08 Jul 2022

Do You Need A Degree To Become A Data Scientist | Ekeeda

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Do You Need A Degree To Become A Data Scientist?

As the tech industry has started booming in recent years; it has created many new exciting jobs that come with lucrative salary offers. Thus, it's no surprise that a large number of people are making career changes to get into action.
While some people making a transition into the tech workforce already have a background in data analytics or hold a college degree, many opt to start right from scratch. They would enroll in some form of online training programs or boot camps to brush up their skills and prepare for a new career. And this seems to work. Experts say upskill requires less time and energy in this era of online career tracks and platforms that will help you secure jobs in top tech companies and start-ups. Hiring managers at some of the world’s top tech companies and startups have also stressed the importance of candidates’ skills over the regular degree programs. 
All this, to say whether you’re new to the workforce or ready to take a mid-career leap, there are career paths into data science, AI, ML, Embedded or IoT, etc that don’t need a college degree. Infact Data Science is the hottest career field in the market. Our blog will offer key strategies to make sure you have all the necessary skills to do jobs and stand out from the rest in the competitive market.

About Data Science

Data Science is one of the fastest-growing career fields and the data show that this trend will continue in near future. Infact, experts predict there will be 11.6 million openings in the data science field by the end of 2026 that throwing open massive opportunities for career aspirants and working professionals who wanna make a career leap for new zeniths in life. Data Science is now the backbone of many industries, and fields. Data science helps make sense of the massive amount of data that we collect during marketing campaigns, health-related readings, IT-related sectors, etc. It is data science that helps us construct economic models that will give exact predictions of macroeconomic trends. The field is mushrooming with technological innovation, and people who study data science are now at the forefront of multiple industries and systems.

So, if you’re the one who wants to make a career in data science, you will have several roles to play and multiple ways to achieve your goals including taking a data science course online, self-paced learning, or taking a degree program at a university. However, which of these is the best will depend upon your capability to learn and grasp things. The real question is: Is it necessary to go to University to have the best job prospects in the field? Or might online data science programs can help you fetch the most promising data science jobs in the industry? Our blog intends to answer these questions and let you decide how to approach this exciting field of data science.

Why You May Still Need A University Degree?

The day when universities were pre-dominant to dive into academic studies is now slowly and steadily depleting. The recent advances in technology and the plethora of online data science programs or resources have made it quite easy to acquire industry-level knowledge and keep individuals motivated to learn at their own pace and place.

The university has now become the place for individuals to socialize and network with influential people from their field of studies. While it’s a common approach, that people will succeed on mere skills and communication, it’s a myth that floats around. It is not only about what you know, but about who you know and how good you have connections in the industry.

Your university or institutes will give you numerous chances to present yourself and your skills to top-class lecturers or influential people who can help you take a headstart for a successful career. It is much easy to jump-start your career when you have direct access to company employers or HR managers instead of being one in the hundreds of resumes kept on the table of HR managers.

But either way, it’s skills that will speak for you; and if you possess good in-demand skills you’re bound to receive a call from top tech companies and start-ups.

Difficulty In Getting A Job With No Academic Degree

Not all academic fields are uniform when it comes to online teaching platforms. There are certain fields of study such as computer science and language studies, AI, and Data Science that rely mostly on passive intake of information, and it will make an excellent subject to learn online. Other subjects like philosophy and mathematics, and statistics require approaches and engaging extensively with classmates and thus it brings more hurdles for self-paced learning.

While data science is looked upon as a subfield field of computer science, it needs to have a strong foot in the field of fundamentals of Calculus and extensive knowledge of statistics & probability. Due to the field’s deep reliance on maths, an online learner will have trouble in learning concepts. However, platforms like the Ekeeda Data Science Program are designed by industry experts who have years of teaching practice. 1:1 classes will help you clear doubts on complex topics and ensure you get thorough knowledge of the topics. The placement assistance team will help secure jobs in tech companies and start-ups.

New Approach Is Making Universities Out-Dated

While online video courses have been in the market for quite a while, there is a wave of innovation in teaching methods that will prove more effective than university teaching practices, that are interactive and more engaging to the learning audience.

Here are a few ways to learn through new forms of teaching:

Interactive Learning - Such learning was created as a step toward making online learners more proactive. Studies show that passive listening to online programs with not much participation is not an efficient way to learn. If you use such platforms, you will learn various pieces of computer coding and use them to solve a problem such as assignments or capstones from the professional industry. You won’t just be told about price, but the platform will tell you to explain a system with the help of theory. This way you will be able to quickly apply the knowledge that you gain and makes learning in fields like Machine systems, economics, mathematics, and statistics much easier.

Fun & Interactive Learning - One thing the last decade has shown us is how effective games are in capturing people’s attention and gluing them to their seats. That’s why some educators and psychologists have done an extensive research to help bring over some aspects of gaming to education. The curiosity about gaming concepts and principles in the learning system makes it easy for you to focus on learning, retain more information, and feel less fatigue after long study sessions. While this method is just a little old but shows a great result.

Go For Data Science

When you choose to enroll in university it might prevent you from networking. So, the best way is to enroll in Data Science Courses. Such courses are taught by industry experts who have years of experience and teaching practices. 1:1 classes and live mentor sessions will set a perfect stage to gain deep industry knowledge and skills. There are new ways and platforms you can show your skills.

Competition Sites

Competition sites like Kaggle offer the best training ground for budding data scientists to show their in-demand skills. They offer competitions from diverse fields from economics to computer science. People who create the best algorithms will get monetary rewards and also great chances for jobs in top tech companies and start-ups. Most employers are impressed if you achieve good results in these competitions and show a practical understanding of the field beyond theoretical knowledge.

Github and Jupyter Notebooks

GitHub and Jupyter allow you to present data analysis in a readable and concise form. Instead of boring old CVs, recruiters are impressed with a rich portfolio that display your skills and work. Thanks to the tools being completely free & intuitive-to-use, you only have to display your true skills when it comes to project tackling. You can build an amazing portfolio from the comfort of your home.

Conclusion

While there are claims university education is slowly perishing; however, there is still little pulp left in it. But, online courses and the route have really swept away the education segment, and more & more individuals are inclined toward this hassle-free, cost-effective mode of education. You can learn professional courses like AI Data Science Machine Learning, Embedded & IoT without a high-grade degree and secure jobs in top tech companies and start-ups. The new approach to learning and portfolio building has made it easier than ever to succeed on your own, and you can definitely do it if you are motivated enough.

 

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