5 ways to become a data scientist

If you’re interested in becoming a data scientist or interested in the profession of data science, I recommend you do this:

1. Find a company who needs data scientists

Companies will often hire data scientists for specific projects. For example, a financial institution might have a company-wide project where they want to build an algorithm for analyzing data.

If you’re interested in learning about the types of companies hiring data scientists, go on AngelList and start going through data science jobs in startups.

2. Apply to data science internship programs and training programs

Internship programs and training programs are a great place to get a glimpse into the industry and learn a new skill.

Reading a data science book can help you gain a deeper understanding of the industry.

3. Build your own open source project

While data science is becoming more and more important in the industry, there are still tons of data scientists that are not part of the larger open source community.

There are tons of free tools and resources on GitHub, and plenty of data scientists are eager to share their knowledge and contribute back to the community.

4. Join a local data science group

Some cities have local data science groups that are dedicated to helping members. While it’s important to try to stay up to date with the latest tools and techniques, this community is where you can learn about data science as a whole and how it fits into your company’s business.

Each larger city now boasts an active group of data scientists.

5. Join a data science association

Data Science can be very intimidating and it can be difficult to start learning about different techniques, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it.

Here are just a few things to consider before jumping in.

First and foremost, it’s important to get involved in data science discussions and community-driven discussions to understand what data science is, where it is heading, and how best to leverage it.

Summing up, a good place to begin is by attending data science meetups and data science conferences. These meetups provide a space where anyone can learn about data science, be it the basics or advanced techniques, as well as provide the tools and training that they need to get started. If you don’t have a specific project in mind you can look at the events list to see who is hosting the meetup and if there is a specific time when it is happening.

After you finish looking through the meetups list I would recommend trying to connect with the organizers. Attend any conferences that they will be attending and ask them if you can attend their next data science meetup. You can also follow the organizers on social media to see what’s going on.

Anyway, have fun doing so! There are many ways to become a data scientists.