Back to News 22/03/2018

Data scientists are living it big

According to a survey by company review experts, Glassdoor, the best job in the USA for three years running, has been ‘data scientist’. It also commands a six-figure salary and, Harvard Business Review has described the role of the data scientist as the “sexiest job of the 21st century”. A successful data scientist requires specialist skills; it is an ideal job for those with multi-discipline mindsets, who are keen to learn new skills, and who have practical leanings.

The discipline of data science is rapidly evolving and offers an exciting challenge for those persons who love to learn and apply new knowledge. Data science is intrinsically linked to big data and the tools used to generate, analyze, and understand these data at a deep level. As new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence begin to bed down into our everyday lives, the role of the data scientist will become even more interesting.

What do data scientists do?

Data scientists are the kings and queens of complex data. They truly own it and they know how to find its secrets and use them. A data scientist can take a complex set of big data and find hidden trends that will define the future direction of a company or product, and solve business and even lifestyle-related problems. They have the knowledge and tools to mine the hidden gold in big datasets.

Data scientists are multi-disciplinary. They use the skills of a statistician mixed with some digital or coding skills, and a sprinkling of business knowledge. Data science is not an easy option. It is based on continuous learning and keeping up to date with new advances. But this is the very thing that also makes it challenging and exciting.

A data scientist is also a person that commands authority. As a person who has a deep understanding of what data can reveal, you will be looked upon to distribute that knowledge and collaborate with other business leaders - comfort zones are continually broken by the data scientist.

What tools do data scientists use?

Typical tools that a data scientist uses include:

Programming languages, such as R and Python
Storage and processing, e.g. the open-source framework, Hadoop
Visualization tools, such as Tableau
Data wrangling (tools for cleaning up data)
Statistics and machine learning (to capture the meaning of data)

These tools provide the data scientist with their workshop allowing them to open up big data to show the hidden trends and patterns within.

What are your squad goals?

Three quick tips for that data science interview to make you stand out:

1-It’s all about applying the data to the real-world: Prepare yourself to ask about the underlying goals, business models, and needs of a business.
2-The right tools for the job: What kind of tools are needed for a particular job?
3-What kind of data scientist are you anyway? You may find that you want to be more business or technology aligned as you progress through your career.

Bringing it all together

The multidisciplinary needs of a data scientist are brought together in emlyon business school’s MSc in Digital Marketing and Data Science. The course brings together the core skills of machine learning, programming, and statistics. If you like to challenge yourself, have an open mind, and have a vision, then this program will allow you to blossom.

The program offers a highly creative approach to teaching the data scientist of tomorrow. The course is adaptive to allow you to pick and choose the right modules. emlyon business school offers an excellent team of teachers with rigorous team selection ensuring that students have the best-of-breed tutors to create best-of-breed data scientists.

There has never been a better time to become a data scientist, with almost 80% of current data scientists reporting a shortage in their field. The emlyon business school's MSc in Digital Marketing and Data Science gives you the skill-set to enter this exciting career path which can open up many new opportunities for you across the world. The program is headed by Margherita Pagani Ph.D. Professor of Digital Marketing and Clement Levallois, Associate Professor in Data Science for Management.