Is it Required to get a Data Scientist Degree?

Data is everywhere today. In today’s digital era, there are pressing questions with everyone that are to be answered by ‘big data’. From government institutions to businesses to non-profit organizations, there is an evidently-infinite amount of information that is required to be stored, interpreted, and used for a variety of purposes. 

It can be seemingly challenging to find the perfect answers. Some questions like how to create a marketing plan on the basis of purchase data for a business? How can a non-profit organization utilize its available budget to improve its potential operations? How can government agencies utilize patterns of behavior to design engaging community activities?

These are just a few of the numerous questions that can be answered by a Data Scientist. There is such huge information that it is difficult for an average person to process and use the data; this is the reason that data scientists are trained to collect, organize, and analyze the data to extract meaningful insights. In this way, data scientists help their organization in better and cost-effective decision-making, eventually improving its efficiency and productivity. 

Consequently, the demand for data scientists is increasing, making it an enticing career path for students as well as existing professionals. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a 15% growth expected for all information scientists by 2029. This is greater than any other job profile.

For a lucrative career in Data Science, you might consider taking a Data scientist course and land on to a career where you can become a Machine Learning Engineer, an Enterprise Architect, Data Engineer, or an Infrastructure architect. 

What is a Data Scientist?

A professional who is concerned with collecting and analyzing data to extract important insights with the objective of reaching a conclusion is referred to as a Data Scientist. As a Data Scientist, you need to employ many different techniques to accomplish this task. You may use data visualization techniques to present the information in clear patterns to enable users to read it; that would have been difficult otherwise.

The best example we have come across with the job of Data Scientist is that of a recommendation engine. Based on the history of our search, we get recommendations on eCommerce sites, OTT platforms, and more.

How to Become One?

The three simple steps you should follow to become a data scientist are:

1. Acquire a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT, statistics, math, or any related field;
2. Acquire a Master’s degree in data or related area;
3. Earn experience in the field of your interest, such as finance, healthcare, business, retail, etc.

What education is required for a Data Scientist?

There are various ways to land a career in Data Science, but it is crucial to acquire a college degree which is a four-year degree. Around 73% of data scientists have a graduate degree, and 37% have a master’s degree. To advance your career in a leadership position, you require a master’s or a doctorate degree.

Some schools or institutes offer PG in Data Science programs. This degree imparts you with the necessary skills to process and analyze complex sets of data and generally involves a detailed approach to computers, statistics, analysis techniques, algebra, physics, and more.

These degrees also involve creative and analytical skills that enable you to make judgment decisions on the basis of your findings.

These data science degrees are so tailored that they let you gain educational requirements and provide you with an option of focussing on the area of your interest and that too in a shorter period of time. The data science degree forms the most obvious career path for landing a career in this domain. The common degrees that you can go with are:

• Information Technology
• Statistics
• Computer Science
• Physics
• Mathematics
• Applied Math
• Economics

The data science degree also lets you imbibe skills required for data science which are coding skills, handling large data sets, quantitative problem solving, etc.

Specializations are also required in many segments, or to advance your career, in sectors like business, economy, marketing, etc. the specializations may help a small business find and retain customers, and also help Defense in analyzing threat levels.

Skills Required

Technical Skills

• Programming Skills

The knowledge of various programming languages such as Java, Python, R, C++, Perl is required for most data science roles, as it enables you to organize unstructured datasets. 

• Statistics

“Statistics is the grammar of Data Science”. And that’s the reason that statistics is the most crucial skill required for becoming a data scientist.

• Knowledge of SAS and other analytical tools

For extracting meaningful information from organized datasets, you need a thorough knowledge of analytical tools. Some of the most popular analytical tools are SAS, Spark, Hadoop, Pig, R, Hive, etc. 

To establish expertise in analytical tools, certifications are of great help that let you gain these crucial skills.

Other skills required to move on to this career path are:

• Data manipulation and analysis
• Machine learning
• Data visualization
• Deep Learning
• Software Engineering
• Big Data
• Model Deployment
• Communication Skills
• Structured thinking
• Storytelling Skills
• Curiosity
• Great Data Intuition
• A strong business acumen

Why Data Science?

The average annual salary of a Data Scientist in India is around INR 900k, according to Glassdoor. 

By the end of 2020, there were 2.3 million jobs in the field of machine learning and AI, according to Gartner.

Data Scientists are required in every company like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Byju’s, Intel, Accenture, Amazon, Apple, Fidelity Investments, Oracle, etc.

Data Science is no doubt the fastest-growing field today.

Wrap Up

To make a career in an ever-evolving fastest-growing domain, there are accredited online training institutes to help you out. The online degrees train you with the skills required, the knowledge required, and all the techniques involved in data science.

You can learn at your own pace, and you don’t need to worry about the study material. They provide you with career guidance and also lifelong access to study material.

Get yourself enrolled now!