How to become a certified data scientist? How to choose the best institute for learning data science?
Data science is proving to be one of the most lucrative career paths for professionals in recent times. We live in a world dominated by technology, where a vast amount of data gets generated each day. The only way to get meaningful information from the raw data is with the help of data science. Most businesses and even non-profits have an immense amount of data that needs processing for a wide range of business activities.
Getting meaningful insights, however, from the large datasets is not a simple task. This is where businesses realize the importance of data science and the need for the expertise of data scientists. Through this article, we will help you understand how you can become a certified data scientist for a promising career ahead.
Who is a data scientist?
It is common for people to get confused with data science being a vast and complex field. Since there are multiple skills involved, defining a data science career in absolute terms can be a struggle. Simply put, a data scientist is a professional who collects and analyzes data to extract actionable insights. They use several techniques to go about doing their job.
Data scientists could present the data in a visual context, making it easier for everyone to understand it. Furthermore, they also create advanced algorithms that enable organizations to understand patterns from complex datasets. Data is essential for every business today to make informed decisions. Data scientists can thus help organizations achieve their objectives.
Let us consider an example of an OTT (over the top) media service provider. They might want to expand their business and would be on a lookout for customers who would most likely subscribe to their services. With the help of a data scientist, they can extract actionable insights from millions of data insights. This would help them align their marketing and outreach strategy to target those customers that are most likely to convert.
How to understand whether you are a good candidate for becoming a data scientist?
Several traits will help you identify whether you could become a data scientist. It is important to have quite a few of these. To start with, you must have curiosity and want to always expand your learning horizons. There are usually millions of data points and different areas to analyze. So it naturally becomes important to have that drive to find solutions from heaps of data.
Organization skills are another important trait because there will be abundant data that needs proper structuring and storage. If you are good with structuring and keeping everything well-organized, data scientists can be the right role for you. Next, you will need a lot of patience because datasets will often be quite complex. You might have to rework, reanalyze and reorganize multiple times before you find the solution. Lastly, it will immensely help you if you are creative, focused, and have attention-to-detail.
What are the education requirements for a data scientist?
Since it is a professional field, you will need to have a formal college education, with a minimum of a four-year bachelor degree. Though a graduate degree might also land you a job, studying further can help you move up the career ladder quickly. With a master’s degree or PhD, you can target senior and leadership positions early in your career.
Many educational institutions offer degree and certificate programs to empower students with the necessary skills. These data science programs make use of creative and analytical modules that help students learn better. A formal data science degree is the obvious way to land a job, but there are other degrees as well that can help you launch your career. These include statistics, computer science, physics, mathematics, and applied mathematics, to name a few.
What is the career path for data scientists?
Fresh graduates might have the necessary skills, but that alone would not be enough in many cases. Besides necessary skills, freshers might also require on-the-job training before they work independently. It will usually focus on the internal systems of companies and would also include advanced techniques not covered in an educational program.
What are the typical jobs for data scientists?
Data scientists can expect much of their work to revolve around numbers and data, along with analyzing information and writing codes. Most of the data scientist jobs will have usual corporate settings, requiring effective communication and collaboration. Based on the scale of the business, the pace of operations could vary. However, you can expect a data scientist to remain a vital member of the team who can help a business grow.
These jobs offer a challenging career where you can expect to perform several unique tasks daily. One of the best aspects of these jobs, your skills can help businesses devise solutions about marketing, customer retention, the launch of new products, and other regular business solutions. The exposure to decision-making processes would also help you in your growth and development.
On the other hand, when you have too many unique subjects to deal with, your learning about a specific topic could get hampered. As data science is a continuously growing field, there will always be newer technologies. The one that you have used regularly would become obsolete in a few months, requiring you to learn and understand newer technologies. It might only complicate things if there are too many technologies in place, and choosing between them becomes difficult.
What is the salary of data scientists in India?
According to Glassdoor, the average base salary for data scientists across the country is ₹976K / yr. They base the number on 1120 salaries submitted to Glassdoor by data scientists throughout India. Bengaluru, southern India’s famous IT hub, has a wide range of opportunities for data scientists. Because of the higher demand for skilled professionals, companies often offer higher salaries to qualified employees. This makes working in Bengaluru as a data scientist a lucrative career opportunity for IT professionals.
How can Great Learning help you become a data scientist?
Great Learning is offering a PG program in Data Science and Business Analytics. This 11-month program will take place online with the benefit of personalized mentorship. This program will help you learn data science and the necessary skills that will launch you for a rewarding career. The Great Learning data science program is in collaboration with the McCombs School of Business and Great Lakes Institute of Management.
By enrolling for this data science course, you will learn python, data mining, tableau, SQL, machine learning, and predictive modelling. It thus is one of the best learning sources of data science. This e-learning course is an industry-relevant learning program for working professionals designed to deliver career outcomes. While there are several benefits of enrolling for this data science training program, we list five of them below.
- Convenient learning: The classes take place on the weekend with personalised mentorship format.
- Dedicated support: Our experts from the industry will help you with resume, interview preps, job fairs, and the exclusive job board.
- Expert faculty: Our faculty comprises experts from UT Austin, Stanford, ISI and Great Lakes.
- Structured program: The program complies with the industry norms and a dedicated program manager will ensure your learning progress results into actionable outcomes.
- Hands-on learning: We will make you work on real-life projects so that you are job-ready.
Final thoughts
As businesses increase their reliance on data and technology, a career in data science would be a lucrative opportunity for professionals. If you have a technical background and a keen interest in data and technology, nothing can stop you from becoming a data scientist. To know more details about the PG program in Data Science and Business Analytics offered by Great Learning, get in touch with us today. Get a data science certification and launch your career amazingly.
