Data Scientist Job Description and FAQs

Nearly all business operations and planning requires the use of Data Science. It’s used in diverse areas like marketing campaigns, financial risks, fraud detection, equipment maintenance, cybersecurity, and increasing profits among others. It’s no wonder then that Data Scientists are employed in various fields like healthcare, sports, government agencies, etc. 

We at HiCounselor like to help our readers thoroughly understand their career options so they can decide what’s the best course of action for them. Read on to get clarity on the Data Scientist job description and FAQS. When you’ve decided upon your career path, get in touch with us to make the job search process much easier for yourself!

What does a Data Scientist do?

All the data collected by organizations contains useful information that can be used to make better decisions going forward. Data Scientists job description includes analyzing data and sharing it with executives to help them strategize better. A lot of the people they work with aren’t going to be very tech literate so it’s the responsibility of the Data Scientist to make the data understandable to them. 

Part of a Data Scientist’s roles and responsibilities is the need to create AI tools and technologies for applications. For this they have to collect data, build analytical models, and then test and run the models against the data. These IT professionals must know data mining, data preparation, predictive modeling, statistical analysis and machine learning. 

What are some Skills Data Scientists need?

Familiarity with programming languages (like Python, R, SQL, Perl, etc.) is something all Data Scientists must possess. They also have to create dashboards and data visualizations to share their findings, so they should be able to utilize software like Tableau and Power BI. They should also be familiar with Hadoop, Hive, Spark, Pig, and MapReduce. Experience with coding and algorithms as well as good Math skills are also helpful.

Apart from these technical skills, Data Scientists need to possess several soft skills as well. They should have a sound understanding of how businesses function as well as intellectual curiosity and problem-solving skills. Great communication skills and storytelling abilities will help them share their information with others. Pattern recognition, risk identification, and leadership skills all help them progress in their careers. 

In what sort of Teams do Data Scientists work?

There’s usually one team (or more if the organization is big) that handles data for an organization. These teams aren’t made up of Data Scientists alone. They include Data Engineers who set up data pipelines and help prepare data and deploy models. Machine Learning Engineers help develop ML models to be used in applications. 

A Data Visualization Developer is someone who works with Data Scientists to create dashboards that are used to present gleaned information to executives and stakeholders. Data Translators are liaisons to business units and help plan projects. Finally, Data Architects design and help implement underlying systems used to store and manage data. 

Tell me more About Careers in Data Science.

If you want to become a Data Scientist, your best bet is to get a degree in the subject. According to a survey by Google’s Kaggle subsidiary of 2,675 professionals in 2020, 51% said that they had a Master’s degree. Another 24% had Bachelor’s degrees, while 17% had a Doctorate. This seems to be the easiest way to enter this field. 

For those who don’t want to spend too much time or money on obtaining a degree, there are other options like simply getting some Data Scientist work experience under your belt. There are also inexpensive online courses that can provide reliable certifications. You can also join a Data Science Bootcamp to pick up some skills relatively quickly. 

The good news about Data Scientist jobs is that the demand is currently much higher than the professionals available. This means that these roles can also offer higher salaries. According to Glassdoor information, as of December 2020, the average base salary for American Data Scientists was US$111,000, with senior levels taking home US$134,000 annually. 

What’s the Future of Data Science?

There’s no stopping the use of data to make more informed decisions for various organizations. In fact, the field is only set to gain more popularity. According to Gartner’s 2020 Magic Quadrant report on Data Science and Machine Learning, data science users are going to increase in number and range. They’ll push the use of automated ML that can accelerate and streamline the workflow. 

The same survey also cited the rise of MLOps (Machine Learning Operations), which uses DevOps techniques to improve the development, deployment and maintenance of ML models. These tools will create standardized workflows so each model can be put into production more effectively. AI, too, is all set to become more understandable as it becomes a greater part of Data Science.

We hope this article has given you a better idea of what a career as a Data Scientist entails. Of course, the job description of a Data Scientist might vary a bit according to the company/field where they work. If you need further assistance to get your career going, contact HiCounselor to find out how we can help!

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