Data Scientist - Skills Needed

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by Caughtinbetween, Apr 22, 2020.

  1. Caughtinbetween

    Caughtinbetween Gold IL'ite

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    Can someone please tell me what are the courses / certifications etc that could be done to start a career in data science . I often used to see phd's in that role . What would it take to enter as a beginner ? How much of an effort / time is realistically needed to get a foot in the door ? Lets say if I put in the rest of this year for prep work would it be worth it in terms of job market . I know there are lots of roles in that area but for some one to enter without prior experience how the opportunities are out there ?
    I have not completely decided on it yet but I am trying to find information about it before I go further .
     
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  2. shravs3

    shravs3 IL Hall of Fame

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    I had the same question as you. I was interested in data science earlier but heard it’s quite difficult to get a job without having any experience.
    So I dropped the plan. But still somewhere I feel I need to gain those skills and become a data scientist.

    Not to discourage you.
    Recently spoke to a friend who is doing MS in Data science in Bay area and is in final semester.

    She said finding Data science jobs as a fresher is quite difficult because they prefer a person who is more experienced. So she says she is not so particular about finding only data science jobs and open to software engineer roles as well.

    But I feel it all depends on the hard work and luck.
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
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  3. SuiDhaaga

    SuiDhaaga IL Hall of Fame

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    Watching this thread. I am interested in expanding into the field.
     
  4. Caughtinbetween

    Caughtinbetween Gold IL'ite

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    Thank you @shravs3 . I too heard the same as your friend .
    So far whoever I found was either a phd campus hire(no prior experience but research graduates) as a data scientist or people who started as engineers and eventually switched. I am trying to see if there are any places which actually hire when you dont have much relevant exp. and if they do then what are the types of backgrounds people usually transition from. And what are the other similar roles you can look out for which could give you a foot in the door , maybe not immediately but after a few years of experience .
    Meanwhile I found one old helpful response from @Gauri03 here :
    Data Scientist Role Anyone?
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
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  5. SuiDhaaga

    SuiDhaaga IL Hall of Fame

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    I am looking for online classes that are free. Even the paid ones have out-dated information.
     
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  6. Caughtinbetween

    Caughtinbetween Gold IL'ite

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    Couldnt edit the above post . I meant @Gauri03 's response .
     
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  7. AppuMom

    AppuMom Gold IL'ite

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    My husband works in the field.
    One need to have programming skills(they use python ,machine learning language etc) ,analytics skills(good understanding of using statistics) . There are lots of data scientists in the market .what industry is looking currently data engineers cum data scientists(someone who can pull raw data from web ,categorize and bring it to a readable form / graphs or any other statistical variables using
    Language.
    Finally provide multi level analysis of data to the client.
    Online classes just give a theoretical insight to this. Real time boot camps will help as they will provide real time projects.3 months full time class costs around 12000 cad in the city I live.
     
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  8. Caughtinbetween

    Caughtinbetween Gold IL'ite

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    Thank you @AppuMom . Would it be possible for you to post the link for that or similar course here just for me to explore ? Thanks.
    Also did that course/bootcamp help your husband to find a job in the field or did he already have one ? Or Did that course help others who attended with him in securing placement in that field ?
     
  9. shravs3

    shravs3 IL Hall of Fame

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    There are several Coding boot camps in US but they do not provide job guarantee for non US citizens.
    After shelling huge amounts of money on bootcamps and if I do not get a job then it’s a huge disappointment( Especially for DS jobs)
    I personally prefer doing masters which is (25-30k USD) than investing so much on a bootcamp (15000 USD) where there is no job guarantee. Ofcourse even MS doesn’t guarantee you a job but atleast you will get a degree.

    Note: I did enquire few online bootcamps who mentioned that there is no job guarantee (They do not return the money if you do not get a job within 6 months) for non citizens.
    Hence I was skeptical to join and dropped the plan.

    But if you know someone who can refer you then it’s a huge plus!
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2020
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  10. netflx

    netflx Gold IL'ite

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    That's a good point, and not to mention that an advanced degree (such as Masters) gives more of a base to enter into more than one niche specialization.
     

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