In the final post of our “Better Together” blog series, I will recap my presentation from a series of BlueGranite Tech and Career Talks conducted in partnership with BDPA (formerly known as ‘Black Data Processing Associates’), in which I talked about “A Day in the Life of a Data Scientist”. Data Scientists are in high demand right now for our ability to provide predictions and insights to real-world business problems. The job is also very new, as shown in the figure below, so there is plenty of confusion about what we actually do. My twenty-minute talk at the end of this post sheds light on what my life as a Data Scientist is truly like.
Trends in Data Science
In my presentation, I discussed current trends and which skills are considered most important to master. One significant trend is automated machine learning that takes away the tedious task of individually training, testing, and comparing different models. This is a welcome change that leaves more time for Data Scientists to deploy machine learning models.
Another trend in Data Science is using artificial intelligence tools that are interpretative and fair. The concept of interpretability is important to understand not just what a model predicts but why it came to that prediction. Fairness goes hand in hand with interpretability to ensure AI models do not produce unfair outcomes for sensitive groups.
Data Science Skills
Data Science is commonly defined as the overlap between the fields of statistics, computer science, and business/communication. Anybody who succeeds in this role will be strong in each of these domains. Additionally, the specific skills required to succeed in the role are in constant flux. To succeed in my job, I need to be able to work with the following:
- Python, R, and SQL
- Complicated data structures
- Cloud computing
- Machine learning operations (MLOps)
In Summary
This is the final installment of BlueGranite’s partnership with BDPA for their Tech & Career Talk series. If you are not familiar with the organization, definitely check out the great work they do! If you’d like to watch my presentation at BDPA, please view the video below.
If you haven’t already seen the previous talks of my incredibly talented colleagues, be sure to read our first three posts here:
- Better Together Blog Series – BlueGranite and BDPA
- Better Together Blog Series – Principles of Data Visualization
- Better Together Blog Series – Emphasizing Data Engineering
We can help!
BlueGranite offers a variety of resources to help you learn how you can leverage Modern Data Analytics. Those resources include free training events such as:
Please check out our website to learn more or contact us directly to see how we can help you explore your about modern data analytics options.
