How to Become a Data Scientist
Shanji Xiong lives and breathes data. His passion helps businesses grow their profits.
If you’re considering a career in technology, let us tell you all about how to become a data scientist, one of the best jobs in the U.S. in terms of salary, unemployment rate, and employee stress levels. Besides ranking sixth in the top 100 best jobs in the country, data scientist roles are also the third best technology jobs and rated sixth best STEM jobs.
You may also want to know how to become a data scientist because of the incredibly high projected percent change in employment according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). While the average growth rate for all occupations in the U.S. is 5%, for data scientists is a whopping 36%!
The demand for data scientists has been steadily growing, and over the decade 2021-2031 an average of about 13,500 openings for data scientists are projected each year. The supply though remains low, mainly because the field of data science is still relatively new.
Ready to help companies provide better services and products by analyzing and interpreting data? Here’s what you need to know about how to become a data scientist before you embark on this lucrative career.
What Is Data Science?
Data science is a field of study combining multiple disciplines including math and statistics, informatics and programming, data analysis, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The goal of data science is to reveal information and actionable insights to help companies with strategy planning and decision making.
A data science project typically begins with the collection of both raw structured and unstructured data in a process also known as data ingestion. Data is then processed and stored before being accurately examined and presented using visualization tools.
What Is a Data Scientist and What Does a Data Scientist Do?
Data scientists are in charge of curating all phases of data science projects and presenting the final reports. In this role, you’ll use different tools and techniques to gather and process data, develop algorithms for machine learning, and present your findings through data visualization in a way that both technical and nontechnical audiences can clearly understand.
Your duties as a data scientist will vary depending on where you work, but there are certain responsibilities that most data science careers will involve at some point, including:
- Working with stakeholders throughout the organization to find opportunities for leveraging company data to drive business solutions, automate collection processes and visualizations.
- Designing and implementing processes and solutions associated with a wide variety of data sets used for data and text mining, analysis, modeling, and predicting to enable informed business decisions.
- Coordinating with different functional teams to gather requirements, implement models and monitor outcomes.
- Analyzing problems, determining root causes, suggest corrective actions, and identifying targets for improvement.
To read more about the duties and data scientists’ responsibilities, check out Monster’s sample data scientist job ad.
Where Do Data Scientists Work?
There are over 110,000 data scientists working in the United States. The largest sectors of employment for this profession are computer systems design, company and enterprise management, insurance carriers, and management, scientific and technical consulting services. Most data scientists are employed full time and work either in company offices or remotely.
How to Become a Data Scientist
To work as data scientist, you’ll need to master certain skills and fulfill some educational requirements. However, there are many paths you can take to become a data scientist and due to the high demand, you can find employment in this industry even if you don’t satisfying all the data scientist requirements.
Educational Requirements to Become a Data Scientist
Most data scientist jobs require you to have a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in operations research, industrial engineering, applied mathematics, statistics, physics, computer science, or related fields. There are also multiple niche courses and certificates you can take that allow access to entry-level jobs, such as the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate. Most data science courses require you to have at least a high school diploma or GED, some will allow you to earn college credits, and can last anywhere from three weeks to six months.
Skills You Need to Master to Become a Data Scientist
If you want to know how to become a data scientist that companies will jump to hire, keep in mind that besides knowledge of the industry and terminology, there are certain skills you will need to demonstrate, including:
- advanced analytical knowledge of data
- big data analysis experience
- data conditioning
- programming advanced computing
- developing algorithms
- developing software and data models
- executing predictive analytics
How Much Does a Data Scientist Make?
The national average data scientist salary is $107,916 per year within a range of $89,153 to $134,573 and can be even higher for senior data scientist, whereas an entry-level data scientist salary will naturally be lower. Moreover, data science careers often come with great job benefits like a generous PTO policy, health insurance, and a company matched 401(k).
Because pay varies by location and experience, use Monster’s salary comparison tool to get an idea of what you could make. With our tool you can compare data scientist salary estimates across the country, for example:
How to Find Data Scientist Jobs
To find a job as a data scientist, you first need to write an optimized resume and an appealing cover letter. Start by downloading our data scientist resume sample and fill it in with your own information. Then, once you have found a job you want to apply to, tailor your resume accordingly before sending it. To stand out, you need to use the right format and include keywords strictly related to the role in your content.
The same applies to your cover letter, as it must include details not only about the position but also about the hiring company. Therefore, remember to always customize your cover letter template to include why you are the best person for that particular job, and not just as an employee in general.
When you are ready to start your job search, check out Monster’s selection of data scientist jobs and apply to all those that look like a good fit.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report that the top five states offering the most data scientist jobs are:
The five U.S. metropolitan areas with the most data scientist jobs are:
Begin Your Career in Data Science with Help from Monster
Whether you already have all it takes for how to become a data scientist or are still learning, Monster can help you find a job in the data science sector. Create a free profile today, upload your resume and set up custom job alerts for tailored results. Every day, recruiters post new job opportunities and consult candidates on our database.