Data science or data scientist are two of the most subjectively used terms and are used to describe very distinct jobs. This post discusses four of these data science jobs.
Data Scientist is a Data Analyst Who Lives in San Francisco
All jokes apart there are certain organizations where being a data scientist is still thought of as being a data analyst. At an organization like this, your work might require you to pull data out of MySQL databases or mastering the Excel pivot tables, producing basic data visualizations for example pie and bar charts.
Occasionally the job might demand you to analyze A/B test results or taking lead on the company’s Google Analytics account. These are the enterprises which provide a great working environment for an aspiring data scientist for learning the basics. Once you get hold of basics, organizations like these can prove to be an amazing place to try new things and expand your skillset.
Please Wrangle Our Data
This has been witnessed quite a few time that many companies get to a place where they have a lot of traffic and continuously increasing data. Companies in such situations are constantly searching for someone who can build a lot of data infrastructure which would help the company in moving forward.
Simultaneously the search is also on for someone who can provide analysis of the data. When you search for a data science job on a portal you would come across postings which are listed under “Data Scientist” as well as “Data Engineer”. Now in a scenario where you are the first data science hire, you would find the fruits hanging rather low as it is of very less relevance whether you are a statistics or machine learning expert or not.
A data scientist who has a computer engineering degree can do really well at such a place – where the emphasis is more on making meaningful data-like contributions to the product code and provide basic insights and analyses. Such a company might not have a lot of mentorship opportunities for data scientists. This result is great opportunities to come into light via trial by fire but at the same time due to lack of guidance, the risks of failure should also be considered.
We Are Data. Data is Us
There is n number of companies where their data or data analysis platform is their product. In cases like these, the intensity of data analysis or machine learning is quite high. This is the situation most suitable for a professional who has a degree in mathematics, statistics or physics and aspires to continue on a more academic path.
In such scenarios, the work of data scientists entails producing great data-driven products rather than resolving queries on operational questions for the company. Organizations which fall into such categories can be consumer-facing companies having huge volumes of data or companies which offer data-based services.
Data-Driven Companies where Data is not the Product
There are a large number of companies which fall under this category. Working with such organizations means joining hands with an established team of data scientists. This company that you work for might be sensitive towards data but is not a data company. But this doesn’t undermine the significance of analysis, touch production code, data visualization etc.
Usually, such organizations are searching for generalists or are looking for specific skill sets where they feel the team is lacking. This can be anything from data visualization to machine learning. Some of the skills that one must keep in mind while taking up an interview with such firms are familiarity with tools designed for big data like Hive/Pig and experience of working on complex real-life datasets.
I hope this information has helped you in sensing just how broad a term “data scientist” is. In each of the above examples, the companies are seeking different skill sets, expertise and experience levels. Having said that it is also true that you will find all these postings under the heading of “data scientist.” Thus it becomes very important to look closely at the job and understand the skill sets which are required for that particular role.
Cognixia offers a great and comprehensive training program on Data Science which prepares you for such real-life data science jobs. For further information, you can write to us at Cognixia
