Data Scientist - Key skills required for the job | Python for beginners | Analytics Leap
Data Scientist - Key skills required for the job
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Being a Data Scientist requires you to be master of many fields. A data scientist has to be good at analysis, be quick with numbers and at the same time be able to communicate easily with different stakeholders.
I have listed here top 8 skills which make for a good data scientist.
@Python / R
Knowledge of Python / R is a must have skill for Data Scientist. While R is specifically designed for Data Science, Python is an all-encompassing language which can help you do data analysis, data exploration, creating data pipeline, modelling, developing API and almost anything that you need when working on a data science project.
Irrespective of which language you prefer, knowledge of either of these is extremely important if you want to advance your career as a data scientist.
@SQL
A data scientist has to work with many data sources to collect data. A lot of this data is stored in legacy databases which are relational / SQL based. This makes it imperative for a data scientist to have good understanding of the Structured Query Language (SQL) to access & modify data from SQL compliant systems.
@Data Visualization
Nobody likes to see and make sense of numbers scattered around in tabular form.
Tabular data presented correctly in the form of graphs, charts & beautiful visualization is sure to go a long way in making your point clear to the audience. It will also create a good impression about your skills as a data scientist.
@Statistics
Knowledge of statistics is one of the main pillars for building a solid base as a Data Scientist. Without it, a data scientist will be found short when delving deep into the field of data science. Statistics knowledge will help a data scientist make informed decisions about data cleaning, wrangling, building models and visualization.
@Apache Spark
Apache Spark is currently the leading data processing engine used by Data Scientists as well as developers. With a thriving open source developer community, it is the go to tool for anyone working with big data, It supports all the four major languages used by Data Scientists - namely Python, Scala, Java & R. It has libraries which support tasks ranging from data streaming, sql, machine learning and so on. Having knowledge of Apache Spark could help a data scientist move to the next level .
@Machine Learning
A good data scientist is well versed with Machine Learning algorithms and knows which models will work best under the given situation. An in-depth knowledge of machine learning algorithms is a highly valuable skill to have in a data scientist.
@Story Teller ( Communication & Presentation Skills )
A data scientist works with the technical as well as non-technical departments in the company. Hence, a data scientist has to communicate insights in a manner which can be understood easily by everyone. The complex insights from data can be best understood if presented in a visually appealing manner. A good story telling which can convey the positive impact on the business and deliver value is an invaluable skill to have in a data scientist.
@Team Player
One cannot grow & survive alone - more so in case of a Data Scientist.
A Data Scientist has to collaborate with various stakeholders in a company and also might be entrusted with important role of communicating with the customer.
It is impossible to do well in this role if you are not able to understand and navigate the team dynamics. Being a team player is one of the vital skills for being a successful data scientist.