Harvard Business Review declared data scientist as the hottest career of the decade. Data science remains in high demand and at the same time remains extremely exciting.
A lot of people ask themselves what they need to do and fortunately, top employers answered a lot of questions and gave advice that has to be taken into consideration.
Eagerness to learn – Eagerness to learn something new is present in all jobs not just in data science. Rory O’Riordan, who works at eShopWorld says that courses are really important and that they helped him overcome the overwhelming feeling he felt at the beginning. According to him, courses offer a lot of new information and tools that are useful with data science. He also suggests asking questions about anything unclear.
Focus on the bigger picture – Taking a step back to see and focus only at the bigger picture is a must according to Deepanand Saha Roy, director of data analytics at Pramerica.
The needs of the end-user – Oisin Lyons, a data scientist at Aon Centre for Innovation and Analytics says that data scientists often focus only on the problem that is in front of them. That is wrong because after all, it is about the solution that you are seeking. He suggests a step by step work and understanding. “It is really important to understand how the end-user will interact with your data model because after all, that model is the key and shapes how solutions are built”- he adds.
Improve your storytelling abilities – Good analyst goes hand in hand with a good storyteller. Communication, the first part of soft skills in apparently essential for your job says Oonagh O’Shea, analytics senior manager at Accenture Digital. She is right if you think more thoroughly. After all, in data science, you want to solve business problems by applying analytics. The output of an analytics process requires communication and is quite critical.
Be a little more curious than usual – If you want to take a step forward in your career then you have to be more curious. There is a lot of data to analyze and to understand every part and detail of it, the data scientist must be extremely curious. Luca Petricca, a process monitoring analytics engineer, Bristol- Myers Squibb, suggests an understanding of the scientific background behind the data. There are always cases where something is unclear and where data scientists do not understand the process that requires analyzing. In these situations, Luca suggests talking to someone that is an expert in that field.
Connect to the science side of data – The role that you want to dance with has a scientific part as well, you mustn’t forget. Embrace it instead of ignoring it. The tools and technologies are in large numbers here and you need to get a sense to expand your toolbox. This is how you will be able to find evidence that will support your idea. Colin Melody, senior manager in data analytics at Deloitte says that Data scientists have to challenge their assumptions and their data. He also suggests they should test everything and then retest, refine and start from the beginning.
