How To Become A Data Scientist, Step-By-Step:
A blog post around obtaining a career in data science.
This is the first post in a series of posts where I talk about my experience in the field and provide resources for anyone who is interested in the field.
I was asked recently by someone how they should go about obtaining a career in data science. They told me they had a Ph.D. in physics, but that they didn’t know where to start. I thought this would make for an excellent blog post as it’s a common question and there are many paths to becoming a data scientist. In fact, I’m sure there are more than 10 ways to do it, but here is what happened for me and how I think about it now.
My background is not typical for someone who ended up doing data science. Unlike many other people who became data scientists, I did not get a computer science or mathematical degree at all. My undergraduate degree was in physics and my first real job out of college was as a medical physicist working with cancer patients and radiation therapy equipment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. While that may seem like an odd job to have before becoming a data scientist, it gave me some valuable experience with statistics and
How To Become A Data Scientist, Step-By-Step.
I recently got asked a question around how to become a data scientist and thought I’d write up my answer here. This post is intended as a guide for anyone starting out in data science or who is looking to transition their career into data science.
There are many paths you can take to become a data scientist and this post will outline some of them. At the end of the day, becoming a good data scientist is about learning the right tools and techniques, practising them over and over again, and eventually building up your own toolbox of tricks that you can use on future projects.
The field of data science is growing fast. Every day, we generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data. As the field grows and matures, it becomes increasingly important to have a standardized way of learning. Anyone can become a data scientist. It’s about asking the right questions and finding the right resources to answer those questions.
I’m an aspiring data scientist who was fortunate enough to have mentors that were willing to help me in my journey as I transitioned into this career. It was because of them that I was able to learn how to ask the right questions, find the right resources, and eventually land my first job as a Data Scientist (the first of many).
And now, I want to pay it forward by putting everything I learned into a blog post that can help you get started today on your path to becoming a data scientist.
You have probably heard about the “hot” field of data science. Your friends and family tell you that you should become a data scientist because the job market is good and that the pay is great. But what does a Data Scientist really do? What are their day-to-day responsibilities? What type of education and experience do they have? Is it really all it’s cracked up to be?
I found that many people who just started learning about data science had many of the same questions about this career field. So I decided to write this post in order to provide some guidance for those who may be interested in pursuing this career path.
Data science is a rapidly growing field that has been called the hottest profession of the 21st century. As companies create more data, they need people to make sense of it. Data scientists are often in high demand, but their skills and training can be hard to come by, so for many organizations it makes sense to train their existing employees for a role in data science.
This post will give you an overview of how to become a data scientist. It’s aimed at both beginners and those with some experience in the field, who want a structured process for learning about data science and getting into the industry from scratch. The points below are ordered roughly from easiest to hardest, so you can also use it as an informal curriculum if you’re self-learning.
The data science field is more popular than ever, and it seems like everyone wants to get in. However, the process of doing so can be a bit unclear. On LinkedIn Learning, I often hear from students who ask me: “How do I become a data scientist?” and “What steps should I take?”
I’ve written a lot on this topic, but today I want to go over the simplest way to answer these questions. Step by step, here’s how you become a data scientist:
1. Get comfortable coding in Python.
2. Understand core statistical concepts like distributions and hypothesis testing.
3. Master SQL and relational databases (You’ll use SQL for cleaning data.)
4. Learn statistics at an intermediate level (e.g., regression analysis).
5. Learn the basics of machine learning (e.g., classification models).
6. Get comfortable with your favorite tools for exploring data (e.g., Pandas or R).
I just recently was looking at a data scientist job description and thought, wow, that sounds like my dream job. I know it’s not a new field, but I’m hoping that all of the hype around big data will continue to lead to a greater demand in the coming years.
I think it would be great to get a start on this path now while I can still make changes in direction if necessary. I’m just not sure where to begin or what is even required to be successful in this field.
So my questions are: What skills are required for someone to become a data scientist? What classes should I take? How can I prove that I have what it takes (aside from a degree)? How do I find mentors and other people who are already working in the field? And lastly, how much math do I need to know?
I’m currently pursuing my bachelor’s in computer science with a concentration in software engineering (with a minor in economics), so ideally I’d like to build upon my current studies.