The idea of what is data scientist background, job role & skills

1. 9/20/2018 Who Is a Data Scientist? Background, Job Role & Skills
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2. Who Is a Data Scientist? | People Ask Google
Rohan Kumar • September 19, 2018  0  19
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Uncategorized
This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Data Science Questions People Also Ask Google
If you’re wondering – who is a data scientist? – then this blog is for you.
Data scientists are curious individuals with great problem-solving ability.
They possess technical IT skills like programming and are good at
mathematics and statistics. They are also generally business minded. Due to
their ability to navigate both – the tech and business worlds – they are
hugely popular among employers. Data scientists earn some of the highest
salaries in the market.
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2. 9/20/2018 Who Is a Data Scientist? Background, Job Role & Skills
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Data scientists work to make sense of the large amounts of data we create in
the digital world. They work with two types of data – structured and
unstructured. Unstructured data is more difficult to work with. It’s the data
that analysts previously ignored, but not anymore. Thanks to data scientists,
organizations can now leverage the advantage that even these voluminous,
disorganized data can give them.
Data scientists are deep thinkers. They strive to fulfill their intellectual
inquisitiveness, that cannot resist asking questions, and find new solutions to
real-world problems. Their drive to use their creativity in productive ways
allows them to see data in a way that goes beyond the surface level to
discover the hidden truths – trends and patterns – that lay beneath it.
Are They Just Analysts?
They are more than just analysts. Data analysts use machine learning
algorithms to uncover insights from structured and unstructured data. Data
scientists, on the other hand, develop machine learning algorithms that
analysts, statisticians and other analytics professionals use. This is the
primary difference between data scientists and data analysts.
Here’s how data scientists are different from data engineers.
What Backgrounds Do Data Scientists
Have?
Data scientists are traditional mathematicians or statisticians, even
programmers. They tend to be highly qualified. Many data scientists –
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3. 9/20/2018 Who Is a Data Scientist? Background, Job Role & Skills
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around 88% – at least have a master’s degree (often in one of these
subjects). They also generally have work experience in these fields.
Having said all this, it is not necessary for a data scientist to have this
background. We need to remember that data science is a recent
phenomenon. The job of a data scientist did not even exist too long ago. So,
there was no standard path to this job – not definite path through college or
university.
Data scientists essentially became themselves through their passion for
solving problems and general curiosity. They were only aided by their
technical, statistical and business ability in this mission. If you possess these
abilities, you need not worry about holding a specific degree or having a
certain educational background to become a data scientist.
What Do Data Scientists Do?
There might not be much difference in what data scientists do on a day-to-
day basis. But, their responsibilities may vary from one week to another. For
some weeks a data scientist may work on a data mining project and then
shift to developing a predictive model in subsequent weeks. A typical day
generally involves problem-solving. This requires brain storming and going
over suggestions from a variety of stake holders, which means a lot of
meetings!
Tasks Data Scientists Perform

4. 9/20/2018 Who Is a Data Scientist? Background, Job Role & Skills
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Gather data from a variety of sources and make it usable
Use data to solve business problems
Uncover patterns and trends that can help business
Make predictions that are relevant for the business
Classify information according to needs
Make recommendations to business or help them make
recommendations to users
Identify problem areas of business/product
Prevent fraud
Automate data processes
Make data recognizable in image, audio and other forms
Produce action plans
Optimize operations
Assess and manage risks
Perform statistical tests and analyses
Interpret data
Visualize data for the benefit of team members
Effectively communicate objectives and actionable insights with
stakeholders
Improving analytics using machine learning and deep learning
The tasks that a data scientist performs depends on the needs of the
organization. Obviously, a data scientist working for a startup will not have
the same goals as a data scientist working for a large corporation. In this
regard, every data scientist is different. They may have similarities in terms of
tools and skills (outlined in the next section). Perhaps, even their education
background might be similar. But, the objectives they work to achieve will
most likely be different.
What Skills Do Data Scientists Possess?
Programming
Arguably the most important skill in data science. Programming helps data
scientists analyze large data sets. It helps them build their own tools for this
purpose. And, it improves their statistical and other abilities.
Statistics

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Analysis of data would be impossible without knowledge of statistics.
Therefore, this is one of the primary skills (along with programming) that
data scientists must have.
Machine Learning
Analysis of voluminous data would not be possible without computers.
Having said that, computers would not be able analyze data without
training. Data scientists must have machine learning skills so that they can
help computers learn from data.
Business Acumen
This includes domain knowledge and understanding of product. With these
two, data scientists can identify the most pressing concerns to address and
immediate goals to achieve, and quickly do so.
Communication
Lastly, data scientists must be master communicators. The work of a data
scientist is not restricted to any team or department. They must collaborate
with a variety of professionals and stakeholders. Hence, they must possess
good communication skills to be able to clearly communicate insights and
objectives, and coordinate efforts of different departments.
They should be good at visualizing data so that others can grasp what they
mean by looking at visualizations instead of having to imagine it themselves.
Can I Be a Data Scientist?
If you know programming and are good at mathematics and statistics, most
definitely. Even otherwise, you can. If you are willing to invest time and
energy in it. You need training. And whether you know these components or
not, you will need a mentor.
A lot of professionals are shifting to a career in data science, so there is no
reason you cannot. Remember, you don’t need a degree or any specific
background. Data science is about solving problems. Not showing a paper
as qualification.
Who Is a Data Scientist?

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Do the tasks that data scientists perform excite you? Do you have some (if
not all) of the skills that data scientists generally possess? Are you curious
and motivated to solve real-world problems by garnering insights from
data? Then you are a potential data scientist! Get in touch with us to find out
how we can help you achieve your true potential.
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