Data Scientist Career Information

A data scientist organizes, analyzes, and interprets data to yield new insights. By applying statistics, mathematics, and computer science to large data sets, data scientists help businesses make informed decisions.

What skills do you need to become a data scientist?

If you’re planning to become a data scientist, you’ll need excellent analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills. You should also have strong written and verbal communication skills. Data scientists work cross-functionally and need to be able to effectively share complex information with less-technologically inclined stakeholders. Additionally, you should be creative and curious. Even though you’re working with numbers, a good data scientist knows how to push past assumptions and examine the same data from different angles to yield fresh insights.

What experience and/or certifications do you need to be a data scientist?

You can apply to be a data scientist once you have your bachelor’s degree. Data scientists graduate with a variety of majors, but statistics, mathematics, computer science, and business analytics are the most popular. Being a data scientist requires extensive education, and most data scientists have a master’s or a PhD. Before you apply to a data scientist role, you should know Python, R, and SQL, the most popular programming languages; Excel expertise should be a given. For data visualization and reporting, it helps to have experience with Tableau or Qlikview. A background in statistics, NLP, and machine learning is also important.

More than 75 percent of analysts have done one or more internships before applying to a full-time analyst role. Generally speaking, tech giants and Silicon Valley start-ups don’t look kindly on data science certifications—they’re more interested in your hands-on experience and education. To build your knowledge of specific languages, you can take courses on Udemy or Coursera.

What companies and industries employ data scientists? 

All sorts of businesses hire data scientists, including consulting, software, healthcare, education, finance, manufacturing, and technology companies. In addition to being hired as a data scientist, similar roles at these companies include data engineer and software engineer.

Where can a data scientist internship take you?

The majority of data scientists find jobs in major US cities, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Boston. Check out the graph below for a snapshot of life after a data scientist internship.

Chegg internal data model

What is the job outlook and salary for data scientist roles?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer and information research science is projected to grow 11% over the next decade, which is faster than average. The average computer scientist makes a median annual salary of $118,370.