CAREER GUIDE

Data Scientist
CONTENTS

Introducing the data scientist

Responsibilities
Qualifications
Skills
Career prospects
Related jobs
Salary
I N T R O D U C I N G T H E D AT A
SCIENTIST

The good news for data scientists – whether those

dipping their toes in the water by enrolling in a course,
or more seasoned practitioners – is that they are in
increasing demand as our world becomes ever more
data-driven.

So, when did being a data scientist become as in vogue

as a hipster start-up founder? In short, it was when
computing power exploded – giving access to vast
quantities of data along with its collection, processing
and analysis. There’s a joke that statisticians got fed up
with no one being able to pronounce their job title, and
that’s why they rebranded themselves as data scientists.

The early 2000s saw the foundations of the profession

being laid: new journals founded, research departments
formed, articles debated. In 2010, the Economist
published a special report, announcing that: ”… a new
kind of professional has emerged, the data scientist,
who combines the skills of software programmer,
statistician and storyteller/artist to extract the nuggets
of gold hidden under mountains of data.”

As we journeyed through the 2010s, each year brought

an exponential rise in both the number of data scientist
positions offered, and the breadth, complexity and
computing ability needed to gather those ‘nuggets of
gold’.
RESPONSIBILITIES

So what does the day-to-day life of a data scientist look like? You could find yourself using data to build
algorithms; designing experiments to manage and report on data within an organisation or for external use; or
considering the effectiveness of data sources and data-gathering techniques to help improve data collection
methods. You could also be using machine learning tools in AI applications, or looking for clues to patterns
of activity, based on population data that could help public bodies make decisions about where to allocate
service funding.

Data scientists are often future-scopers, building models to develop predictions about the future based on
past data. The more skilled or respected a data scientist is, the more freedom they’ll have to pursue their
own ideas and experiment to find interesting patterns and trends in the data that managers may not have
considered.

Later on in your career you may get involved in establishing new systems and processes, and looking for
opportunities to improve the flow of data, as well as working in a more client facing context.

Q U A L I F I C AT I O N S

There’s no denying that data scientists need a strong educational background to set the foundations for
building breadth and depth of knowledge once in the job.

While higher education is not a necessity for a role within big data, degrees in the following degree subjects
may give you a head start: computer science, data science, engineering, mathematics, operational research,
physics and statistics. And there are various Masters degrees available offering additional specialisation,
which will give you an edge when applying for jobs.

Continuing professional development is absolutely essential though. And so even after qualifying with an
undergraduate or postgraduate degree, data scientists need to keep up-to-date with the latest trends and
technologies. Online courses are a good way to do this alongside full-time work.
SKILLS

Along with an undergraduate degree you’ll need to

learn programming languages such as R, Python,
C or Java and have strong database design and
coding skills. Continuously building your statistical
literacy and programming skills and creating your
own project portfolio, showing you have hands-on
data wrangling, storytelling, analysis and database
skills are ways you can develop your career to shoot
for the prestigious jobs.

Those with an artistic bent will shine in data

visualisation, reporting and storytelling, and will
be able to stand out from the crowd by developing
their skills in this area through online courses,
personal projects and looking out for opportunities
at work.

Other key skills and knowledge areas include:

• Machine learning techniques
• Risk analysis
• Statistical analysis
• Effective communication
• Software engineering
• Data mining, cleaning and munging
• Research
• Big data platforms
• Cloud tools
• Data warehousing and structures

Experts recommend balancing time spent learning

theory, with practical application, to speed up
learning and maintain motivation. This type of
approach helps to embed the learning, so you can
see how the concepts you’ve learnt, are applied
in the real world. Finding hands-on projects to
practise the theory early on is important, as is
learning to live with only partial knowledge. This is
the kind of learning where you need to keep moving
forward and fill in the gaps as you go. This way you
learn how each piece fits into the big picture.
CAREER PROSPECTS

Because of the huge number of companies and

organisations that are expanding their data analysis
teams, particularly with regards to personal data, there
is a wider range of specialist data roles available,
using a greater variety of increasingly sophisticated
technology. There is also a broader spectrum of data
used in data science today, and the industries and
applications in which data science is involved, have
expanded as well.

Areas where there is a particular concentration of

data scientists include: finance, academia, scientific
research, health, retail, information technology,
government and ecommerce. Your opportunities will
depend on your location, skills, and capacity to keep
up-to-date with the latest technical developments. There
is lots of competition for the good jobs as the number of
people training in data increases.

In-demand data scientists usually specialise in a

particular industry or develop expert skills in areas such
as artificial intelligence, machine learning, research, or
database management. Developing an area of expertise
is a great way to increase your earning prospects and
develop job satisfaction by working in an area that is
meaningful to you.

R E L AT E D J O B S

Business analyst, systems analyst and data analyst

careers are other good options to consider if you have
an analytical mindset. There are also many roles within
cloud computing with a strong data science crossover.
SALARY

As with any discussion of salary ranges, it will vary

significantly depending on geography, sector and a
whole host of other factors. When choosing your role,
consider also how much training exposure you’ll be
getting and who you can learn from. Working with good
people can pay dividends both in terms of technical
proficiency and your feelings towards the profession
you’ve invested in. So, try and take the long view.

Based on positions advertised on their website, CV

Library quotes UK graduate data scientist salaries as
starting from £18,000 to around £25,000 a year. After
a few years, experienced, high-level data scientists or
contractors can expect a salary of £60,000 and above.
And it’s worth honing those Hadoop and SQL skills, as
specialists in those areas can command the highest
salaries, with some reaching £100,000.

Prospects gives salaries for junior data scientists

starting at around £25,000 to £30,000, rising to £40,000
depending on experience, again with lead and chief data
scientists earning upwards of £60,000, and a £100,000+
salary for the top earners.

Payscale has found a range of £25,000 to £60,000 for

data scientists, with an average £34,972 salary.

Data science is a rewarding, popular and fashionable

choice that can also be well paid. But there’s a reason
that practitioners are paid well: there are no shortcuts
to expertise, and a complex blend of mathematical,
computer programming, communication and people
skills are needed to perform well. There’s also the
personal responsibility that comes with handling large
datasets.

Good luck with this amazing career choice, and happy

learning!

Check our online data science courses you can start

today: https://www.ilxgroup.com/uk/individual/training/
data-science
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