What is Data Science?

Looking at the most prestigious universities in USA, here is what they say. According to Stanford Data Science, Data science is the practice of extracting knowledge and insight from data in a reproducible manner, and effectively communicating the results. 

Penn State Data Science says," Data Sciences is a field that explores the methods, systems, and processes used to extract knowledge from data and turn these insights into discoveries, decisions, and actions."

 UC Berkeley states," Data science combines computational and inferential reasoning to draw conclusions based on data about some aspect of the real world." 

Finally, the John Hopkins Data Science lab emphasizes the importance of data science as follows: "Data science is a fundamental way of thinking in many areas of science, business, and government. We believe all people should be able to develop literacy, fluency, and skill in data science so they can make sense of the data they encounter in their personal and professional lives." From these statements about data science, one can infer that Data science is a demand of the current time.

Data Science as an Opportunity!

With the advancement in digital technology, the production of data is more than ever before. It has been produced in various formats such as numerical, text, and video are the most common.  The data contains various useful information for the business, government, and policymakers. Since the data itself is not information, the relevant information can be extracted by applying the proper preprocessing and analysis. As the data is proliferating and is readily available, the stakeholders can extract useful information from those data and make an informed decision. So here comes the role of the data scientist. In this competitive market, data scientists extract the knowledge and insight from the data and effectively communicate the outcome to the policymakers. Then the policymakers make a policy or informed decision assisted by the data science.  No matter where you are, at high school or just starting the university, or in graduate school, do not miss to build your data science skills.

Data Science as an Investment!

Every student spends a good amount of money to earn a college degree or a graduate degree.  Since every rational thinker expects to have a great return from their investment, investing in data science skills/degrees is among the best investment alternatives available at the moment.  Here is the justification. There are several advertisements of job openings every time on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Y Combinator, Analytics Jobs, Big Data Jobs. In addition, the individual company's websites, for example, Amazon, Google, Apple, Salesforce, Oracle, and Microsoft, to name a few, have openings for data science-related jobs. Furthermore, the 2021 U.S. News Best Jobs Rankings ranked the job of Data Scientist at the top second position among the technology jobs, and the statistician at the second-best business jobs. Also, Glassdoor lists Data Scientist as a top 2nd in the list of the top 50 jobs in the USA for 2021 and mentions the median starting salary of $113,736. The data also indicates significant growth in the relevant jobs and is expected to have continual growth in the near future. Therefore, walking out from the university with a data science degree can help have a high-paying job with top-level job satisfaction.

Data Science is Fun!

Think about what we love most. Is it Sports? Marketing? Technology? Public Health? Biology? Chemistry? Agriculture? Finance? No matter the field someone love, they can find the job that fits their area of interest with the data science skills. It is basically learning the most enjoyable stuff and adding the data science skills to learn even more and do more in that field. Finally, isn't it awesome getting paid a comfortable salary while doing the stuff we love the most?  In conclusion, a data scientist can practice their favorite field with their data science skills and domain expertise.

Data Science can transform the quality of life!

Data science can be transformative to first-generation and marginalized groups. The tremendous opportunity and wide range of job possibilities with the data science degree can land a high-paying job. This, in fact, leads to financial freedom. According to the  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for data science skills will drive a 33.8 percent rise in employment in the field through 2026. In addition, the job satisfaction score for the data scientists is 4.1 out of 5, according to the Glassdoor 2021 research. Furthermore, the job setting for data science is flexible, so taking care of family and work during a comfortable time is also a plus. Overall, it can transform the quality of life.