How to Choose the Right Data Science Program for Your Career Goals

With high volumes of data generated every day, data science as an industry has gained much importance. A Statista report predicts that the big data market will grow to 103 billion USD by 2027, double the market size compared to 2018.

The career paths one can choose in this evolving sector are diversifying, making it more to choose the right one. But there are plenty of resources, such as online courses and data science bootcamps, to make this choice easier.

Read on to learn how to find the data science program best suited for your professional goals.

Why you must define your career goals

When asked about career goals, people often say things like ‘running a big business’ or ‘being a successful CEO’. Notice how both of these statements seem generalised and vague?

Visualising the objective and defining the steps required to achieve the desired goals is difficult.

It is necessary to be specific about the path you want your career to take. Setting clear, specific career goals is key to taking actionable steps towards achieving them. This rings true for professionals in any industry, including technology and data science.

Defining your career goals is the first step to having a fulfilling career in your desired industry. The benefits of setting career goals include the following:

• Getting clarity and focus
• Improving motivation levels
• Defining steps towards achieving one’s goals
• Aligning your career with what you want in life
• Curbing unrealistic expectations
• Preventing overwhelm
• Achieving a sense of purpose

How to define your career goals

Here is a five-step process you can follow to determine the path of your career.

Step 1: Ask the right questions

Knowing the direction your internal compass points to when deciding on your career is essential. Here are some of the questions that can help define your career goals:

• Which industries seem interesting to me?
• Which of these industries is in high demand?
• What skills do I need to get into the industry?
• How much do I aspire to earn?
• What is the scope of my industry of choice?
• What are the skills and certifications required to advance in a career in this industry?

Answering these questions will help you narrow down the niche in which you want to work.

Step 2: Explore and compare your options

The next step is to explore the available job options and determine the required qualifications and skills. Compare the benefits and requirements of each career path and select the ones which appeal to you the most. The easiest way to do this is by browsing through job portals and noting down the requirements listed by employers. Be sure to include technical, practical and soft skills.

Step 3: Set an end goal

Set a long-term goal you want to accomplish after selecting your career path. Ask yourself: Where do I see myself five or ten years from now? Make that the end goal you want to achieve within that time frame.

Step 4: Break the end goal into several short-term goals

To make reaching your long-term goals easier, divide them into shorter, well-defined objectives. You can set monthly or quarterly targets each year and create plans to achieve them.

Step 5: Leave room for flexibility

Change is the only constant in life. As a result, it is not enough to make a plan and stick to it. It is crucial to ensure that your plans are as realistic as possible and has enough flexibility to accommodate changes and modifications.

Creating a flexible plan will help you avoid getting stuck in your career. It will let you adapt to sudden changes like significant life events, market crashes and novel technologies.

Scope of data science

Data science involves collecting, managing, and analysing large amounts of unstructured data to derive critical insights.

Data science branched off from statistics as a way to deal with large amounts of data. Later, it became a multidisciplinary field borrowing principles from mathematics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Companies and their clients generate large amounts of highly-variable data at high speeds. Analysing, monitoring and protecting this data is essential to providing personalised services and streamlining operations.

As a result, data science has adapted to business principles and aids in marketing and operations in companies worldwide. The evolution of the data science industry gives rise to novel specialisations and aims to provide data-centric solutions to modern problems.

Some of the diverse careers one can pursue in the data science domain include:

• Data Science Specialist
• Business Intelligence (BI) Developer
• Data Architect
• Data Administrator
• Machine Learning Engineer
• Cloud Architect
• Statistician
• Data Analyst
• Database Engineer
• Data and Analytics Manager

How to find a data science course that is the right fit for you

Contrary to popular belief, finding the right data science course need not be daunting. Here are the major steps in choosing the data science course suited to your needs.

1. Assess your options

Start by preparing a list of the various data science courses you can find. Include offline, hybrid and online classes and check their course syllabi. Part-time or flexible courses are a better option for people who are employed. The type of course you need depends on the following:

• Number of hours you can dedicate to the course
• Whether the mode of study is online or offline
• The skills being taught in the course
• Duration of the course
• Eligibility criteria for the course

2. Define your career goals

Once you have selected your areas of interest, set clear goals and define the steps required to achieve them. Set a long-term goal, break it into shorter, feasible goals, and plan to achieve them. As mentioned, setting career goals is the stepping stone to a prolific career. If your interest lies in data science, focus on the various career paths you can take in the related fields.

3. Choose your desired career path and niche

After evaluating your career goals, select the job titles which best complement your interests and skills. When it comes to data science, you can choose to specialise in data analytics, data management, database development or cybersecurity. Be sure to keep your career goals in mind while choosing the road towards your dream career.

For instance, if cloud computing interests you, a possible long-term goal would be to become a Cloud Engineer.

4. Join a data science program

Once you have decided on your dream career, it is time to gain the necessary skills. You can get your desired certifications in a short amount of time through a data analytics bootcamp or data science bootcamp online. It also allows you to explore your options and choose your niche.

Conclusion

Choosing the right career path is the first step to selecting the data science program best suited for your goals. You can even opt for a data science or data analyst bootcamp to explore and gain hands-on experience in this fast-developing field.

Do you want to upskill to advance your career? Or are you looking to learn new skills? Amity University Online offers you a wide range of in-demand programs and courses. With flexible programs, you can learn at your own pace, and kickstart your dream career. Visit Amity University Online to learn more about the courses.