Whether you dabble in data, have an existing degree, or are brand new to the discipline, this data science course is for you. No matter where you are in your career, our course takes you from foundational…
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Written byBrennan Whitfield
UPDATED BY
Brennan Whitfield | Nov. 29, 2022
What Is a Data Scientist? How to Become One, Salary, Skills.
Data scientists have emerged alongside the phenomenon of big data in order to help businesses organize and make sense of the large sets of data being produced every day. Here’s what to know about a data scientist’s salary, needed skills and how to become one.
What Is a Data Scientist?
A data scientist is responsible for drawing insights and making informed predictions about industry trends and the company’s growth through detailed data analysis. Data scientists utilize computer programming languages, descriptive statistics and machine learning techniques to conduct this analysis. Data scientists also frequently work alongside data engineers to accomplish their work.
What Do Data Scientists Do?
A data scientist analyzes data sets to discover actionable patterns and trends for business use. Based on their findings, a data scientist makes recommendations to enterprise stakeholders to guide product development and future business planning decisions.
Data Scientist Responsibilities
- Find, filter and analyze patterns and trends from manipulated data sets.
- Build statistical algorithms and predictive data models to forecast predictions.
- Use machine learning frameworks to train data models.
- Report findings and recommendations to enterprise stakeholders.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities of Data Scientists
- Test and modify data algorithms and models.
- Use big data tools like Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark to process data sets.
- Use data visualization tools like Tableau and Microsoft Power BI to compile and display findings.
- Collaborate and communicate between teams and stakeholders.
Data Scientists Within a Company
Data scientists are usually part of a data science, data analytics or product team within a company. They frequently work alongside data engineers, data analysts, statisticians and product managers.
Importance of Data Scientists
Data scientists help manage and interpret a company’s collected data, as well as help solve specific and complex problems that arise when navigating large data sets. Data scientists also help a company communicate the significance of its data and related activity to customers, clients and business partners.
What Skills Are Needed to Be a Data Scientist?
Qualifications to Be a Data Scientist
- Several years of entry-level data analysis, data engineering, business intelligence analysis or statistics experience.
- Ability to analyze and draw conclusions from data.
- Experience supporting teams in reaching their data goals.
Data Scientist Prerequisites
- Bachelor’s degree in data science, computer science, statistics or a similar field.
- Master’s degree in data science, information science or a similar field.
Data Scientist Hard Skills
- Data analysis, manipulation and mining.
- Computer programming languages (Python, R, SQL, SAS).
- Descriptive statistics and mathematics.
- Big data tools and databases.
- Machine learning knowledge.
Data Scientist Soft Skills
- Verbal and written communication.
- Teamwork and collaboration.
- Problem-solving.
- Critical thinking.
Tools and Programs Data Scientists Use
- Apache Hadoop
- Apache Spark
- Microsoft Power BI
- PyTorch
- Python
- R
- SAS
- SQL
- Tableau
- TensorFlow
How to Become a Data Scientist
Data Scientist Education and Experience
Data scientist candidates are often expected to have a bachelor’s degree in data science, computer science, statistics or a similar field. They also may have a master’s degree in data science, information science or a similar field to enter competitive or higher-level roles.
Candidates will also need to obtain several years of entry-level experience as a data analyst, data engineer, business intelligence analyst or statistician. Additionally, knowledge in the areas of programming languages (Python, R, SQL, SAS), big data, machine learning, data visualization and effective communication are recommended.
Data Scientist Certificates and Courses
- Intro to Data Science Webinar
- Data Science Accelerator
- 21 Data Science Bootcamps You Need to Know
- 21 Python Data Science Courses and Bootcamps to Know
- 20 Machine Learning Bootcamps and Classes to Know
Data Scientist Career Path
Data scientists tend to start their careers first as a data analyst or similar role before stepping into the official data scientist title. After becoming a data scientist, professionals can go on to be a senior data scientist or lead data scientist. From this point, professionals can choose to progress into management and leadership roles like principal data scientist, chief data scientist or director of data science.
Data Scientist Salary and Job Outlook
Data scientists are in-demand, with U.S. employment for the role projected to increase 36 percent by 2031.
The full compensation package for a data scientist depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s experience and geographic location. See below for detailed information on the average data scientist salary.
Courses
Expand Your Data Scientist Career Opportunities
Learn the techniques that can bring your career to the next level with Udemy’s top-tier data science courses.
Flatiron School
Whether you dabble in data, have an existing degree, or are brand new to the discipline, this data science course is for you. No matter where you are in your career, our course takes you from foundational…
General Assembly
In this two hour live workshop you will walk through the typical data science workflow and see how the pros identify powerful business predictions. You’ll get first-hand experience to explore the key tools and…
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Certifications
Data Scientist Certifications + Programs
Take your career in the direction you’ve been dreaming of by earning an in-demand data science certification from Udacity.
Whether you have coded before or are brand new to the world of programming, this course will put you on the fast track to building confidence with this intuitive, object- oriented language. Learn programming fundamentals and build a custom application. Graduate with the ability to start applying Python within high-growth fields like analytics, data science, and web development.
What you'll accomplish
This is a beginner-friendly program with no prerequisites, although some students may have coded previously. First-time programmers will have access to pre-course preparatory lessons and additional resources to boost their confidence with key concepts and set up their development environments. Throughout this expert-designed program, you’ll:
- Learn object-oriented programming fundamentals and Python basics that get you coding from day one.
- Build a Python program and add on increased complexity throughout the course.
- Troubleshoot Python code and practice common debugging techniques.
- Push your skills to the next level by adding scripting, modules, and APIs to your Python toolkit.
- Explore introductory data science and web development as potential career directions for Python programmers.
- Demonstrate your Python skills by creating apps that pull in data with Pandas or integrate functionality from APIs with Flask.
Why General Assembly
Since 2011, General Assembly has graduated more than 40,000 students worldwide from the full time & part time courses. During the 2020 hiring shutdown, GA's students, instructors, and career coaches never lost focus, and the KPMG-validated numbers in their Outcomes report reflect it. *For students who graduated in 2020 — the peak of the pandemic — 74.4% of those who participated in GA's full-time Career Services program landed jobs within six months of graduation. General Assembly is proud of their grads + teams' relentless dedication and to see those numbers rising. Download the report here.
Your next step? Submit an application to talk to the General Assembly Admissions team
Note: reviews are referenced from Career Karma - https://careerkarma.com/schools/general-assembly
General Assembly
General Assembly’s Data Science part-time course is a practical introduction to the interdisciplinary field of data science and machine learning, which lies at the intersection of computer science, statistics, and business. You will learn to use the Python programming language to acquire, parse, and model data for informing business strategy.
This is a fast-paced course with some prerequisites. Students should be comfortable with programming fundamentals, core Python syntax, and basic statistics. There is an option to complete up to 25 hours of online preparatory lessons. Talk to the General Assembly Admissions team to discuss your background and confirm if this is the right fit for you..
What you'll accomplish
A significant portion of the course is a hands- on approach to fundamental modeling techniques and machine learning algorithms. You’ll also practice communicating your results and insights by compiling technical documentation and a stakeholder presentation. Throughout this expert-designed program, you’ll:
- Perform exploratory data analysis with Python.
- Build and refine machine learning models to predict patterns
- from data sets.
- Communicate data-driven insights to technical and non-technical audiences alike.
- Apply what you’ve learned to create a portfolio project: a predictive model that addresses a real-world data problem.
Why General Assembly
Since 2011, General Assembly has graduated more than 40,000 students worldwide from the full time & part time courses. During the 2020 hiring shutdown, GA's students, instructors, and career coaches never lost focus, and the KPMG-validated numbers in their Outcomes report reflect it. *For students who graduated in 2020 — the peak of the pandemic — 74.4% of those who participated in GA's full-time Career Services program landed jobs within six months of graduation. General Assembly is proud of their grads + teams' relentless dedication and to see those numbers rising. Download the report here.
Your next step? Submit an application to talk to the General Assembly Admissions team
Note: reviews are referenced from Career Karma - https://careerkarma.com/schools/general-assembly
General Assembly
General Assembly’s Data Science Immersive is a transformative course designed for you to get the necessary skills for a data scientist role in three months.
The Data Science bootcamp is led by instructors who are expert practitioners in their field, supported by career coaches that work with you since day one and enhanced by a career services team that is constantly in talks with employers about their tech hiring needs.
What you'll accomplish
As a graduate, you will be ready to succeed in a variety of data science and advanced analytics roles, creating predictive models that drive decision-making and strategy throughout organizations of all kinds. Throughout this expert-designed program, you’ll:
- Collect, extract, query, clean, and aggregate data for analysis.
- Gather, store and organize data using SQL and Git.
- Perform visual and statistical analysis on data using Python and its associated libraries and tools.
- Craft and share compelling narratives through data visualization.
- Build and implement appropriate machine learning models and algorithms to evaluate data science problems spanning finance, public policy, and more.
- Compile clear stakeholder reports to communicate the nuances of your analyses.
- Apply question, modeling, and validation problem-solving processes to data sets from various industries to provide insight into real-world problems and solutions.
- Prepare for the world of work, compiling a professional-grade portfolio of solo, group, and client projects.
Why General Assembly
Since 2011, General Assembly has graduated more than 40,000 students worldwide from the full time & part time courses. During the 2020 hiring shutdown, GA's students, instructors, and career coaches never lost focus, and the KPMG-validated numbers in their Outcomes report reflect it. *For students who graduated in 2020 — the peak of the pandemic — 74.4% of those who participated in GA's full-time Career Services program landed jobs within six months of graduation. General Assembly is proud of their grads + teams' relentless dedication and to see those numbers rising. Download the report here.
Your next step? Submit an application to talk to the General Assembly Admissions team
Note: reviews are referenced from Career Karma - https://careerkarma.com/schools/general-assembly
General Assembly
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