How to become a Data Scientist

Becoming a Data Scientist is an in-demand career path. It requires deep expertise in Data Science and a strong network to carry you along. Here are some resources to help you on your journey.

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Why should you become a
Data Scientist?

Demand for experts in Data Science is growing rapidly. Companies are looking for people with deep expertise in the field of Data Science to help them build their products and services.

As a result, Data Scientists are in high demand and command high salaries. According to leading sources, the median salary for a Data Scientist is $120,000 and a senior Data Scientist can earn up to $140,000. Even entry-level positions can command great salaries.

No wonder that interest in a career in Data Science is growing rapidly. Explore the resources below to learn more about how to become a Data Scientist.

Data Scientist

Your Data Scientist Journey

Everything you need to start your career in Data Science.

Best books to build Data Science understanding

A well-written and thorough book can be an amazing path to build deeper understanding and also act as a handbook as you discover the internet's vast resources.

These are our and our experts top picks to get started building career-relevant skills.

Introduction to Statistical learning

Introduction to Statistical learning

ISL is a fundamental book and popular amongst undergrad and grad students for its clarity and simplicity with explaining concepts. The math required to understand the book is kept to a minimum, making it unique in its format.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Statistics for Data Scientists

Statistics for Data Scientists

Statistical methods are a key part of data science, yet very few data scientists have any formal statistics training. Courses and books on basic statistics rarely cover the topic from a data science perspective. This practical guide explains how to apply various statistical methods to data scien…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Python Data Science Handbook

Python Data Science Handbook

For many researchers, Python is a first-class tool mainly because of its libraries for storing, manipulating, and gaining insight from data. Several resources exist for individual pieces of this data science stack, but only with the Python Data Science Handbook do you get them all—IPython, NumPy…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Head First Statistics

Head First Statistics

Whether you're a student, a professional, or just curious about statistical analysis, Head First's brain-friendly formula helps you get a firm grasp of statistics so you can understand key points and actually use them. Learn to present data visually with charts and plots; discover the difference…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals

Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals

This book demonstrates how to go beyond conventional tools to reach the root of your data, and how to use your data to create an engaging, informative, compelling story. Specifically, you'll learn how to: Understand the importance of context and audience. Determine the appropriate type of graph …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Books / Data science

Books / Data science

In a way, data science has become humanity’s sixth sense. Yet it’s also probably the sense the average person understands the least. So for anyone hoping to learn more, we asked three experts to recommend their favorite data science books from introductory overviews to more advanced content on d…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Courses to deepen your Data Science skills

These days, courses are no longer a sequence of videos. They are usually accompanied by projects and a learning community, keeping you accountable and on the path.

Our experts recommend these courses, from free selections to paid programs.

MIT Open: Linear Algebra

Math is the foundation of Machine Learning and much needed if you need to work on the inner logic of its systems. Senior engineers are encouraged to propose and submit their own papers – and getting your LinAlg back in order is a must for that.

Available on ocw.mit.edu

Machine Learning A-Z™

Kirill Eremenko's course on Udemy is a classic with almost a million (!) students worldwide. A-Z takes you from a bit of coding knowledge to making your own predictions and building ML models pretty swiftly. At prices between $10 - $20 it's also cheaper than many alternatives.

Available on udemy.com

Lex Fridman's MIT Deep Learning

Lex Fridman is the instructor of an immensely popular and fundamental Deep Learning course at MIT. Together with the other MIT AI courses, this can help polish your skills and get the foundations right.

Available on provider

Data Science A-Z

Learn Data Science step by step through real Analytics examples. Data Mining, Modeling, Tableau Visualization and more!

Successfully perform all steps in a complex Data Science project, read statistical software output for created models and receive professional step-by-step coaching in …

Available on udemy.com

Get help with your learning journey

Learning through online courses can be challenging. Get 1:1 guidance from an experienced mentor who can help you stay accountable and answer your questions along the way.

Harvard Online Data Science

To become an expert data scientist you need practice and experience. By completing this course you will get an opportunity to apply and gain knowledge in R data analysis. This final project will test your skills in data visualization, probability, inference and modeling, data wrangling, data org…

Available on provider

The Data Science Course: Complete Data Science Bootcamp 2024

Complete Data Science Training: Math, Statistics, Python, Advanced Statistics in Python, Machine and Deep Learning

Available on udemy.com

Top Data Science Certifications

Mastering the fundamentals of Data Science will help you earn valuable certifications. Our expert mentors can guide you through the certification process and help strengthen your knowledge.

Senior Data Scientist SDS™

SDS™ is the world’s most powerful credential for professionally accomplished data science professionals who aspire to stamp their data leadership potential and showcase their knowledge at the forefront of data science innovation. Prices start at $850.

Data Science Certification Coaching

Consider reaching out to a coach specialized in Data Science certifications. They can help you prepare for your exam, and provide you with the necessary resources to succeed. MentorCruise is the best place to find a coach for your Data Science certification.

Principal Data Scientist (PDS™)

As a seasoned leader transforming businesses through data analytics and intelligence, the PDS™ certification recognizes your strategic influence and ability to drive innovation. Elevate your professional stature with a credential designed for high-level technology executives and thought leaders. P…

IBM Data Science Professional Certificate

The badge earner is ready for a career in data science with demonstrated ability to solve for real-world problems. They can apply Data Science methodology - work with Jupyter notebooks - create Python apps - access relational databases using SQL & Python - use Python libraries to generate data visu…

Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate

As a candidate for this certification, you should have subject matter expertise in applying data science and machine learning to implement and run machine learning workloads on Azure. Your responsibilities for this role include: Designing and creating a suitable working environment for data scien…

SAS® Certified Data Scientist

SAS Certified Data Scientists have demonstrated the ability to manipulate and gain insights from data with a variety of SAS and open-source tools, make business recommendations with complex machine learning models, and deploy models at scale using the flexible, robust SAS environment. Competency is…

Data Science Workshop

Consider joining a workshop specialized in Data Science. Workshops are a great way to learn new skills, and get hands-on experience. MentorCruise is the best place to find a workshop for your Data Science certification.

Open Certified Data Scientist (Open CDS)

The Open Group Open Certified Data Scientist (Open CDS) certification is the industry's most comprehensive certification available for Data Scientists and the organizations that employ them. Open CDS is an independent global certification for qualifying the skills, knowledge, and experience of Data…

Reach goals faster with long-term guidance

Reach goals faster with long-term guidance

One-off advice can be helpful – but partnering with a dedicated expert means faster decisions, fewer mistakes, and real momentum on your most important projects.

Save money with targeted expertise

Save money with targeted expertise

Instead of dropping thousands on bootcamps or generic tools, you get curated advice, tailored learning plans, and real accountability – all from someone who's already done what you're trying to do.

Stay on track with regular check-ins

Stay on track with regular check-ins

Weekly or monthly sessions give structure to your growth. No more second-guessing or getting stuck – just small, consistent steps toward real progress, with someone keeping you accountable.

Make confident moves with real-world feedback

Make confident moves with real-world feedback

Experts don't just answer questions – they help you practice interviews, review your resume or portfolio, and offer industry-specific insights you won't get from a course or blog post.

Opportunities and projects in the Data Science space

In the end, advancing your career is all about getting the right opportunities at the right time and a good portion of luck.

These are some interesting things going on in the Data Science space and you probably don't want to miss them.

Specialize with Kaggle

It wouldn't be the first time I've seen someone get hired over good Kaggle results! Kaggle competitions are data science and ML projects that are graded through a public leaderboard. A good place on the leaderboard shows that you know your craft and can apply your knowledge to real-life problems!

Read more

Get into open-source

The world thrives on open-source software and this is no exception. Core contributors to core libraries and fast-growing tech like React, scikit-learn, Bitcoin and TensorFlow prove their abilities by going into the inner workings of a framework to improve it. For many companies, that's a desirable skill!

These projects are always looking for fresh faces. Grab an issue from the issue board or review a PR to get started!

Read more

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