It’s no surprise the economy is shifting towards data-driven decisions. A huge amount of data has been collected in recent years, and data science is the medium to mine insights from this data. Data science has provided industries with exciting opportunities to experiment and grow in this information era. A career in data engineering and science has rapidly emerged as one of the most promising career options.
Data science isn’t limited to tech companies. Most industries use data science and analytics to make business decisions and optimize outcomes, including finance, healthcare, energy, retail and entertainment. Skilled and certified data scientists can work in the industry of their choice and enjoy a rewarding career.
Glassdoor reveals data science jobs as the third best in America among thousands factoring in earning potential (median salary), job satisfaction, and job openings. Demand is high for data professionals (data scientists, big data engineers, cloud data engineers, etc.), and requires a firm grasp of fundamentals and knack for the latest tools and technologies. Here we provide a rough roadmap towards a career in data science to guide you on your journey.
What is Data Science?
Data science is the study of vast amounts of data to find patterns and derive information. Estimates show we produce about 1.145 trillion MB of data everyday. We can process this data to deliver insights that empower our decisions, strategies, operations, and more. The major stages in the data lifecycle are data capture, warehousing, processing, mining, analyzing, and reporting.
Why pursue a career in data science?
The most in-demand data roles include data analysts, data engineers, database administrators, data scientists, data architects, and business analysts. Here are some reasons you should choose a data career heading into 2023:
- Demand is high
- Career growth opportunities and competitive salary
- Flexibility to work remotely on projects and companies around the world
- Variety of training and courses available making it easy to get started
- Data professionals play key parts in decision-making, make a difference
- Wide range of job profiles
- Developing data skills can be helpful in other career paths
- Future proof
How to start a career in data science in 2023
Education (Formal/informal)
Most employers typically seek at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, math, statistics, or related subjects when hiring. For senior roles, companies might require a master’s degree. The state of data science study by Anaconda in 2021 shows that almost 70% of data science professionals had a bachelor’s degree, 25% master’s, and 10 % had a doctorate.
Develop fundamentals
It’s necessary to have a firm grasp of coding, database (relational non-relational), automation and scripting, data security, and cloud computing. Dedicate a few hours every day to learning fundamentals and building towards a specialty.
Most students learn the basics at school. R and Python are very helpful programming languages to know. Once you are comfortable with these, you can add other tools and technologies.
Join internship/fellowship programs
Interning is a great way to start your career. Working in professional settings offers many benefits such as growing your professional network, gaining work experience, sharpening your technical skills to use on real-world projects, getting mentorships, and upgrading your resume. The Fusemachines AI Fellowship Program will ensure you are prepped with the right skills for a successful career in AI and data science.
Get certified
Certifications are the most straightforward way to present your skills and expertise to employers. You can get certified in different experiences and skills. Below are some of the most valued certifications:
- Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)
- Cloudera Data Platform Generalist Certification
- Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Senior Data Scientist (SDS)
- IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
- Tensorflow Developer Certificate
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
- Open Certified Data Scientist (Open CDS)
- SAS Certified Data Scientist
Build a strong portfolio with data projects
Building a solid portfolio is vital for steady career development. Your portfolio must include educational qualifications, resume, certifications, work experience letters, projects you’ve worked on and more. With a strong portfolio to help you stand out, you can join professional platforms/communities and find exciting opportunities.
Squadery is one such network of data and AI engineers that help talent get matched to ideal roles at American companies. If you want to learn more, click here.
Bottom line
The data industry is growing and will continue to. Now is one of the best times to capitalize on the talent shortage. Starting your journey can be challenging, following this roadmap will make that journey easier.
Squadery helps match data and AI professionals with remote roles at the biggest US companies. Learn more or join Squadery today.
