Every business, every professional, and every layperson needs to understand data and how it can be used to better their own personal and professional goals. The why is as old as time. If we can find patterns, we can extrapolate.

Unfortunately, with data sets as large as they are now, it is impossible to see those patterns with the naked eye. Impossible to compute them manually as well, which is where data science and computer programming come into play.

Data science was the #1 job in America back in 2016, today it has only dropped to #3, and even then, it still outranks the new #1 and #2 positions for job satisfaction. It also, in terms of median base salary, still earns you more.

The only difference is that there are fewer job openings today for a data scientist than there are for other options, like a front-end engineer and java developer. With this in mind it is imperative that you work harder to improve your qualifications and use this guide to help reinforce the importance of data science to your employers.

If you cannot find opportunities, make them. Data science is one of the most important fields for any business, and with this guide you’ll know everything you need to make it as a data scientist in 2021.

What to Expect Out of a Data Science Career in 2021

Data science is a big field with a lot to love. The average salary for a data scientist is $101,000 in the United States, and in the past year in America alone, there were 11.5 million new jobs for data scientists. In the UK, the demand is astronomical. Demand for those with specialist data skills has more than tripled over the past few years.

In the UK, there were 27,033 job listings for data scientists between 2017 to 2018. Though this isn’t nearly as high as in the United States, the comparison is massive. For example, in the year 2013, there were only 8,157 job listings in the UK, showing an increase of 231% in just five years. More telling, however, is that 1 in 10 jobs available in the UK required data expertise.

Salary is also high, with the average for data scientists in the UK at £64,376 (equivalent to $89,064). This average salary is also double the average UK salary (£31,461). Wages, of course, increase significantly in London compared to elsewhere in the UK.

What this means is simple: it doesn’t matter what side of the pond you are located in; you are looking at a very lucrative, growing career.

Specialize to Stand Out

It’s the same for any field. If you specialize, you become part of an ever-increasingly elite group of people. After all, many graduates can have a computer science degree, but if you specialize in key data science fields, like machine learning & AI, or in Big Data, you will stand out from all of that entry-level competition.

Specializing is an excellent way to stand out, especially at the start of your career, and the best way to do it is with an MS Data Science online degree. You can make a massive impact in the world, or at least for the company you work for, just by harnessing and analysing data.

You will need to be a master at database management and analysis techniques, how to use statistics, and know how to use data analysis software. The best news is that you don’t actually need a computer science undergraduate to specialize in a masters.

You simply need a degree, or a foundation course, which includes topics such as math, statistics, and algorithms. Of course, you also need to know programming languages like Python, Java, C, or C++, but that is one of the staples of data science and can also be learned, practiced, and close to perfected on your own time thanks to the multiple online resources (both free and paid) available.

Types of Roles Available

Aside from the standard line-up of job roles available to data scientists, it is also important to note that there are a variety of career options and opportunities. On top of working full time for a single employer, know that you can also work remotely and freelance due to your work nature.

Remote Work

You can easily work remotely as a data scientist. There may be some caveats; for example, you must work on company-issued systems, but other than that, there should be a minimal issue with working remotely. What this means is that you can live further out, where your money can go further.

For example, in the UK this would allow you to enjoy London wages while keeping up a house in the countryside. In some cases, you may even be able to work for a foreign company without actually moving there, though this comes with its own set of issues and complications.

Freelance Work

Rather than work for just one company, you can work for several on an ad-hoc basis. If you are good at what you do, there will never be a shortage of work available, especially as companies can hire you for a project rather than keep you full-time. They will better afford you, and you can simultaneously enjoy higher rates and greater control. Working freelance is, essentially, operating your own business, making it a great way to keep control and really take your career in data science to the next level.

The Importance of Ongoing Training

One final note to keep in mind is that data science moves fast like all jobs in tech. You must work to stay on top of trends, new technologies, and so on; otherwise, you run the risk of making yourself obsolete. A degree is a foundation, not the be-all-and-end-all, so on top of your data science masters, you should also stay up to date through conferences, workshops, and staying in touch with top experts in your field.