What Is Data Science And How To Become A Data Scientist?

Data science has rapidly become a popular career option over the years. With the growing possibilities of artificial intelligence and other areas, data science has come to be a relevant field of research and work.

If you too are interested in data science as a career, then this blog will help you provide information about its potential. Let us begin with the basics of data science and move on to other essential questions.

What is data science?

Data science is a multidisciplinary domain which makes use of statistics, algorithms, data analysis and machine learning techniques to study patterns and other phenomena. The insights gained from that are then used for problem-solving and further research in several different scientific and technical areas.

What does a data scientist do?

Data scientists study given data to discern trends or characteristics. They employ a number of relevant techniques and research models to make sense of the data. The conclusions they come to can then be used to provide businesses and agencies with important insights. These results can then be used by the businesses to strategize and design better policies or products.

Besides this, data scientists can also help in developing the tools used in data science. They play key roles in creating algorithms, testing, and research, and building other tools.

Role	Major responsibilities
Data Scientist	Studying and analysing data, Using and building research tools and algorithms, Providing companies or businesses with useful insights based on data

Why build a career in data science?

All sorts of businesses today invest in data science and analysis to make better decisions for both themselves and their customers. Data scientists have become an asset to most companies and teams.

Scope of data science

• In India, major sectors like healthcare, pharmaceuticals, banking, telecommunications, e-commerce, and media require data scientists.

• India is second only to the US when it comes to data science jobs. 1 out of every 10 data science or analytics jobs is accounted for by India. (Quartz India)

• There are up to 50,000 data science job vacancies in India right now, which means plenty of opportunities for skilled job seekers to look forward to. (Business Today)

Demand for data science

• Currently, the biggest employer of data scientists is the banking and finance sector, comprising about 44% of total data science jobs. By 2020, India will create 39,000 more data science jobs spanning sectors like agriculture and aviation.(Business Today)

• Evolving technologies mean that data science will see a big demand in fields like AI, cyber security, space exploration and driverless transportation too. (The Economic Times)

Pros and cons of a career in data science

Pros	Cons
Plenty of job openings	Requires good knowledge of multiple disciplines and tools
High demand in major sectors	Low possibilities for independent research work
Creative application of mathematical and statistical skills	The use of data analysis results are controlled by the sector or company’s needs and demands

Qualification required for data science

Since data science uses a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving and analysis, you need a strong background in mathematics, statistics, and computer science before you can become a data scientist. Preferences are given to candidates with a good knowledge of programming languages and relevant work experience too.

Degree	Field of Study
Bachelors	Maths, Statistics, Computer Science, IT, Engineering, Physics
Masters	Data Science, Applied Maths, or related fields

A significant percentage of data scientists also earn a PhD in their fields. It is important to learn programming skills as part of your university or as add-on skills. Online courses and certifications, internships and work experience also go a long way in a data science career.

Data science courses and certifications

Here is a list of some popular data science courses and certifications.

Website: Coursera/University of Michigan
Course: Applied Data Science with Python Specialization
Price: INR 3,474 per month
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self-paced (Approx. 5 months)
Website: Udacity
Course: Intro to Machine Learning
Price: Free
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self paced (Approx. 6 months)
Website: Dataquest
Course: Data Analyst in R
Price: Free
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self-paced
Website: Udemy
Course: Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp
Price: INR 12,480
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self-paced
Website: Coursera
Course: IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
Price: INR 2,765 per month
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self-paced (2 months approx.)
Website: Coursera/John Hopkins University
Course: Data Science Specialization
Price: INR 3,474 per month
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self-paced (8 months approx.)
Website: Udemy
Course: The Data Science Course 2019
Price: INR 12,800
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self-paced
Website: Datacamp
Course: Introduction to Machine Learning
Price: Subscription-based (INR 2020 per month for 247 courses)
Format: Online
Learning duration: 6 hours
Website: Edureka
Course: Data Science Certification Course using R
Price: INR 24,899
Format: Online
Learning duration: 30 hours
Website: Edx/Harvard University
Course: Professional Certificate in Data Science
Price: $441.9/INR 30,723(approx.) for 9 courses
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self-paced (2-4 months)
Website: Digital Vidya
Course: Data Science Master Program
Price: INR 34,900 + GST
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self-paced (Minimum 21 weeks)
Website: Simplilearn
Course: Data Scientist Master’s Program
Price: INR 44,999
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self-paced or online classroom
Website: Coursera/Duke University
Course: Statistics with R Specialization
Price: INR ₹3,474 per month
Format: Online
Learning duration: Self-paced (Approx. 7 months per course)
Website: Upgrad/IIIT Bangalore
Course: PG Diploma in Data Science
Price: INR 2,85,000
Format: Online
Learning duration: 11 months

Data science jobs in India

Let us look at the vacancies for data science and related jobs in India.

Jobs	Naukri	Indeed	Monster	LinkedIn	Total
Data Science	5.2k	516	125	5.9k	11.7k
Data Analyst	2.7k	351	491	2.3k	5.8k
Data Engineering	6.9k	407	294	3.9k	11.5k
Business Analyst	9.4k	334	2.1k	4.5k	16.3k
Statistical Analyst	137	38	2	131	308
Machine Learning	6.4k	156	188	5.5k	12.2k

Note: The data provided above was last updated in March 2019. It is subject to change.

Job roles in data science

Role	Major Responsibilities
Data Scientist	Analyzing raw data, using data analysis techniques and tools, sharing insights with companies, strategizing
Data Analyst	Processing data sets, visualization, optimisation, creating algorithms, performing queries on databases
Data Engineer	Using Big Data technology and Hadoop, creating useful software, working with SQL technologies, providing data warehousing solutions
Business Intelligence Professional	Identifying how Big Data can be used, interpreting high volumes of data, providing relevant insights for business solutions
Statistician	Using statistical tools, organizing data, extracting information from data sets, creating statistical theories and methodologies
Machine Learning Engineer	Carry out A/B testing, building and implementing algorithms and data pipelines, producing data-based products or services, helping with operations,

Data science salaries

Average data science job salaries can vary according to skills and experience. Here is an average annual salary data for data science and related job roles.

Job Role	Average Annual Salary (0-3 Years of Experience)	Salary Range (LPA)
Data Scientist	6.3 lakhs	3 to 20
Data Analyst	4.9 lakhs	1.9 to 8.2
Data Engineer	5 lakhs	3.4 to 20
Business Analyst	5.8 lakhs	2.5 to 10
Machine Learning Engineer	7 lakhs	3.2 to 20
Statistical Analyst	5.8 lakhs	1.9 to 10

Data source: AmbitionBox

Data science skills

Take a look at the skills necessary to work in data science.

Core skills:

Skill	Details
Mathematics	Strong understanding of multivariable calculus and linear algebra
Statistics	Knowledge of tools and techniques to find out patterns and co-relations in data
Programming and languages	Ability to use programs like R, Python, SQL and Hadoop
Data wrangling	Dealing with imperfect or inconsistent data and unstructured data for analysis and extracting useful information
Data visualization	Using visualization tools to present the information found from data analysis and communicating them to the company
Machine learning	Working knowledge of algorithms and other facets like neural networks and adversarial learning

Soft skills:
Curiosity, creativity, communication, critical thinking, business sense, and teamwork

Data science tools

Job Role	Tools
Data Scientist	Apache Giraph, Hadoop, Apache Pig, Apache Storm, D3.js, Network X, GNU Octave, Rapid Miner, etc.
Data Analyst	Spark, Excel, KNIME , pandas, Spotfire, Bokeh, etc.
Data Engineer	Hive, Mesos, HBase, Cascading, R Studio, Scala, etc.
Machine Learning Engineer	Scikit-learn, BigML, Data Robot, GraphLab Create, Logical Glue, ML Base, Tensor Flow, etc.

Common career paths to become a data scientist

Here are some common ways to become a data scientist.

Career Path 1:
Earn a Bachelors degree in Computer Science → Get certification in Big Data/Data Analytics → Join as a Data Scientist or Engineer intern or employee at a firm

Career Path 2:
Earn a Bachelors and/or Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics or Statistics → Complete online courses in Programming languages and Data Science/analytics → Complete projects on platforms like Kaggle and build a portfolio → Apply for jobs in Data science

Career Path 3:
Earn a Bachelors degree in Physics → Take online courses in Programming languages→ Collect professional certifications in Data Science and Machine Learning → Intern or get a job as a Data Scientist or Machine Learning Engineer

Career Path 4:
Earn a Bachelors degree in Business Administration → Opt for a Master’s degree in Data Science or Marketing/Business Analytics → Intern or find a job as a Data Analyst

Note: The above career paths are just examples of common career paths. There is no fixed career path to start a career in data science. The career steps can vary as per the background, interests, and skills of the individual.

Tips to get a job in data science

These are some essential skills you must have to make a career in data science.

1. Build strong mathematical and statistical skills

A solid base in applied math and statistics can be very helpful in data science. It is a key skill for analysing the large volumes of data and data trends collected by big companies.

2. Learn programming languages

Languages like Python and R are very relevant for getting a head-start in a data science career. Knowing how to code is also essential for working with big data.

3. Courses and certifications

There are a whole variety of pertinent and interesting data science courses and programs, both online and offline. These programs include data mining, statistical tools, coding, machine learning, etc. A couple of such certifications in your pocket will help you increase your employability chances as a skilled data scientist.

4. Work on data science projects

Learning how to use tools and techniques are not the only way to become a data scientist. Building a portfolio by working on real projects, either as an intern in a relevant company or independently on platforms like Kaggle can be very beneficial.

5. Develop business acumen

Companies want to hire data scientists for the valuable inputs they can provide during the process of strategizing and product-building. Knowing how to use the results of data analysis and present them as creative insights or business solutions is a brilliant way to sharpen your credibility as a data scientist.

Find and apply for Data Science jobs.

Data science blogs

Here is a list of popular data science blogs:

Data science books

Here is a list of popular data science books:

Data science YouTube videos and channels

Here is a list of popular data science videos and channels on Youtube:

Data science forums

Here is a list of popular data science forums:

Data science webinars

Here is a list of popular data science webinars:

Top companies to follow

Here are some companies which are working with big data and machine learning:

IBM , Oracle , Amazon , Microsoft , Netflix , Google , Pinterest , Twitter , TCS, MakeMyTrip, HDFC, Manthan, Razorthink , SocialCops, Sigtuple, Fractal Analytics

From big companies to smaller startups, data science is becoming increasingly handy in building their infrastructure and business strategies. With data science and machine learning or AI growing to be the hottest jobs in recent years, there will only be an increase in opportunities and avenues to follow in the near future.

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What Is Data Science And How To Become A Data Scientist?