A Beginner’s Guide To Data Science Prerequisites

Introduction

Data undeniably has become the new currency in the technology world. Did you know that 1.7 MB of data has been generated per second by every person in the world? With data dominating the digital world, Data Science has gained umpteen popularity lately. Businesses worldwide are trying to collect this data and use it to make better data-driven business decisions. Data Science has become an integral part of business operations across organizations—this surge in data generation has increased the demand for Data Scientists. So, let us explore the prerequisites of Data Science in this article.

1. What is Data Science?
2. What are the Prerequisites for Data Science?
3. Educational Prerequisites of Data Science
4. Technical Prerequisites of Data Science
5. Non-Technical Prerequisites of Data Science

Before exploring the Data Science prerequisites, let us understand what is meant by Data Science.

1. What Is Data Science?

Data Science is the process of accumulating, storing, and analyzing data to derive insights that serve as a valuable resource for companies to carry out data-driven decision making. Put it simply, how Data Science influences all our lives is eCommerce websites and applications like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. These online shopping platforms store every buyer’s data, from what you have bought, the amount paid to your search history, it’s all recorded with data collection. Using Data Science, these data enable organizations to personalize and customize their website as per consumers’ preferences and shopping history.

2. What Are The Prerequisites to learn Data Science?

You may be a fresher with a flair for Data Science, or you might be a professional who is already settled in a domain but is interested in progressing in the world of Data Science because of their love for data. The prerequisites of Data Science that the Data Scientist role demands are categorized as follows:

3. Educational Prerequisites of Data Science

When you begin your research for Data Science eligibility, you will be sure to come across many Data Science prerequisites required in the industry for the job profile. Having a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree is essential to pursue a career in Data Science—it will be most beneficial if you are pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in any of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) subjects. This lays the foundation for the basic mathematical and statistical knowledge that proves to be of absolute importance in the future.

4. Technical Prerequisites of Data Science

Following are some of the technical Data Science prerequisites for pursuing a course or career in Data Science.

A) Mathematical & Statistical

Mathematics and statistics cover the central area of study in Data Science. There is no hard and fast syllabus in this area, which is apparent for any Data Scientist, but mean, median, mode, standard deviation/variance, percentiles, etc., should not make an aspiring Data Scientist antsy. Hence, the mathematics required for Data Science involves statistical concepts of data that help analyze and present workable solutions to business problems.

B) Programming

One doesn’t need advanced programming skills to become a Data Scientist; although, they should have a fundamental understanding of how computer codes are written. Programming concepts like C, C ++, or Java facilitates learning Data Science programming.

C) SQL

SQL (Structured Query Language) is the most salient programming language and regarded as one of the most Data Science prerequisites. Data Scientists use it for manipulating and maintaining the data. Data Extraction being the foremost and principal step in Data Science makes SQL a vital tool.

5. Non-Technical Prerequisites of Data Science

Apart from having substantial knowledge of the technical skills, an aspiring Data Scientist is required to have some of the following non-technical prerequisites of Data Science.

A) Business Domain

Business acumen means having a general knowledge of how businesses work. Having a technical strength in the data analysis will be valuable if you also have an understanding of the business domain.

B) Management Skills

Working as a data scientist, you have to work in a team, handle deadlines, manage project work, and coordinate with various departments to ensure zero disruption. Having adept management skills will be an advantage for you to grow professionally.

C) Soft Skills

Having proficiency in soft skills like communication, leadership, listening, intuitiveness, and networking is as essential as the other skills when working in a business.  

Conclusion

Data Science is a vast domain based on multiple fields. To master Data Science, one must know of the underlying areas. As mentioned above, data science prerequisites can help attain the essential insights about all the underlying domains of data science.

If you are interested in starting your journey in the Data Science domain, check out our 11-month-long placement guaranteed* Postgraduate Diploma In Data Science. It is a comprehensive program that covers all aspects of Data Science and is taught by the best minds at Jigsaw Academy and Manipal Academy of Higher Education.

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