Post Job

What is a data scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Expert
Gabriel Foust
introduction image

A data scientist analyzes and interprets complex data sets to extract insights that inform decision-making. They use statistical methods, algorithms, and programming to collect, clean, and analyze raw data. Data scientists work in healthcare, finance, technology, and more. They collaborate with stakeholders to identify business problems and develop solutions. They work to communicate findings to non-technical audiences, make recommendations based on data-driven insights, and improve data collection and analysis processes.

What general advice would you give to a Data Scientist?

Gabriel Foust

Computer Science instructor, Harding University

Be willing and ready to learn new things. It is almost certain that there are tools, languages, and frameworks that you will need for the job that you did not learn in school. (The purpose of a degree in computer science is not to teach you every tool, language, and framework; the goal is to build a foundation which allows you to learn these technologies quickly and effectively.) When interviewing, don't feel intimidated if the company is using a technique you are unfamiliar with. Instead, express enthusiasm for learning the necessary technologies, and mention any skills/knowledge you have that would speed up the learning process. If you don't have a job yet, use the time to learn new things. Practice your new skills by developing applications that use them. Create a portfolio of your work that you can show to potential employers. A diverse portfolio can demonstrate that you can learn new things quickly.
ScoreData ScientistUS Average
Salary
7.8

Avg. Salary $106,104

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.2

Growth Rate 16%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.60%

Asian 18.81%

Black or African American 4.18%

Hispanic or Latino 6.87%

Unknown 5.37%

White 64.18%

Gender

female 20.36%

male 79.64%

Age - 39
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39
Stress Level
6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
5.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Data Scientist?

Pros:

  • High demand for data scientists in various industries

  • Competitive salaries and benefits

  • Solving complex and challenging problems

  • High job satisfaction and sense of accomplishment

  • Contributing to important research and development projects

Cons:

  • The expectation to constantly produce high-quality results

  • Can be mentally exhausting and require long hours of work

  • Dealing with large amounts of data can be overwhelming and time-consuming

  • Requires a high level of technical expertise, which can be challenging to acquire or maintain.

  • May require dealing with incomplete or inaccurate data that can compromise the quality of the results.

Data Scientist career paths

Key steps to become a data scientist

  1. Explore data scientist education requirements

    Most common data scientist degrees

    Bachelor's

    50.7 %

    Master's

    34.1 %

    Doctorate

    13.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific data scientist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Python13.49%
    Data Science9.89%
    Visualization5.27%
    Java4.48%
    Hadoop4.31%
  3. Complete relevant data scientist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New data scientists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a data scientist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real data scientist resumes.
  4. Research data scientist duties and responsibilities

    • Update, maintain, and manage regional CRM database and records for customers, vendors, and suppliers.
    • Configure and manage JobScope ERP system for a make-to-order/make-to-stock design and manufacturing environment.
    • Lead the analysis in SAS for data integration of mortality data using meta-analysis integration methods.
    • Implement a proximal stochastic gradient descent with a line search to fit a regularize logistic regression in Scala
  5. Prepare your data scientist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your data scientist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a data scientist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Data Scientist Resume templates

    Build a professional Data Scientist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Data Scientist resume.
    Data Scientist Resume
    Data Scientist Resume
    Data Scientist Resume
    Data Scientist Resume
    Data Scientist Resume
    Data Scientist Resume
    Data Scientist Resume
    Data Scientist Resume
    Data Scientist Resume
  6. Apply for data scientist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a data scientist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Data Scientist Job

Tatiana ZubachTatiana Zubach LinkedIn Profile

Data Scientist

My name is Tatiana and as of a couple days ago, I'm a Staff Data Scientist. I never dreamt of becoming a scientist back at school. There were no scientists back in my hometown. I didn't even know what I wanted to do with my life. I started my career in teaching and then in the Education Abroad field. I was helping other people to make their dreams come true. One day I was thinking about what I would like to do before I get too old to be adventurous. I already had my Bachelor's but I wanted a Master's degree. Eventually, I got enrolled into a Computer Science program at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Midway through my degree I came across AI and all the fun and exciting things people were doing with Deep Learning in particular. Right then I realized that that was exactly what I wanted to do as well! In addition to my coursework on Machine Learning and Deep Learning at school, I subscribed to all the AI related newsletters, Coursera courses, DeepLearning.AI courses. I started following AI researchers in the media and read their blogs, articles, books, watching AI related workshops and online conferences. Pretty quickly I realized there was an infinite amount of information I'd need to know to be successful in this field, so I made a list of skills I needed to develop before graduating with my Master's. During my last year at the university, I was also actively looking for a job. By then, I knew I wanted to be a Data Scientist. I can't tell you how many times I got rejection letters or didn't even hear back. It was not easy and very demotivating at times but I couldn't give up.
After several months of searching and applying I finally got an offer to join a 3 year rotational program to develop my Data Science skills. It was an absolute dream for a person trying to switch to a new field and start their new career! Of course I accepted it! Almost 3 years of hard work later and multiple hours of learning I'm a Staff Data Scientist now. I'm incredibly proud of my journey but that is just the beginning.

Average data scientist salary

The average Data Scientist salary in the United States is $106,104 per year or $51 per hour. Data scientist salaries range between $75,000 and $148,000 per year.

Average Data Scientist Salary
$106,104 Yearly
$51.01 hourly

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

How do data scientists rate their job?

Working as a Data Scientist? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Data Scientist FAQs

Search for data scientist jobs

Data Scientist jobs by state

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse computer and mathematical jobs