The swiftly growing industry of data science has created a vacuum for accomplished professionals, so it’s no wonder that the field is now attracting such interest. Data scientist is currently being listed as the “best job in America,” with a median salary of over $116,000 and high job satisfaction. Those within related computer science industries can specialize into the field of data science, but it does require some advanced knowledge regarding modern computing techniques.
The Supply and Demand of Data Science
Data science isn’t the largest category of computer scientist by volume, but it doesn’t have to be. The driving force behind the attractiveness of the position is supply and demand. Data science is a recently emerging field and consequently there aren’t many individuals who specialize in it. It is a unique computational category of its own, and this has left many employers wanting when it comes to experienced professionals. Today there are hundreds if not thousands of open positions for data scientists and simply not enough specialized employees to fill them all. Accordingly, data scientists are being courted and recruited; data scientists are able to better negotiate their salaries and their benefit packages in relation to their peers within the computer science industry. This flexibility creates more opportunities for individuals who are appropriately specialized.
An Economy Built on Data
Data science resides in a cross-section between statistics and computer programming, which is not a field previously in widespread demand. The demand for data science will only continue to grow. Data has become a commodity in and of itself; data scientists are the individuals who collect, analyze, and sanitize these large data sets for better outcomes for their parent company. Big data analysis is only one part of this emerging field. Companies are rapidly coming to the realization that if they don’t do anything with data, their competitors will. Meanwhile, governments, environmental groups, healthcare agencies, and non-profit organizations are finding that data can help them create better models and projections. Organizations of all industries may have data but may not be empowered with the ability to use their data. That is the job of the data scientist.
The Benefits of the Tech Industry
In general, tech industry professionals tend to report higher job satisfaction overall. Not only are these positions highly skilled (and thus well-paid), but the tech industry also tends to be more flexible than other career paths. This allows for more flex-time, work-from-home options, and virtual commuting opportunities. Data scientists certainly benefit from these advantages as well. As the field develops, accomplished data science firms may develop in order to provide even better data collection and analysis for organizations that don’t want to maintain their own data departments.
Data reveals patterns and behaviors that simply cannot be revealed through intuition or the naked eye. Data scientists will become increasingly commonplace, but the job is still likely to remain a desirable position. As with many tech jobs, data science requires a very specialized skill set, and thus commands a high salary and negotiable benefits. Those who are interested in computer science may want to change their specialization now to ride the coming wave. For more information about data and what it can do for you, contact the experts at Software Specialists.
