Data Science is one of the fastest growing technology in the present IT industry. Today many professionals are considering to pursue a career in this emerging field. This blog addresses everything you need to know about how to become a successful Data Science professional.

Data Science is a fascinating technology and it should come as no surprise that it has shown its impact on most of the sectors of today’s business world that includes telecommunication, education, banking and finance and many others.

It goes without saying that if you are aspiring to make a career in an evolving technology such as this, no matter whether you are an experienced Data Science professional or a new entrant, learning new tools and technologies continuously is necessary to keep up with the industry.

Learning new Data Science skills can certainly boost your career to new heights. Channelizing your efforts in the right direction and following the right approach are necessary for becoming a successful Data Science professional. You need to be a very clear about your career goals and path that you need to follow achieve them.

Just having good technical knowledge may not be enough for you to gain success. You also need to know about all the steps to you need to walk along and know exactly how to hit the target. Since Data Science has many different career choices including Data Scientist, Data Analyst, Data Engineer, Data Architect and many others, you need to know which among these you need to pursue.

Every role involved here demands that you learn both general and specific skills set to be an expert in that domain. Read blog Data Science: A complete Guide to Help You Stay Ahead to get detailed information about all these different professions of Data Science.

We recommend that you continue reading this career guide to know all the relevant information with regards to pursuing a Data Science career.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. As per Glassdoor, jobs for Data Scientists have been ranked among the top 50 jobs of America for 2019.

2. A report from The Economic Times says that the number of job openings for Data Science professionals has increased 76% on a year-on-year basis and around 90,000 job openings in this field are being marketed across different job portal websites.

Know where you stand in the path of becoming a Data Science professional

When you have decided that you want to build your career in the Data Science arena, then it is important to analyze where exactly you stand in the career path of becoming a Data Science professional.

For example, if you wish to become a Data Scientist professional, then you need to check at what are all the skills set you know, and understand what kind of skills set companies that wish to hire Data Scientists are looking for.

“Data Scientist (n.): Person who is better at statistics than any software engineer and better at software engineering than any statisticians”

Do get an idea about this, we recommend that you visit some job portal websites such as Glassdoor and PayScale and look into their required skills section for Data Scientists professionals. Note all the major skills set that various companies are expecting from such professionals and then compare them with your known skills set. This will help you to analyze what else you need to learn and plan accordingly.

Besides these job portal websites, you can also look into this blog to know about all the required skills set one should learn to become a Data Scientist. This approach will enable to prepare a layout that helps you to achieve your goal on time.

You must Read: Technical Skills: Definitions and Examples blog to know how to improve your technical skills.

What industry demands from Data Science professionals

Education:

Many aspiring Data Science professionals think that the only gateway to enter Data Science field is to have a Master’s or Ph.D. degree. However, this is not true. Although some level of education is preferred in certain industries, a bachelor’s degree in any of these streams such as computer science, economics, finance, statistics, and mathematics, etc. can be helpful to become a Data Science professional.

Some institutions offer Data Science degrees that will give the necessary skills to process and analyze a complex set of Data. These degree courses involve lots of technical information related to statistics, computers, etc. that help the students to become good Data Science professionals.

Click here: You can check here the list of several institutes offering Data Science courses in India and Data Science courses in USA.

As per GETEDUCATED.com, 73% of the professionals working in the industry have a graduate degree and around 38% have a Ph.D. If your goal is an advanced leadership position, you need to pursue either a master’s degree or a doctorate.

Certifications

Data Science has become important for every organization and is thus creating a huge number of job vacancies for Data Science professionals. But the main aspect to be noted here is that the skills that recruiters are looking in the Data Science professionals will vary across different industries. Recruiters are looking for talented and industry-ready candidates who can meet  their expectations.

So, it is very important for you, as a professional, to showcase your talent to the hiring manager in the right way to get your dream job. One way to do this is by obtaining certificates in Data Science technology. Having certificates will provide recognition for your specialized knowledge or skill set, which can be a significant benefit while searching for a job.

A Must-Read: Read this blog 15 data science certifications that will pay off to know different certification courses.

By taking up certification courses you will learn each of the major fields of Data Science in an organized and logical manner. These certification courses contain detailed insights of all the topics required for anyone to become a certified Data Science professional.

Besides offering this benefit, certificates can differentiate you from other professionals, showing that you have a good commitment to understanding and excelling in your profession. The time and effort invested in obtaining certifications will help with increased income. Many organizations are willing to pay a high salary to the candidates who have industry certifications.

Today many organizations willing to onboard such candidates who have obtained certification from recognized programs. These certificates recognize your commitment to superior professionalism, upholding industry standards, and continued learning. They can help to increase your professional credibility and prestige within your own network, and also while pursuing new business opportunities.

So, it is recommended that you keep your certifications up-to-date that help you to continue to realize these benefits.

Skills set you know

Whether you choose to become a Data Scientist, a Data Analyst or a Data Mining Engineer, you need to have some skill sets that help you to get your job. We are not just speaking about technical skills one should know but also emphasizing about pursuing soft skills as well that can be of great beneficial to you.

Let us look into some of the common skills set that every Data Science professionals should have:

• Good understanding programming languages such as Python or R
• Knowledge of relational databases and SQL
• Statistical Knowledge
• The ability to work with visualization tools
• Good communication skills
• Intellectual curiosity.

These are only a few skills set we have mentioned here. You can check the entire list here of all the skills set one should have to become a Data Science professional.

Now that we have given you some idea of the new skills set you need to learn to become a Data Science professional, let us take you to how you can learn them. To start with, you could take a look at some online educational platforms that  provide online courses that can be helpful in learning all the necessary skills sets efficiently.

Importance of Internship Programs

“You need an experience to get experience”

Internship programs are wonderful opportunities for students to know the real work culture of the corporate world without undergoing any pressure. It teaches young professionals about the specific industry and companies they are interested in.

Taking up an internship program in Data Science helps in providing a nice learning curve for students with little experience of the professional world. They provide an opportunity for students to find out realistic ways of how the Data Science industry works.

The internship programs also enable the students to work with senior professionals and learn from them. These programs help you to develop a professional network with company professionals that can be very beneficial to your future career.

Click here: You can click here to know all the Data Science internships available for students

As a Data Science intern, you will be in a team of professionals who are solving business problems for companies. Some of the work these Data Science interns will be doing are as follows:

• Conducting analyses
• Preparing reports
• Building visualization using various Data Visualization tools, etc.

An intern can work for part-time or full time at the company for a specified period of time. These programs are a great way for college students, recent graduates or any professional who are willing to gain some experience before landing into an official job.

Overall, joining internship programs can be a good choice for someone willing to make an entry into the Data Science field.

Benefits of participating in workshops and seminars

Participating in workshops, seminars, conferences, and summits can be very beneficial to Data Science professionals, because these platforms provide an opportunity to develop a professional’s network, meet new friends, gain knowledge, exchange ideas, etc., all of which can help them to become more successful in their career.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analytics, and Machine Learning are the trending topics of this modern world and are receiving a lot of attention. Innovations that seem to be happening in this field on almost a daily basis  demand Data Science professionals to keep themselves updated by learning the latest technologies. So, how one can learn the latest technologies evolving in this field? The answer is by participating in such workshops and seminars that are conducted across the world.

These platforms help you to become a better listener and allow you to present your ideas clearly to others and also help you in improving your communication skills, gaining expert knowledge, etc.

You Must Know: Visit here to know 8 Data Science Conferences to Attend in 2020.

Let us discuss some more benefits provided by these platforms:

• Provides networking opportunities: The seminars and workshops are always attended by senior professionals, clients, business people, etc. and participating in such platforms provides you an opportunity to meet these people and present your skills to them. This will help you to build a professional network and is always good for career growth.

• Helps you to learn new skills: In most such seminars and workshops,  Data Science experts give technical talks related to new technologies and innovations that are being carried out by highly experienced people. Your presence there gives you an opportunity to get to know about all such information which may not be  available elsewhere.

• Puts you on the path to becoming an expert:  Participating in such seminars allows you to gain more knowledge about the recent development in the Data Science field and in a way, it helps you be one among the few people to learn these skill set and be an efficient Data Science professional.

What kind of Data Science industries to look for

Data Science has its impacts in many segments of industries. As per The Economic Times the Big Data Analytics is expected to become $16 billion industry by 2025. This is the right time for professionals to pursue a career in Data Science field.

Since Data Science has shown its impact in most of the industries, we will discuss a few top industries that provides a lot of scope for Data Science professionals.

1. Banking and Finance industry: Data Science has shown a huge impact on the Banking and Finance industry. This sector has created the highest number of jobs for Data Science professionals. Using Data Science here has become more than a trend, it has become a necessity to keep with the competition.

2. Manufacturing: Data Science with its features has revolutionized the manufacturing industry. Many smaller and larger companies are implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning techniques to reduce costs, improve production times and boost profits.

3. E-commerce: Data Science has shown its impact in the e-commerce sector as well. Today, many e-commerce businesses rely on Data Science features to enhance their business. They use Data Science effectively to study their customer behavior, which helps them to provide good service to their customer and enhance their business.

Apart from these industries, Data Science professionals can look for working in many other industries where they get wonderful opportunities. 

You need to prepare a good resume

Having a well-written resume that reflects your strengths and experiences you carry is very important in the process of job searching. It doesn’t matter how qualified you are and how much experience you carry; you always need to have a good resume showcasing all your potential skills to get attention from your hiring managers. As per this report, recruitment managers spend an average time of only 5-7 seconds for analyzing a resume.

You should be very careful while preparing your resume. You should specify all the important aspects in your resume such as:

• Your career goal
• Educational qualifications
• Work experience
• Technical skills you know
• Contact details
• References, etc.

Not everything mentioned in the list needs to appear in the resume and even the order of their appearance can also vary from one resume to another resume. The important thing is to include all the useful information in the resume that increases the chance of getting a job.

Include keywords: A lot of recruitment agencies use software to find relevant applications that match the job profile. These software scans applications for keywords or phrases. So, using the right keywords and phrases in your resume can increase the chance for your resume to get shortlisted.

Some keywords and phrases that software looks while scanning the application include names of skills, jobs, activities, and qualifications, etc.

There are many aspects need to consider by any Data Science professional while preparing their resume. You can read the post, How to Write a Great Data Science Resume, which can provide you with all the valuable information needed to prepare a good resume.

Importance of having a project portfolio

Having a project portfolio is very important for Data Science professionals as it act as proof for all the work you do on a daily basis. It is a folder that includes samples of your work. Many employers look for a portfolio of candidates while hiring them for their workplace.

Creating a project portfolio can be very beneficial as it helps you to gain a competitive edge over others. During the interviews, it allows you clearly explain the skill set you know and projects you have worked on to the interviewer. This increases your chance of getting your dream job.

Include some of the noted projects in the portfolio that you have been part of as a Data Science profession. You can include your personal projects that  you may have worked on. This highlights your interest in the Data Science field and conveys a good message to the employer that you are one such candidate  whom they can consider hiring.

If you have enrolled in any of the Data Science Certification Courses and have developed any project during that period, then you need to mention such projects in your portfolio as it shows that you are a certified Data Science professional.

Apart from these, you also need to mention all the Data Science projects that you have been part of in your previous and present organizations. This helps you to showcase your abilities and skills set you know and this can further boost your chances of getting selected for a job into an organization.

For creating a project portfolio, you need to follow several steps and best practices. You can visit here to know all the information about how to create a portfolio.

How to prepare for Data Science interview

Preparing for an interview is one of the important stage in building a Data Science career. The Data Science field consists of so many topics such as mathematics, statistics, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence, etc.

During the interview, one can expect a question come his way related to any of these fields. In addition to these topics, questions related to soft skills might come up, as well. 

You must read: Click here to read Top 50 Data Science Interview Questions and Answers that help to prepare for a Data Science interview

So, you need to prepare well in order to successfully pass an interview. It is recommended to read this blog Preparing for the Data Science Job Interview in order to get complete information on how one can prepare for a Data Science interview.

Where Data Science professionals can find jobs

Now we discuss another important aspect in the path of Data Science career i.e., where Data Science professionals can find jobs. Once you know which types of Data Science job you want to apply for, then you can consider applying for such posts in relevant job portal websites.

Some job portal websites such as Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Indeed, etc. provide lot of opportunities to job aspirants. These websites contain a large number of vacant positions and they often have an “Easy Apply” option.

Apart from the above mentioned job portal websites, you can find many other such websites that help you find a relevant job for you. As per blog of DATAQUEST some of noted job portal websites are as follows:

• KDnuggets jobs
• Data Science Central – Analytic Talent
• Stats Jobs
• DataJobs
• StatisticsJobs UK.

Apart from these job portal websites you can also find a relevant job by various other means such as:

• Company Websites
• Professional network
• Email
• Social media
• Conferences.

These are some of the sources that help Data Science professionals to find their relevant jobs.

Conclusion:

Data Science is a broad field. It involves many subsets within it. Each of its branches demands the professionals to learn some common and specific skills set in order to be an efficient professional in a particular domain. If you are looking for a platform to learn Data Science, then you quickly sign up these online courses that contain all the valuable information you need.

We hope that this blog has been successful in providing all the relevant information for our readers who wants to become a Data Science professional. This has been one among the series of blogs that we have on Data Science. If you think any of the topic has been left out and needs to be supplemented here, then please send your suggestions in the comment section.

We also request to share this blog within your network so that it reach to someone who is also looking to become a Data Science professional.