How do I know if data science is right for me? I’ve seen a lot of discouraging answers to career questions so far, often highlighting how hard it is and how naive prospective students tend to be. What is the best way to assess my fit for this path?

Question

Could someone walk me through the data science field and inform me about its pro’s and con’s which would greatly help in assessing my fit for the path?

Answer 1

To answer your question straightaway, it really depends on you whether you have the passion for it. If you are passionate about any of the relevant new-age technologies in the field of Data Science like data visualization, machine learning, advanced statistical tools, etc., then you have chosen the right field for yourself. 

While you will need to be familiar with the following skillsets and modules, constantly upskilling is encouraged to avoid redundancy in the competition:

• Python

• R programming

• Big Data Hadoop

• Machine Learning and AI

• Statistics

• SQL Database/Coding

• Apache Spark

• Multivariable Calculus & Linear Algebra

• Data Exploration

• Data Manipulation

• Data Visualization & Communication

• Logistic Regression

• Decision Trees and Random Forest

• Unsupervised Learning

• Association Rule Mining and Recommendation Engines

It is very important to work on as many personal projects that you can to be able to showcase them as part of your portfolio. You will also be expected to show your business acumen along the way as well as have good communication skills. And, I will mention this again, avoid stagnancy and always keep upskilling yourself in the latest technology! 

Here is a tutorial to get you started in the field of Data Science: 

If you think you are able to follow the above tutorial, you should be fine. I don’t see why you should worry about how difficult Data Science is as long as you have the passion to keep pursuing it everyday. Good Luck!