Is Data Science Still A Rising Career in 2021?

‘Analysts predict that there will be more than 11 million job opportunities in data science by 2026.’

‘The World Economic Forum’s Future of Work Report 2020 predicts that by 2025, a data scientist will be the job with the highest demand and growth.’

So, the recent statistics suggest that data science is still the most in-demand career. It might have stepped down to 3rd position as per Glassdoor reports -50 Best Jobs in America for 2020, yet, opting for a data science career in 2021, still serves as the best choice to date.

Let’s investigate why.

Organizations are data-driven

Organizations must use data to their advantage. People today opt for data-crunching tools like Google Analytics [for digital marketing], Tableau and Power BI [for data visualization], Python, and R [for complicated analysis]. The majority of the companies are using data science to create algorithms that can improve customer service efforts and maximize profits.

So, to maximize profits and steal the market share from the competitors an organization should adopt and employ data science tools and techniques. So, for that they employ data science professionals making it a hot job.

Upskilling of the existing workforce

Currently, organizations are looking forward to data science professionals who have advanced and newer skills. They should be able to use advanced statistical tools and quantitative methods for their organizational data. The existing skills are redundant and again data science skill gap is increasing.

Organizations are hiring candidates based on their successful projects, portfolios, data science certifications, rather than their college degrees.

There exists a demand-supply gap

Currently, organizations across countries, regions, and industrial verticals are using data science in some amount, shape, or form. The rising demand for analytics in organizations literally led to a shortage of data scientists.

Also, the data expert team comprises programmers, developers, project coordinators, and visualization specialists. But many small companies do not have a full-fledged team still. It is creating pressure on the existing team members to work on more projects and problems.

Clearly, there exists a supply gap.

Some of the top countries using data science include Norway, Australia, France, Netherlands, USA, and Canada. Likewise, a few of the top data science companies where professionals can try their luck for a job includes Microsoft, Facebook, IBM, Apple, JP Morgan, Crayon Data, and Google. A few of the in-demand data science jobs include data scientist, data analyst, data engineer, and enterprise data architect.

The demand for data scientists is still high and the tendency would continue for years to come. IBM and The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predict the same. A BLS report suggests that there will be an increase of 28% through 2026, roughly equivalent to 11.5 million jobs in data science.

So, young professionals and aspiring students can try their hands in data science careers. Aspirants must build strong fundamentals and then later on move to advanced techniques. Because several companies have specific requirements related to data. A mere data science certificate may not help. One should be determined to choose the field of advancement, advance their studies further, work on more projects and improve their portfolios.

Widen your knowledge, include specializations such as machine learning engineers, data science engineers, research specialists, and more to thrive in the competitive world. Develop your communication skills, cross-functional skills and possess the business acumen to get noticed and hired by the big industries and advance your career. Understand domains like insurance, healthcare, and business.

The demand for data scientist exists. Also, the demand for highly efficient candidates is more. so, upskill yourself. Stay current with the industry trends.

Be the one the industry is searching for!