become a successful Data Scientist. So, let’s begin with the benefits, Data Scientist leverage for the companies.
Benefits of Data Science
- It’s in Demand: Prospective job seekers can get so many opportunities because of the high demand for data science in businesses. LinkedIn is the fastest-growing job sector and expected to produce 11.5 million opportunities by 2026.
- Lack of Skilled professionals: Very few people are certified in data sciences and have the required skill set. Because of this, Data Science is less saturated than other IT sectors. So, the supply of Data Science is relatively low than the demand.
- Versatility: Data Science comes with the scope of numerous applications as it is widely used in industries like healthcare, banking and finance, consultancy, and eCommerce.
- Data Scientists are Highly Prestigious: Data scientists help companies make smarter decisions related to business operations. Companies use their expertise and experience to leverage better services to the customers and stakeholders. This ensures a good position of Data Scientists in the company.
- No Boring Repetitive Schedule: Data Science has helped companies automating redundant tasks, and now for tedious everyday functions, machines are being trained. This has simplified the need to repeat various things in the process by human involvement in the performance.
Data Science’s benefits are not limited to this list, but it leverages many more than this. Data Science is a field with lucrative advantages, and its benefits are not limited to businesses only, but it leverages several advantages for IT professionals also. Now, we need to discuss what a person needs to become a successful Data Scientist.
Skills Needed to Become a Data Scientist
- Education: Data Scientists are highly educated professionals. The statistics can help understand that 88% of Data Scientists in the United States of America are Master’s degree holders, and 46% hold PhD degrees. To be successful in any field, you need to have a solid educational background as this is needed to develop the depth of knowledge in the field. The same applies to Data Science too. If you want to become a Data Scientist, you should earn a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Statistics. Just this is not enough; you should also go for a Master’s degree and maybe beyond as most field professionals have a Master’s degree or PhD.
- Programming: You should gain proficiency in programming and gain command over at least one programming language such as ‘R’ or ‘Python.’ It would be best to understand what Machine Learning is and how it works. The knowledge of different types of Machine Learning, including Supervised Learning, Unsupervised Learning, Reinforcement Learning, etc., can be beneficial. Yo becomes successful in the field. You are also required to learn well about various supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms such as Linear Regression, Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest, K Nearest Neighbor Clustering. Depp learning is the new arrival in the industry. Learning its various concepts like Neural networks, libraries such as Tensorflow or Keras, and various networks such as Recurrent Neural Networks and RBM can also help you get a great opportunity.
- Data Visualization: Being a vital component of the Data life-cycle, data visualization is an essential skill for a Data Scientist. You should have good hands-on knowledge of various visualization tools and utilize a programming language for this purpose. Some of the vital Data Visualization tools are- Tableau, Kibana, Google Charts and Datawrapper.
- Unstructured Data: Data exist everywhere,and collecting and preserving the data which has been generated is and an urgent requirement as there is a possibility of missing out on something important if delayed. Data is floating around everywhere, and what matters the most is what we do with it. Due to this, Big Data analytics is in the front of Information Technology as it helps improve business, decision-making and provides the competitive edge to businesses. The knowledge of Big Data processing frameworks is crucial. Some of the Big Data Processing frameworks are ‘Hadoop’ and ‘Spark’.
- Data Ingestion: Data Ingestion involves the process of importing, transferring, and processing the available data for storage for other decisions. This includes the loading of data from various resources. Two essential Data Ingestion tools are- Apache Flume and Apache Sqoop.
- Data-Driven Problem Solving: A Data Scientist must equip himself with a productive approach to problem-solving. The only way to develop this skill is the experience, which means that practice is highly required for a professional to succeed in the field. This involves- identifying features of a situation, figuring out the questions, deciding the approximations and consulting the appropriate co-workers.
All the above skills are critical and required to gain proficiency in Data Science processing. In addition to all these, you should also know which Data Science methods would be applied in specific problems. Data Science is an ever-evolving field, and it requires years of dedication to gain proficiency. The career opportunities are many in the field, and we have suggested the way to go. Now, it is up to you whether you want to dedicate yourself to your goal. Suppose you want to pursue a career in this field. In that case, several professional certificate programs are available in the market. The best of the institutions provide the best online certificate programs that can help you learn data science. It is the right time if you have the will.