Why Start a Data Science Career in 2023 with Flatiron School?

Welcoming the new year always beckons a time for reflection and change. For some, it serves as their motivation for a career change. This year is proving to be even more appealing for career switchers, following the so-called Great Resignation and Great Reshuffle over the last two years and the emergence of new opportunities that offer more flexibility—especially in tech.

So if you’re pursuing a change of direction in 2023, you should consider heading for the world of tech. Particularly, the data science field. In 2012, Harvard Business Review dubbed the role of a data scientist as the “sexiest job in the 21st century”. A decade later, data science roles have only grown in popularity and evolved to encompass even more complicated duties.

In this article, we find out what makes a data science career so worth it and how tech bootcamp Flatiron School can help you learn the skills to get your foot in the big data door in 2023.

What Does a Data Scientist Do?

Flatiron School defines a data scientist as someone who helps businesses leverage and analyze data. But that’s not all, these professionals also provide data-driven insights to these businesses and organizations to help them make informed decisions.

Although the typical day of a data scientist can vary by organization, there are everyday tasks that a data scientist will most likely encounter. These include activities that involve exploring data, preparing data by transforming raw data into understandable formats, developing models, and building visualization dashboards. Other essential tasks include interpreting and communicating results to stakeholders.

Flatiron School data science instructor Angelica Spratley added, “Data science encompasses utilizing data to drive decision-making. This is accomplished by using algorithms to find patterns in data that can lead to predicting customer behavior, forecasting product offerings and prices, recommending disease intervention protocols, detecting general public sentiment on social media, and more.”

“Data science is more than just ‘code’. It is the ability to think critically, solve problems backed by sound data, and communicate actionable insights. It is beneficial to be perceptive and look at all aspects of the problem and develop your own project work.”

Why Start a Data Science Career in 2023?

Top of the list is the ever-growing demand in the market. Indeed, data science is a field that continues to grow without any signs of slowing down. According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, STEM occupations, including data scientists, are projected to grow over two times faster than the total for all other occupations in the next decade, equivalent to an incredible 35 percent annual growth.

Additionally, LinkedIn ranks data scientists in third place in the 2020 Emerging Jobs Report, keeping it near the top of the list for three straight years. In the words of Flatiron School instructor Angelica, “Data science is everywhere, and thus the demand for [data science professionals] is high.”

With this demand, it’s only natural for data scientists to command high salaries. In Glassdoor’s 50 Best Jobs in America for 2022 report, the data scientist is number three on the list, with a reported median base salary of $120,000.

But aside from the compensation and positive job prospects, data science jobs also don’t fall short of instilling a sense of fulfillment and continuous growth. “Data science is the cornerstone for innovation. Those who love creative non-boring tasks tend to love this field,” said Angelica.

“Data science can be used for good. These models—if created [by data scientists] in an unbiased way—can help change lives for the better, from increasing graduation rates for underrepresented minorities to finding solutions to help combat world hunger and identifying high sex-trafficking areas to help victims. There are endless contributions one can make as a data scientist.”

With more companies and organizations across all industries realizing the importance of data in their decision-making, many data roles and positions will continue to be available in the job market.

Flatiron School’s Data Science program offers aspiring data scientists a course that equips them with the right tools and supports their growth and development as data science professionals.

Become a Data Scientist with Flatiron School’s Data Science Program

Flatiron School’s Data Science program is offered both online and on campus. Students can also choose between a 15-week full-time schedule or a flexible schedule that allows them to study at their own pace over 20, 40, or 60 weeks.

Angelica added: “Flatiron’s team of committed instructors, day-time coaches, and after-hour technical coaches continuously provide all-encompassing academic support throughout the entirety of the program.” Students also have access to dedicated career coaches after graduation to help them fully prepare for the job search and networking needed to succeed after finishing the bootcamp.

The course is divided into five phases that culminate in a final data science project.

• Phase 1: Data Analysis and Engineering. Students learn Python programming, Jupyter notebooks, and Python libraries. They also learn SQL fundamentals, Pandas, and NumPy, among others.
• Phase 2: Scientific Computing and Quantitative Methods. This phase covers sampling methods, linear regression, and model evaluation items. Students learn the fundamentals of probability theory, statistical models, and statistical distributions.
• Phase 3: Machine Learning Fundamentals. Students learn about regression analysis and logistic regression. Items covered include linear algebra, pipeline building, and Scikit-learn.
• Phase 4: Advanced Machine Learning. Students explore threading and multiprocessing to learn how to work with big data. This phase also covers PySpark, AWS, neural networks, and sentiment networks.
• Phase 5: Data Science Project. Students work on an individual large-scale data science and machine learning final project. The data science project allows students to showcase the skills they gained and their accomplishments throughout the course.

Become a Data Scientist with Flatiron School

Becoming a data scientist is no easy feat. More than passion and determination, you’ll need a good training ground that will prepare you for the demands of your future employers. Flatiron School offers a data science education that matches the pulse of the industry. As put by Angelica, “At Flatiron School, we pride ourselves on not creating ‘regurgitators of code’. Rather, we focus on building both the hard and soft skills needed to thrive in this field.”

Flexibility is also a plus at Flatiron School. By offering an immersive data science program accessible online and on campus, students have the freedom to “choose a learning setting that best aids their growth and development as a data science professional.”

As more companies and organizations shift towards data-driven decision-making, the need for skilled and experienced data scientists will continue to increase. If you are looking for a career that is both financially rewarding and professionally fulfilling, you should consider data science.

Start the year with a bang and apply to Flatiron School’s Data Science program today. If you are still on the fence, learn more about this fantastic school with our Flatiron School review.