Scientific usage of gathered and filtered information for extrapolating the outcome of an unknown (future) situation by using different tools and languages before presenting the data in a visually ready reckoning format for influencing business decisions is called data science. This process consists of two main tasks – exploratory data analysis and data engineering. Other related activities such as data visualisation, data analytics, model creation and model deployment complete the entire cycle and the entire gamut of activities which fall under data science.
Career Guidelines
The Data Scientist career is arguably the fastest-growing career in the software world and is not just meant for candidates who have a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering or Computer Science Engineering. Study on data science also includes artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning in the course. However, certain key skills and know-how are required before taking data science as a career option. Some basic guidelines for such aspiring candidates from the non-core or non-technical subjects or domains are as follows -
- It may be noted that the activity of a Data Scientist on one platform is very different from that of another. So, a prospective candidate has to figure out the course that the candidate is interested in and is capable of handling. The candidate must learn the skill of data collection by reading articles or videos and develop the habit of recording information by taking notes.
- Making friends in the data science community before taking a deep dive into this field is also another useful idea. Community discussions unravel many unknown facts and may help the aspiring Data Scientist to come across a solution. Besides, they may continually be aware of the best practices in the subject domain and come across leaders in this field, who have already tasted success, albeit from a different field.
- A Data Scientist must be in the habit of upgrading his or her knowledge by studying the latest research papers or new tools, languages and algorithms that are being published from time to time. The constant inquisitiveness regarding the updated knowledge will help the candidate to scale more heights.
Career Options
Data science and machine learning courses in India result in highly rewarding careers. However, it may be noted that the application of data science is industry-specific and hence the knowledge of a Data Scientist is a bit incomplete until and unless he becomes a domain expert. The different jobs that a prospective candidate may hit upon after completing the course are as follows –
- Data Analyst – This is the beginner’s role that a candidate lands upon just after completing the course. The basic functions of this position are to gather raw data, clean them and apply algorithms to it by the usage of statistics and other tools. Besides, they have to be masters in PPT and other tools that are used for presentations. A business house takes decisions after they review its inputs.
- Data Scientist – The role of a Data Scientist is a consultant’s role and oversees the activities of a Data Analyst along with other important functions like model creation, implementation and testing. A Data Scientist, who is also an expert in domain knowledge, is an asset to the organisation. The models that he creates are more practical and expected to yield far more accurate future predictions. It is the role of a Data Scientist to derive the key performance indicators of an organisation.
- Business Analyst – A Data Scientist with a strong interest in business development predictions and ample domain knowledge often chooses the career of a Business Analyst. However, in this case, it may be noted that he must also possess operational knowledge along with the past and present practical challenges faced by the business. It’s noteworthy to mention here that a Business Analyst can also extract the key performance indicators of a company.
- Statisticians – The role of the Statisticians is to collect and organise data in a way that a trend is visible through the interpretation of those data. The sole purpose is to make a business decision. They also play an immense role in advising on long-term organisational strategies.
- Financial Analyst – A candidate coming from a finance background and foraying into the field of data science often chooses this portfolio. This position is of diverse nature and finds roles in banks, NBFCs and corporate, as well. We may find them as a Credit Analyst or a Financial Model Developer.
- Machine Learning Engineer – Machine Learning Engineers provide software solutions through clean data funnels. Strong statistics and programming skills coupled with software knowledge are their basic assets. They also run tests and experiments on the different models they create.
Conclusion
Data science has already picked up its growth trajectory in India, exponentially, and it has the potential to double the industry volume just within a couple of years. The IIT Roorkee data science and machine learning course at Imarticus is an online course. The duration of the course is 5 months. It is one of the best data science courses in India that will help you to achieve your dream.
