What Does a Data Scientist Do? | Skills Needed & Recommended Courses

What does a data scientist do? Have you ever thought about how vital data analysis exploration is to organizations and the business community? The truth is that these organizations cannot run efficiently and make informed decisions without the insight of data visualization. Although becoming an analytic expert may take time, pursuing a data science job is well worth it. So, here is what statistics scientists do to help organizations and businesses make wiser and more informed decisions. 

Key Takeaways

  • Data scientists determine what questions their panel asks or responds to based on data.
  • To become a data scientist, one needs to earn a data science degree, acquire relevant skills, and begin with an entry-level data analytics job.
  • Data scientists and data analysts' roles may overlap, with both expected to develop predictive models for informed decision-making.
  • A data scientist needs many skills, including data analysis, computer programming, machine learning, business intuition, and analytical thinking.

As technology advances, the demand for data science professionals increases. The data scientist devises ways of asking and answering team questions based on data. Thus, they will be able to project and theorize about future projects.

What Does a Data Scientist Do? Hypothesizing and Forecasting

Data scientists will use structured and unstructured data to hypothesize and forecast. In addition, they will use predictive models for the organization. The statistics science team will use these projections to include probable workings, future projects, and possible results.

Although information science can be mentally challenging, data analysts will get the satisfaction of analytical curiosity and be at the center of advancing the newest technology.

Thus, data analysts will need specific practical skills to become computer scientists. To become a data scientist, take a data science course. You will then get a professional certification and quickly get jobs to become a pro with an excellent data scientist salary.

Here are some technical skills and courses required to become a competent data analyst. In return, you will also earn a competitive data scientist salary.  

Data Science Courses

1. The Full Stack Data Scientist BootCamp® 

The Full Stack Data Scientist BootCamp is a comprehensive and up-to-date course for learning data science. It is arguably the best course to help you on your path to becoming a professional data scientist.

The course has rich content coverage. You'll learn how to create SQL databases and tables. You'll also learn and appreciate different SQL keys and data types.

The course is suitable for beginners and professional data scientists. Beginners don't need to worry about prior knowledge, for the course teaches everything from the basics. However, you'll need a good computer and a stable internet connection.

2. IBM Data Science Professional Certificate 

This course will kickstart your Data Science career. You will be able to build data Science skills and learn SQL along with Python. You will also acquire skills to visualize and analyze data and create learning models. This course will make you more competitive in your data science career.

The program has nine courses that will equip you with the job-ready skills you need for a competitive data science career. Among the topics the program covers include, 

Tools for Data Science, Data Science Methodology, Python for Data Science, AI & Development, Python Projects for Data Science, Databases and SQL for Data Science with Python, Data Analysis with Python, Data Visualization with Python, Machine Learning with Python, and Applied Data Science Capstone.

3. The Data Science Course 2022: Complete Data Science Bootcamp

The course will provide insight into Advanced Statistics in Deep Learning, Science, and Python. Further, the course will train you in Mathematics with a complete toolbox section to enable you to become a better data expert. You will also be able to understand the mathematical aspects of Machine Learning. The skills the program teaches makes your professional resume more competitive.

The course suits beginners - everything from the basics to advanced concepts is well taken care of. However, you'll need to install Anaconda. Besides, you will need Microsoft Excel 2003, 2010, 2013, 2016, or 365.

4. Machine Learning Specialization

The course will take you through fundamental AI concepts. This 3-course program is the key to your quest for excellence in Data Science. The good thing is that the course is beginner-friendly, and you do not necessarily need to have background knowledge.

The course introduces learners to modern machine learning, including neural networks, multiple linear and logistics regression, and decision trees. You'll also learn recommender systems, clustering, and dimensionality reduction under unsupervised learning.

At the end of the program, you'll have the practical know-how to use machine learning concepts in solving real-world problems.

5. Data Science A-Z™: Real-Life Data Science Exercises Included

This course offered by Udemy is the perfect program if you want to increase insight into your data science career. The course will take you on a step-by-step journey through the system with real Modeling examples. Progressively, the course will take you through Tableau Visualization, Analytics, and Data Mining.

The course is beginner-friendly and needs no prior knowledge - your passion is the most crucial factor. You'll, however, need a few pieces of software here and there. The good thing is that most of this software is free, if not a demo version.

The course is also affordable, for only $16.99, you'll have unlimited access to course materials on mobile and TV. A certificate of completion is also available upon successful completion of the course.

6. Introduction to Data Science Specialization

Coursera, through the Introduction to Data Science Specialization course, will launch your data science journey and take you to the next level. You will acquire foundational skills in data science. Afterward, you can further your career into advanced learning in data science. The course includes in-demand data science concepts and skills to enhance your resume and make it more attractive to prospective employers.

The course also equips you with visualization skills and the practical know-how to maintain structured data. It will also guide you in selecting an algorithm model based on your data research. This algorithm is what companies need to make predictive models and informed decisions.

two people in front of the monitor

What Skills Should a Data Scientist Have?

A data scientist needs a good understanding of computer programming and ML technology. In addition, they should appreciate artificial intelligence (AI) principles and databases. Furthermore, they will need to understand the interactive relationship between humans and computers and how to coordinate them for the data scientists' roles.

Below are the relevant skills you'll need as a data scientist.

Data Analysis

Further, to formulate a hypothesis, you must analyze volumes of data as the lead data scientist. Evaluating and making conclusions based on a sea of data is not a walk in the park. The job will require an advanced range of data-analyzing tools and intellectual ability in the data science field.

Luckily for you, these courses offer Real-life Data Science exercises to help you conceptualize the skills needed. Moreover, the system will allow you to learn data science step-by-step.

Computer Programming

As a computer programming expert, you can write computer programs, analyze databases, and solve complex issues. You must also understand data science, write code and use different computer programming languages like QL, Python, and Java.

Machine Learning 

You must use predictive analytics to develop algorithms and statistical models to allow a computer to learn and use information from given data. The machine and data must communicate actionable insights based on the available data.

Business Intuition and Analytical Thinking

As a business intelligence analyst, use your critical thinking and data analyzing skills to connect with the stakeholders to understand the problems they are looking to solve. Then, statistical tests to find answers to these business problems.

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What Kind of Jobs Are for Data Scientists?

Careers in data science work include the following job titles:

  • Data Engineer. Data engineers organize and mine data from different sources. They clean it, separate it and allocate it to storage warehouses. 
  • Data Architects. As the name suggests, data architects are responsible for creating and managing a company's data.  
  • Data Scientist. It is the data scientist who designs data models for a company. In addition, they create predictive algorithm models and analyze the data to give informed forecasts.
  • Data Analyst. These statistics experts employ data sets to help identify market trends. The information will instigate the organization to make informed and strategic decisions. 
  • Business Intelligence Specialists. They intelligently employ and identify market trends and business strategies in data sets. Then the stakeholders can make informed decisions.

FAQs

What Does a Data Science Job Usually Entail?

A Data Science job entails gathering and investigating relevant data for an organization and extracting helpful insight to help formulate trends and patterns. These patterns will form the basis of decision-making and future projections for the organization.

What Do You Need to Start Learning Data Science?

You need a high degree of motivation to start learning Data Science. Although mathematical geniuses are assumed to sail more smoothly in this field, a career in Data Science can be accessible to people with different qualifications. Thus, an essential prerequisite is to be fascinated by the hidden meaning of data and be naturally exploratory.

How Long Does It Take To Learn Data Science?

To answer this question, consider several factors. Your mode of study could be a Boot Camp, book-based, online study, or a Master's program. Nevertheless, it will take an average person with no mathematical or coding background about seven months to a year of intensive learning. That should get you to entry-level data science.

Where Should I Look for a Data Science Job?

Most job-listing websites will have Data Science jobs. In addition, you will find these jobs in other job portals like Google jobs, LinkedIn, Hired, AngelList, Upwork, Just Remote, Data Jobs, and Amazon Jobs.

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