Career Track
Data Science
What Is Data Science?
Data science is a multidisciplinary field that combines computer science and statistics. With so much data being produced every day, data science makes it possible to draw useful insights from datasets which may be too large for traditional statistics to analyze. This data is often referred to as “big data,” and can include anything from analyzing complex genomic structures to interpreting handwriting to optimizing a marketing strategy. And data science is not limited to just numbers! Data science finds patterns in all unstructured sets, including text, images, and audio files.
Data Science Jobs
With everyone from businesses to non-profits to the government collecting data, there is high demand for turning that data into smart business decisions. There is a wide variety of data science jobs, and if there’s one thing that we’ve learned after interviewing so many data science bootcamp graduates, it’s that no two companies use the exact same job titles. Common job responsibilities of data scientists include data engineering, data cleaning, and data analysis. Here is a list of the most frequent data science job titles for bootcampers:
- Junior Data Scientist
- Senior Data Scientist
- Data Engineer
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Data Scientist/Software Engineer
- Big Data Analytics Consultant
- Data Science Instructor
- Decision Scientist
- Data Analyst
- Business Analyst
- Business Intelligence Analyst
- Data Journalist
- Financial Analyst
- Product Analyst
- Database Administrator
Data Science Salaries
| Data Science Job | Average Salary |
| Data Science Analyst | $80,265 |
| Senior Data Scientists | $105,909 |
| Data Engineers | $105,909 |
Data Science Skills
According to Josh Wills, Director of NYC Data Science Academy, a data scientist is a “person who is better at statistics than any software engineer and better at software engineering than any statistician.” While math skills and coding skills are an essential part of data science, business intelligence and a scientific approach are key to making sense of data. Most data science students have a previous background in STEM, but overall, data science students and professionals are detail-oriented and excel at problem-solving, logical reasoning, and communication.
Here is a quick list of data science skills and technologies used in the field and often taught at data science bootcamps:
- SQL - SQL stands for Structured Query Language. SQL is designed for managing data in relational database management systems. SQL extracts data for data analytics and reporting.
- Hadoop - Hadoop is a suite of technologies used to manage data and execute programs in a cluster. Hadoop includes a file system designed for large datasets, the MapReduce system which allows for running programs in parallel, the SQL-like Hive database for querying data in a cluster, and other components.
- Spark - Spark is a system for writing parallel programs to run in clusters. Spark has a powerful machine learning library, mllib, and can be used with R.
- Python and R - Both languages are equally important in data science! Python is used for computer science components of a data scientist’s job. R is used for building statistics packages and visualizations. Combining both Python and R greatly increases their range of capabilities.
- Machine Learning - Machine learning is a set of algorithms that is put in place to analyze large sets of data. Many of these algorithms are built so that the machine learns to feed better data into later models, and ultimately make predictions about future events.
- Natural Language Processing - Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a method for pre-processing text to turn it into numerical data. NLP is also known as computational linguistics.
- Data science math includes linear algebra, calculus, statistics, and probability.
How to Become a Data Scientist
Many Data Scientists start their careers in academia – if you have a bachelor’s degree or PhD in a quantitative field, then you’re already close to a data science career. A data science fellowship like The Data Incubator or Insight Data Science would be fantastic options.
Most data science bootcamps require students to have a degree in STEM and an aptitude for math and statistics. If you don’t have a quantitative degree, then you should sharpen your math skills like linear algebra, calculus, statistics, and probability. Then, you’ll be ready to apply to a data science bootcamp.
Master’s in Data Science vs Data Science Bootcamps
While a Master’s in Computer Science with a specialization in Data Science typically takes 3 years to complete, data science bootcamps are typically intensive 3- to 6-month programs. Data science bootcamps often offer career assistance, and prepare graduates for entry-level and junior data science jobs, such as Data Analyst, Data Scientist, and Data Engineer.
A data science bootcamp is not a traditional coding bootcamp. In addition to learning programming languages, such as Python and/or R, data science bootcamps teach students how to extract valuable knowledge from large datasets using analytical and programming skills.
Are Data Science Bootcamps Worth It?
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“I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat. It was definitely worth the money. The learning environment, having the type of classmates that you can learn from, the instructors — you definitely couldn’t have gotten it just by learning on your own.” Itelina, graduate of Metis |
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“I can say that, for me, 100% it was worth it – but I will say the boot camp is also about the work you’re putting in and the goals that you have. I really wanted to sponge off of the people around me – not just the teachers, but also all these PhD students around me. It was the most intelligent group of people I’ve been around in such a small space before. I’ve never had such an amazing opportunity.” Sumanth, graduate of NYC Data Science Academy |
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“I definitely think I needed Galvanize. Because I wanted to break into the tech industry, having Galvanize on my resume along with the skills I learned there, bolstered my ability to get a job.” Rosie, graduate of Galvanize |
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“For me, It was totally worth it. I would do it all over again. IE in particular taught me a lot more than how to use Python and SQL. It teaches the technical skills, but at the same time it gives you access to professors that are going to make the process a lot less frustrating and more fun so that you have the motivation to keep going. Plus all of the extras. You get to network with companies and those companies come to give talks. I made a lot of friends in this bootcamp, too.” Inna, graduate of IE Data Science Bootcamp |
How much does a data science bootcamp cost?
Full-time, immersive data science bootcamps typically cost between $10,000 and $20,000. Many data science bootcamps offer scholarships and financing options to make tuition affordable. There are also fellowships and free data science bootcamps, such as Insight Data Science and The Data Incubator.
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Featured Schools
The 213 Best Data Science Bootcamps
Le Wagon offers 9-week full-time and 24-week part-time courses in Web Development and Data Science at over 40 campuses across the world. The 24-week part-time course meets on weekday evenings and Saturdays. With a community of students with various backgrounds...
Read our Full Review of Le Wagon- Featured
BrainStation
BrainStation offers full-time and part-time courses in data science, design, development, marketing, cyber security and product in New York City, London, Toronto, Vancouver, and through an Online Live platform. BrainStation’s goal is to empower individuals, businesses,...
Read our Full Review of BrainStation - Featured
Springboard
Online11 Courses
Springboard is an online learning platform that prepares students for the tech industry’s most in-demand careers with comprehensive, mentor-led online programs in software engineering, data science, machine learning, UI/UX design, cybersecurity, and more. All...
Read our Full Review of Springboard - Featured
Thinkful
Online10 Courses
Thinkful, a Chegg service, provides every adult learner with a pathway to a rewarding career. This online bootcamp offers fast-paced, career-focused programs in Software Engineering, Data Science, Data Analytics, UX/UI Design, Digital Marketing, and Technical Project...
Read our Full Review of Thinkful - Featured
General Assembly
General Assembly offers short and long courses in web and mobile development, product management, data science and more, online and in-person, across 15 campuses in 4 continents. Focusing on the most relevant and in-demand skills across data, design, business, and...
Read our Full Review of General Assembly Boise, Silicon Valley, Dallas, and 5 more...6 Courses
Founded in 2012, Coding Dojo is a global technology education company that offers three full stack coding bootcamps, full-stack part-time programs, as well as courses on data science and other emerging technologies. Coding Dojo has campuses in Arlington, Berkeley,...
Read our Full Review of Coding DojoOnline39 Courses
Udacity offers Nanodegrees which are online immersive full-time and part-time programs, ranging from three to six months in length for students worldwide. Nanodegree courses are available in subjects like data science, artificial intelligence, programming, autonomous...
Read our Full Review of Udacity- Featured
Flatiron School
Washington, Houston, Seattle, and 6 more...4 Courses
Flatiron School offers immersive on-campus and online programs in software engineering, data science, cybersecurity, and product design (UX/UI design). Flatiron School’s immersive courses aim to launch students into fulfilling careers by providing a robust career...
Read our Full Review of Flatiron School Online4 Courses
Correlation One offers a part-time, live online Data Science For All bootcamp taught by instructors from universities, such as Harvard, Columbia, and MIT. Bootcamp classes are taught on Saturdays from 10 am to 8 pm. The total weekly time commitment, including out of...
Read our Full Review of Correlation OneNew York City, Online10 Courses
NYC Data Science Academy offers 12-week data science bootcamps in New York City. In these programs, students learn beginner and intermediate levels of Data Science with R, Python, Hadoop, Spark, Github, and SQL as well as popular and useful R and Python packages like...
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