Contact Us
×

Tag: become a data scientist

Does Data Science Require Coding?

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

Data science has been gaining significant traction over the past few years. Myriads of people working in several areas including, business and IT look to shift to this emerging career option. Moreover, individuals with immense expertise (over 10 years) want to switch to data science.

Going for a data science course begins with numerous queries such as “Does data science require coding?”, or “What are the requisites to learn data science?” It is not necessary to be an expert coder to become a data scientist. Insufficient coding skills should not preclude people from pursuing a data science career. There has been a notion recently that people need excellent coder to become a data scientist.

Undoubtedly, coding is essential in data science but that does not imply that you need to be a hardcore coder to go for a career in the field. Industry executives reckon that anyone who knows the fundamentals of coding – functions, loops, and programming logic – can flourish as a data scientist. Having coding skills already is a plus point in a data scientist job but not compulsory. Then, what about those who have never learned to code earlier? Is there any other way they can become data scientists?

Tips for Non-Coders Learning Data Science

Become an Excellent Storyteller

If you think that vital business decisions rely on data and other quantitative parameters, you are wrong. Even after a machine learning (ML) model is developed and assessment is done by people expert in coding, somebody has to present the outcomes to the shareholders who are well oblivious to programming languages or statistical models. This accents for the need of a story woven around the insights to convince shareholders quickly. You can become that individual with exceptional storytelling abilities in spite of having mediocre programming skills.

Get a Grip on GUI-based Tools

If you are not much of a coding person, then the first thing you can do is to learn the application of GUI-based tools. There are many graphical user interfaces (GUI) supported data science tools that exclude the coding aspect and offer a user-centric interface that aids everyone with the fundamentals of algorithms.

The tools are quite easy to use to develop top-notch ML models sans coding. The majority of these GUI-based tools can be accessed for free and allow you to assess and elucidate data via charts, graphs, and other special graphics.  You do not have to display exceptional coding skills to efficiently leverage these tools but instead having a knack of visualization does help.

Enhance your Credibility with Business Intelligence

If you an expert in insurance or have comprehensive experience working in the retail sector, it is good news for you. You certainly are aware of the nitty-gritty and intricacies of businesses compared to expert coders. If you are highly skilled in areas such as healthcare, and e-commerce, you will be an asset to any company. No certification of expert coding skills can beat business intelligence in a particular area for a long period. Capitalize on your domain expertise and abilities and become the data science wizard.

Final Words

At present, the success mantra to grab a data scientist job in any company is, “The More You Know, The Better It Is.” Although companies prefer professionals with specialized coding knowledge, they are increasingly channelizing their attention towards candidates exhibiting a diverse skill set.

To wrap up, you need not be a die-hard coder or programmer to become a great data scientist.

Is Data Science a Good Career in India?

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

In India, a lot many academic decisions are taken on the basis of how good a career one will have after graduation. This is all the more true for STEM streams like data science and data analytics that make up some of the hottest courses (and professions) in the country.

Aspiring students are signing up for these courses across universities in large numbers. But is a data science career in India a good bet? Can you lead a prosperous and content life by becoming a data scientist? Let’s find out.

Is Data Science Career in India Promising?

The short answer is yes.

There is enough research to support that a career in data science is promising and that it is a high-demand skill right now. Why? Because it’s a stream that has seen a spike in demand globally since the start of the 2010s decade.

A lot of data is being generated, but the number of people who can process them is still relatively negligible. Although tech startups are mushrooming in every corner of the world, there is still a gap in demand and supply. New technologies, tools, and systems are being invented in the stream but there is still a lack of talented and skilled professionals who can drive them. This points to the reason why there is a growing need for data scientists.

Companies across sectors need insights to aid in their decision-making. This is why industry analysts around the world are regularly commenting on the gap between demand and supply. The demand is only growing – from behemoths like Amazon.com to smaller local startups needing data and insights – while the supply of professionals remains truncated.

A reason for the dim supply is the overall poor understanding of data science as an academic field. It is a complex course and one that requires in-depth academic proficiency and experience.

What Does a Career in Data Science Look Like?

Before becoming a data scientist in India, one should understand what the stream is and what all will entail in the profession. Only then can one make a decision if they are fit for the role.

As noted above, it is a STEM degree. And according to Northeastern University, a data scientist is a ‘computing professional who has the skills for collecting, shaping, storing, managing, and analyzing data [as an] important resource for organizations to allow for data-driven decision making.’ It then takes the example of Amazon as one of the largest organizations utilizing data science for its business development.

Take, for example, all the purchases made on Amazon.in in a single day. The data that is generated from these purchases – types of product, prices, the weight of the package, locations, etc. – are then collated to understand user buying behavior among other things. These insights are then used to better the process.

When you become a data scientist, you will begin as an analyst and mainly work with streams of huge data. It can be purchases made on an eCommerce website as in the example above or the data about Covid-19 cases in a specific geography. Whatever it may be, your role as a data scientist will involve collating and analyzing data. Tools like Microsoft Excel, Tableau, Power BI, MATLAB, and Apache Spark will be heavily used.

To conclude, a data science career in India is a good bet considering the world is quickly moving into a data-driven world. If you have an academic background in mathematics and engineering, then it’s time to take it up seriously and become a data scientist.

Do You Need a PhD to be a Data Scientist?

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

Today, data scientists are the emerging assets for companies, and it is imperative for candidates to possess the required skillsets to do wonders in this worthwhile career. But that being said, many people are in a dilemma whether they need a Ph.D. to become a data scientist.

In order to ensure efficient workflow in data science projects, companies are looking for Ph.D. candidates, turning a blind eye to the challenge of the skill gap.

Although Ph.D. candidates will gain an edge over other non-doctorate candidates with regards to knowledge and exposure, a Ph.D. degree in the field of data science will not ensure results due to the ever-evolving technology ecosystem.

Data science jobs ceased to exist a decade back, and anyone rarely opted for a Ph.D. degree in data science. As such, there were a limited number of data scientists who used to hold a doctorate in data science. Apart from that, until lately, several universities did not even provide courses to get trained in data science, which further triggered the scarcity of skilled candidates for the jobs.

Research reveals that there are over 4000 jobs for data science in the US, providing abundant opportunities for Ph.D. aspirants to pick out. As such, thinking about pursuing a Ph.D. degree in data science is not mandatory. Moreover, experts suggest that majority of challenges that companies confront do not require Ph.D. candidates.

Current Situation

Looking at the fast-paced changes in AI and data science spaces, novel technologies make headways, and numerous approaches get outdated, a Ph.D. in data science requires around 5-7 years.

For some people, TensorFlow, Jupyter Notebook, and PyTorch have only become mainstays in the past few years. Thus, these tools would not make into the data science courses in universities, and hence, myriads of candidates enrolled for Ph.D. in data science in 2014 or 2015, would not be skilled in new technologies that are comparatively commonplace now.

As a result, a Ph.D. degree in data science does not guarantee a skilled aspirant.

Data Science: Skills vs. Ph.D.

Skill gains more preference versus certificates in the data science landscape, which is witnessing cut-throat competition. Case in point, on Kaggle, wherein developers from across continents compete to win the challenges, loads of developers hold a firm grip sans having a Ph.D. degree in data science.

At present, there are several platforms that numerous companies can leverage to figure out the expertise of data scientists rather than looking for Ph.D. candidates. Data scientists, unlike other development roles, are tutored to resolve real-life problems on hackathons such as StackOverflow, Kaggle, and GitHub that are organized on a global level. As such, their performance on such platforms says a lot.

Apart from that, data science developers are using media platforms – LinkedIn, Medium, and Twitter – to display their proficiency in data science. Furthermore, a proven track record is what recruiters are giving preference to rather than a Ph.D. degree holder in data science

Online Courses Fill the Bill

Following the latest fad, the data science industry is seeing a colossal rise of e-learning channels and the students opting for them, reflecting the potential of bridging the skill gaps in the data science and AI landscape. As per the Analytics India Magazine, leading data scientists have gained expertise in data science careers following appropriate practices, mostly enrolling in online courses. They believe that one can reach new heights without a Ph.D. in data science.

Looking Forward

So do you need a Ph.D. to be a data scientist? Well, it depends. Research in the data science field is crucial as it brings new techniques on the table, streamlining the workflow. However, it is not a must as not all companies are much into research.

You can be a great data scientist if you apply conventional methods to solve challenges with data science. That is why it not quintessential for you to have a Ph.D. in data science.