Using specially designed software, a data scientist can organise and analyse large amounts of data more effectively.
In an age of information overload, these experts essentially sort the wheat from the chaff. In simple terms, they collect and analyse the relevant stats then make predictions based on the patterns they’ve observed.
These insights can help shape the goals of entire organisations.
When it comes to career prospects in IT, big data is where the money’s at, with the importance of data scientists is reflected in lucrative pay levels.
An average salary is typically between £35,000 and £55,000. Sounds good, right?
As with most emerging tech roles, there’s no hard and fast career path or specified qualification. A solid background in mathematics or engineering would be a good place to start, as well as having an excellent command of programming, of course.
Two areas that are key to the job are statistics and probability, both of which help in the analysis and interpretation of data and help scientists make predictions.
The specific role will vary depending on the industry and there is literally no industry untouched by this most modern of fields.
Read on to discover how different industries are harnessing the power of data before checking out the current opportunities on s1jobs.
Business
The allure of big data to business is obvious. Skilled data scientists can make sense of a wealth of data regarding customers and productivity, for example, and use this knowledge to inform future business decisions.
Social media
Using data from social media allows companies to get direct feedback from customers and the world at large. Analysing the way people engage and exploring trends can help organisations shape their services accordingly.
Healthcare
As health records move from paper to digital, there are some big issues to consider, not least security and data protection. Long-term, however, the potential to target healthcare services to meet demand and pinpoint health trends that might not have been spotted, are compelling.
Science
Data is like gold dust to scientists. Electronically captured data makes it easier for scientists to collate and analyse large volumes of information from experiments and research. As data scientists make it simpler and faster to draw conclusions from ever larger data sets, the prospects for breakthroughs in all areas of science are vastly improved.
Find out how you could be big in big data with IT roles form s1jobs.