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Data science is quickly becoming a very exciting and worthwhile career. As more data is created and inevitably becomes available for use, many companies are struggling to figure out what they can do to harness the power of that data.

Data-driven decision making is the key to business success in an even more competitive market. That’s why businesses are ready to invest so heavily in the field. If you are ready to take advantage of this massive opportunity, here is a quick profile about the data scientist role, and what you need to know before submitting your application.

Understanding the Role

While the term Data Scientist is a generalized job title, most data scientists work with IT data to find patterns and insights that can be acted on for greater business impact. For instance, a data scientist can analyze real-time customer data to identify aspects of a product which are often used. Data scientists often work with the end to end data pipeline, such as defining what is the correct dataset to collect and how to correctly and completely instrument the product to collect the relevant data without impeding the usefulness of the core product in any way.

From there, a data scientist can identify the uses for the data collected and define the algorithms for predictive and descriptive data analysis. The results of these analyses can be used to spot patterns, identify investment opportunities, and fix deficiencies.

Job Requirements and Impact

When the job is done right, a data scientist can have a huge impact on an organization’s bottom line through gathering information which feeds directly into an organization’s decision-making process. As demand increases, there is a clear need for more data scientists in the job market. A data scientist’s main goal is to organize and analyze large amounts of data, often using software specifically designed for the task. From there, a data scientist must communicate their findings in a simple-enough fashion that all invested stakeholders (including those without an IT background) can understand and engage with.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average salary for a data scientist in 2016 was around $111,800 per year. It’s clearly a fast-growing and lucrative field, with jobs predicted to grow by 11 percent by 2024. It is also described as one of the most satisfying and all around best career paths available today (ranked as one of the Glassdoor’s 50 Best Jobs in America.)

A strong data scientist needs to have a scientific mindset as the job frequently requires defining clarity in an otherwise ambiguous situation. The job also requires a solid mathematical background to be able to identify patterns in what may seem like a mountain of information. A strong background in computer programming makes it easier to come up to speed with the various tools available to data scientists and use them with confidence. Data-driven decision making is the wave of the future and the data scientists are leading the way.

Work With a Leading IT Recruiter in Power Generation

If you’re looking for a challenging data scientist role or another information technology position, contact the team of recruiters at ESGI and work with a top IT staffing company in Virginia.

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