Could A Career In Data Bring You A Six Figure Salary?

Data is certainly a buzzword at the moment – both in the scientific and business worlds. And if you have an analytical mind, it might just be an area worth exploring that could be incredibly fruitful for you.

All over the world, there is a huge clamor for data researchers and scientists, as companies large and small try to understand more about the data they pick up about their customers and seek to translate their findings into business-boosting ideas.

So, if you are thinking about dabbling in a career in data science, read on to find out some of the awesome benefits of getting involved in this highly specialized field. It might just give you the inspiration to dive right in, rather than just testing out the waters.

Career outlooks. Given that the business and research worlds are all so heavily involved with data collection of all descriptions, it’s fair to say that the need for data experts is not going away anytime soon. According to research by McKinsey and Company, there is a need for hundreds of thousands of data scientists and managers to enter the field, and employers will soon be getting desperate to hire them. That makes your career outlook exceptionally good for the future.

Pathways. Many people are entering data science straight after college, but the shortness of numbers means that there is an opportunity for midlife career changers, too. Look at doing a course in data science, and when you finish, you can either jump straight into employment or go on to a Master of Data Science qualification. Once you find yourself in a good position, it’s possible to make the step up to management, were some salaries can exceed that of a highly qualified doctor. As an example, Level 1 Managers might break the $150,000 salary, while moving up the scale to Level 3 could double that – nice work if you can get it, right?

Industries. Get a qualification in data science, and you can pretty much choose the field which you want to work in. Almost every technology company out there hires data researchers these days, and of course, there are opportunities in healthcare and pharma. Marketing, gaming, business consulting – even retail and CPG industries rely heavily on the work of their data scientists. There are opportunities in government, too, which would be a great option if you are looking for stability and long-term job prospects.

Who are you up against? When you apply for any job, experience is critical. But given that data science is such a new field, people with experience of 5 years plus are hard to find – and less than one in three have 10+ years behind them. It means that when it comes to finding work, many companies will be a little more lenient in this particular regard than they are with other job roles. If you impress at the interview stage, you have a great chance of landing your dream role. In fact, it’s fair to say that because data scientists are in such high demand, as long as you let recruiters know you are interested and you can prove your value, it shouldn’t be hard to find a perfect role anywhere in the world.