It's time to become data-driven (or die) Posted on : Apr 20 - 2018

According to LinkedIn, data scientist is the second fastest-growing profession in the U.S. While there’s a 650 percent growth rate in available roles, the pool of qualified professionals is still relatively small. Considering that only 35,000 U.S. workers have data science skills, there’s a tremendous opportunity to carve out an ideal career path.

Data is produced in immense quantities across all sectors, but many people simply don’t know what to do with this wealth of information. To make the most of this mountain of data, data scientists have begun to work together to become stronger and figure out how to move the field forward. As such, data science is built on the premise of collaboration.

Open-source libraries like OpenCV have become relatively commonplace, and some of these self-service options are actually more useful than more expensive pay-to-play services. Entry-level data science jobs can now be done by virtually anyone. For a data-driven executive looking to pick up a competitive advantage, deploying data science is easier than ever before, and it will only continue to get easier.

The greater accessibility of such advanced tools and techniques means that the value of data scientists is changing as well: Tasks once reserved for trained statisticians can now be handled by ambitious young professionals with a passion for data science and a willingness to learn. Even now, with only a little bit of training, a new employee could build a machine learning model and set it to work on a company’s data.

But for businesses truly seeking an edge, this kind of data analysis only skims the surface. To develop a true data strategy and put it to work for a company, trained data scientists still have a lot to offer.

The importance of combining tools with talent

The digital universe is expanding at an exponential rate, doubling in size roughly every two years. By 2020, analysts predict that there will be 44 trillion gigabytes of data online — nearly as many gigabytes as there are stars in the universe. Much of this data surge stems from the growth of smart devices, which create and transfer data around the clock.

Whether we like it or not, we’re submerged in data from all sides. Almost every function of a business either relies on or produces data, and the companies who can put that data to use will quickly separate themselves from those that cannot.

While newly developed tools can make data science simpler, they still require trained professionals to harness that power. Anyone can now use data science techniques, but businesses benefit the most from data scientists who have deeper understandings of how those techniques work and what their value is. View More