Why You Should Study Data Science
There’s an increased interest in data science work, as it has become one of the key careers of the century. What do data scientists do? To put it simply, they help to gain insight into huge amounts of data our society generates. People are realizing the true importance of big data and analytics, with 2017 being recognized as the year in which big data goes mainstream. Until recently, it was used just to reflect performance, but now it can drive entire business operations.
Data scientist, however, is not the only analytics job title because it involves multiple disciplines. It’s not a clearly defined role and the work varies significantly from one employer to another. Sectors such as healthcare, security, energy, business, government, security, logistics and intelligence are in a shortage of good data scientists. If you’re making a choice for job security, choosing to work as a data scientist is a sound option.
Big data — the new frontier
Capitalism, the economic system that permeates the world today, has some rules for us to follow if we want success. One of them is the importance of studying trends. You can determine various ways through which you can make the right moves to achieve positive results by looking at the analytical data available to your niche. From small businesses to large multinational companies — everyone depends on data. They use it to calculate and formulate better strategies for their companies. And who do all these companies turn to before they make any big business decision? They turn to big data analytics and data science.
If you’re thinking about studying data science or asking about data science education for your kids, you should know that there’s no data science school that will put someone on the road to certain success. A good place to begin a career in analytics is any respectable college that offers classes in statistics, and related fields like computer programming, mathematics, and the sciences. You may not even need a degree in data science, in support of self-learning. There are many ways and angles from which one could enter data science.
The multidisciplinarity of data science
The data scientist job is actually a mashup of different skill sets, which is the reason why data scientists are so highly sought after. Before, data scientists used to come from two different disciplines — statistics and computer science — but the best data science involves both disciplines. It’s dangerous for a computer scientist not to know enough basic statistics to know the pitfalls, or for a statistician to not pick up on the latest developments and ideas coming out of machine learning.
Being at the core of the decision-making process
Employees tend to feel dissatisfied with their job places when they feel as if they don’t have any decision-making power. Instead, they feel like just another bolt in the big corporate machinery. On the other hand, data analytics professionals are an integral part of future strategies and business decisions, which means they’re at the core of decision-making in their companies. This gives data analysts a purpose within the organization and an important role.
High adoption rate of big data analytics
Companies started turning to data analytics, as well as to social media, for customer engagement and brand advertising. It’s almost impossible to find a brand without social media presence and data analytics adaptation, which tells us that every company will need good data analytics professionals in the very near future. Those who are looking to make a wise career move, this is the one that has a bright future in business.
Data analytics careers
If you’re interested in getting involved with data analytics, there’s a wide choice of career options (as well as those careers that aren’t called “data scientist”).
– Statistics. A statistician’s work consists of extracting data from data bases through different statistical tests and methods, and make sure of the validity and quality of the final conclusions after the data has been gathered. Professional statisticians are mostly employed by local authorities, national governments, research institutes, market research companies, and consulting and reporting companies.
– Business intelligence reporting. The largest employers are financial, technological, and consulting and reporting companies. A business intelligence specialist can generate various reports from structured data or be involved in market research. They use statistical tools, machine language, and SQL to comprise analysis and reports, and send data to management. The role of data specialist in creating ground-breaking business intelligence software is essential due to data analysis skills.
– Big data engineer or data mining. Technological, retail and trade, and entertainment companies are the common employers for this position. Data mining specialists collect and analyze huge loads of data and are responsible for building and maintaining the software infrastructure, while data engineers use different scripting languages and various programming to develop and launch big data solutions.
– Cryptographer. Also called “cryptologist” or “cryptanalyst” creates and deciphers encryption codes. Television and spy movies brought attention to their role in the military and intelligence agencies. Many cryptographers work in government agencies, while others apply their skills in private sector.
Data science is the future, which is recognized by different industries worldwide. Data specialists are well-paid, at the core of decision-making in their companies, and have increased job opportunities as data analytics becomes a priority in top organizations. If you want to get involved, enroll to a college that offers a course in data analytics (or any related courses) or choose it for your master studies. Just make sure that it’s something that you could really love doing.
About the author: James D. Burbank has always been interested in the ways technology is changing our world, especially when it comes to education and business. If you have the time, check out his blog, BizzMarkBlog.
