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Any Data Scientists here? (1 Viewer)

ragincajun

ragincajun

Footballguy
As I evaluate my career path one are that intrigues me is Data Science.  I enjoy crunching data however lack programming skills such as Python.

i am teaching myself SQL currently and will probably start a Python course after.

 
I’m in GIS so I’m a data scientist of sorts. I write scripts in Python regularly and some SQL work as needed for my clients.

 
Most folks I know that are data scientists seem to be glorified data analysts.  It’s a good field to be in if you know your stuff.  Learn R and Tableau.

 
ragincajun said:
As I evaluate my career path one are that intrigues me is Data Science.  I enjoy crunching data however lack programming skills such as Python.

i am teaching myself SQL currently and will probably start a Python course after.
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I am in a similar boat to you. I have done a lot of database work (including administration) without being a real programmer or coder. I did learn (and 75% forget) SQL a while back, though. Had a smattering of PL/SQL as well -- that's the real programming side of SQL -- but I never really had to do it on the job, so I never got good at it.

AAA Batteries' advice upthread seems to be solid going by my recent recent job search. "Tableau" is a gigantic buzzword -- didn't exist 10 (or even 5?) years ago, but seems to be hugely in demand today. Stuff like Tableau and R are on deck for me to start learning.

 
Slapdash said:
Aren't you the guy who is going back to get an MBA in your early 40s too?  Or are my notebooks confused?
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Tell you what -- had I been psychic, I'd have gotten my MBA 25 years ago right out of college. I just futzed around waiting tables a few years, anyway -- might as well have kept learning something useful. Didn't realize how big a leg up it would be just being able to list "MBA" on you resume.

 
Doug B said:
I am in a similar boat to you. I have done a lot of database work (including administration) without being a real programmer or coder. I did learn (and 75% forget) SQL a while back, though. Had a smattering of PL/SQL as well -- that's the real programming side of SQL -- but I never really had to do it on the job, so I never got good at it.

AAA Batteries' advice upthread seems to be solid going by my recent recent job search. "Tableau" is a gigantic buzzword -- didn't exist 10 (or even 5?) years ago, but seems to be hugely in demand today. Stuff like Tableau and R are on deck for me to start learning.
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There’s a analytics thread around here somewhere - I suggested to folks in there to learn Tableau.  Still a strong recommendation - if you can actually learn the data science principles and then use Tableau to “show your work” you are well ahead of 90% of the folks out there who claim to do that kind of work.

 
AAABatteries said:
There’s a analytics thread around here somewhere - I suggested to folks in there to learn Tableau.  Still a strong recommendation - if you can actually learn the data science principles and then use Tableau to “show your work” you are well ahead of 90% of the folks out there who claim to do that kind of work.
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Here is the thread you speak of:  https://forums.footballguys.com/forum/search/?&q="data"&search_in=titles

A good ability to search google or even your own inbox/files is also key to a data person...

 
Hey I work in BI and analytics and it’s shocking what some of our contractors make compared to what they know.

I do mostly management of our platforms and developers so I’m not as hands on as I once was - I do Tableau administration - it’s another area where there’s not a lot of folks who know the work but to be honest it’s really simple.

 
Honestly - with the way things are heading for most companies I would learn the AWS analytics stack.  Glue/s3/Athena/Redshift/QuickSight should be a hot area and one that will teach you cloud computing concepts.

Small shops will continue to use Excel/Some RDBMS and Tableau (Qlik/PowerBI) 

 
Doug B said:
Tell you what -- had I been psychic, I'd have gotten my MBA 25 years ago right out of college. I just futzed around waiting tables a few years, anyway -- might as well have kept learning something useful. Didn't realize how big a leg up it would be just being able to list "MBA" on you resume.
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Yeah, this is something I've begun to think about.  Will turn 30 soon.  My boss has both the best Tableau/SAS skills I've seen as well as is the coolest guy to work for I've had.  We have a good group, getting a lot done, and getting rewarded for it.

 Problem is that I can't see sticking in the banking industry without this current setup anymore.  So something like an MBA would probably be a addition for whatever comes afterwards.  While I have time (no kids yet), tons of flexibility, and tuition reimbursement. 

Part time, of course.

 
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AAABatteries said:
Hey I work in BI and analytics and it’s shocking what some of our contractors make compared to what they know.

I do mostly management of our platforms and developers so I’m not as hands on as I once was - I do Tableau administration - it’s another area where there’s not a lot of folks who know the work but to be honest it’s really simple.
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Tableau seems pretty simple so far.  FWIW there is a free version to play around with.

 
Slapdash said:
Yeah, this is something I've begun to think about.  Will turn 30 soon.  My boss has both the best Tableau/SAS skills I've seen as well as is the coolest guy to work for I've had.  We have a good group, getting a lot done, and getting rewarded for it.

 Problem is that I can't see sticking in the banking industry without this current setup anymore.  So something like an MBA would probably be a addition for whatever comes afterwards.  While I have time (no kids yet), tons of flexibility, and tuition reimbursement. 

Part time, of course.
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So far if it’s just to check the MBA box.  I am 1.5 classes in at LSUS and for 12k you cannot beat the ROI.

 
ragincajun said:
So far if it’s just to check the MBA box.  I am 1.5 classes in at LSUS and for 12k you cannot beat the ROI.
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How many classes is it for someone who already has a B.A.? Ballpark?

Agreed about ROI ... still get sticker shock looking at 2018 college costs, though. Circa 1983 (a few years before me), LSU cost $360/semester to go full-time. Three hundred and sixty dollars, that is.

 
Doug B said:
How many classes is it for someone who already has a B.A.? Ballpark?

Agreed about ROI ... still get sticker shock looking at 2018 college costs, though. Circa 1983 (a few years before me), LSU cost $360/semester to go full-time. Three hundred and sixty dollars, that is.
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10 courses - 7 weeks at a time.  You can do it in under a year if you pair the correct classes together.  I need to update my original thread.

 
The "Data Scientist" relevance is not obvious from the article title, but there are some good tidbits in this article. I've trimmed out a lot of the article in the quoted material below (including the opening paragraphs) to try and keep it below the TL:DR threshold :D  
 

Are Programmers Headed Toward Another Bursting Bubble?

Staying relevant in the ever changing technology landscape can be a challenge. By looking at the technologies that are replacing programmers in the status quo we should be able to predict what jobs might disappear from the market. Additionally, to predict how salaries and demand for specific skills might change we should consider the growing body of people learning to program. ... “[P]ublic ignorance” about computers is keeping wages high for those who can program and the public is becoming more computer savvy each year.

...

“Business Intelligence” tools such as SalesForce, Tableau and SpotFire are also beginning to occupy spaces historically held by software engineers. These systems have reduced the demand for in-house Database Administrators, but they have also increased the demand for SQL as a general-purpose skill. They have decreased demand for in-house reporting technology, but increased demand for “integration engineers” who automate the flow of data from the business to the third-party software platform(s). A field that was previously dominated by Excel and Spreadsheets is increasingly being pushed towards scripting languages like Python or R, and towards SQL for data management. Some jobs have disappeared, but demand for people who can write software has seen an increase overall.

...

In many ways data science looks like web development did 5–8 years ago — a booming field where a little bit of knowledge can get you in the door due to a “skills gap”. As web development bootcamps are closing and consolidating, data science bootcamps are popping up in their place. Kaplan, who bought the original web development bootcamp (Dev Bootcamp) and started a data science bootcamp (Metis) has decided to close DevBootcamp and keep Metis running.

...

Another big group of newcomers to programming are MBAs and data analysts. Job listings which were once dominated by Excel are starting to list SQL as a “nice to have” and even “requirement”. Tools such as Tableau, SpotFire, SalesForce, and other web-based metrics systems continue to replace the spreadsheet as the primary tool for report generation. If this continues more data analysts will learn to use SQL directly simply because it is easier than exporting the data into a spreadsheet.

People looking to climb the ranks and out-perform their peers in these roles are taking online courses to learn about databases and statistical programming languages. With these new skills they can begin to position themselves as data scientists by learning a combination of machine learning and statistical libraries. Look at Metis’ curriculum as a prime example of this path.
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Dan Lambskin said:
@xulf maybe?
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To give a background I work in survey research and analytics.  Most of the analytics is regression analysis, clustering and logistic regression. My background is I have a bsba in both finance and risk managment/insurance, I am a cpa and have a MS in predictive analytics from northwestern.  Tableau is NOT data science...it is a software application like Excel.

If you are serious about data science there are a ton of schools now offering degrees...especially online.  Many of the people in the field are programmers turned into DS.  They, are in my opinion, not good (50%)  They know the programming language but don't know the meaning or interpretation the way a "business person" would. 

The most important person in data science is the person who can translate programming output to the ceo/coo or whoever you are reporting to (at least in my opinion).  Also, being able to explain to the coder what variables they should be looking at and what is meaningless is super important.  

There is a ton of opportunity in the space but you can't just immediately think it's easy to get into and make a career without legit training.

I 100% am glad I went down my path and hope it works  out for you.

 
xulf said:
To give a background I work in survey research and analytics.  Most of the analytics is regression analysis, clustering and logistic regression. My background is I have a bsba in both finance and risk managment/insurance, I am a cpa and have a MS in predictive analytics from northwestern.  Tableau is NOT data science...it is a software application like Excel.

If you are serious about data science there are a ton of schools now offering degrees...especially online.  Many of the people in the field are programmers turned into DS.  They, are in my opinion, not good (50%)  They know the programming language but don't know the meaning or interpretation the way a "business person" would. 

The most important person in data science is the person who can translate programming output to the ceo/coo or whoever you are reporting to (at least in my opinion).  Also, being able to explain to the coder what variables they should be looking at and what is meaningless is super important.  

There is a ton of opportunity in the space but you can't just immediately think it's easy to get into and make a career without legit training.

I 100% am glad I went down my path and hope it works  out for you.
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I knew you did something super smart sounding and mathy :lol:

 
xulf said:
To give a background I work in survey research and analytics.  Most of the analytics is regression analysis, clustering and logistic regression. My background is I have a bsba in both finance and risk managment/insurance, I am a cpa and have a MS in predictive analytics from northwestern.  Tableau is NOT data science...it is a software application like Excel.

If you are serious about data science there are a ton of schools now offering degrees...especially online.  Many of the people in the field are programmers turned into DS.  They, are in my opinion, not good (50%)  They know the programming language but don't know the meaning or interpretation the way a "business person" would. 

The most important person in data science is the person who can translate programming output to the ceo/coo or whoever you are reporting to (at least in my opinion).  Also, being able to explain to the coder what variables they should be looking at and what is meaningless is super important.  

There is a ton of opportunity in the space but you can't just immediately think it's easy to get into and make a career without legit training.

I 100% am glad I went down my path and hope it works  out for you.
Click to expand...
Totally agree.

 
Yes, that is about 20% of my job.
 

Tableau is something that is easy to learn and may or may not sound good on the resume, depends where you are applying.  I am a Tableau administrator as well as someone that has published many dashboards. I think Tableau is incredibly over rated. The last couple people that I have taught to work with Tableau have been engineers with no data or software experience and they have worked out well. Personally, I do not think learning Tableau is that important.

Database skills and knowing the needs of the business are the most important skills. Complex sql skills, knowing how to join data across databases(possibly even database languages), nested select statements, ability to pivot using sql, case statements, etc. Would all be skills that i would consider absolutely necessary.

I do not think formal training is necessary. I work for big oil and my background is chemical engineering.

The other 80% of my job comprises: software architect, business analyst, and developer. I have no formal training in any of this.

 
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I didn't know this was a job.  In my world (banking) this is what technical business analysts and/or database administrators do as part of their jobs.  I will always tell people if you want to get good at data mining etc stick with the command line and learn SQL.  If your platform uses oracle as it's database learn PL/SQL.  All these tools today are built on top of those things so if you learn the core concept, the tool won't matter all that much.  My :2cents:  

 
The Commish said:
I didn't know this was a job.  In my world (banking) this is what technical business analysts and/or database administrators do as part of their jobs.  I will always tell people if you want to get good at data mining etc stick with the command line and learn SQL.  If your platform uses oracle as it's database learn PL/SQL.  All these tools today are built on top of those things so if you learn the core concept, the tool won't matter all that much.  My :2cents:  
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Not just any job, a Tableau job.

 
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