One of the most lucrative careers that you can pursue at present are in the field of data science. In recent times, the world has become more reliant on technology because of its spectacular advancements. Data science involves the utilization of numerous scientific methods, algorithms and procedures to extract structured or unstructured data from a huge volume of information. Of course, you cannot expect to gain experience without finding a suitable workplace or project.
One good way to gain experience is by working on different projects across different industries and products & services. For this, you can approach companies that are into contract staffing. Working with such businesses will add up rich experience to your resume.
Keep in mind that you will need to have the required skills to do the job. You can plan on specialising in a specific skill to make yourself a worthy recruit. For instance, you can try A/B testing, explanatory, regression, and classification models, structured query language (SQL) database, python programming, etc. Once you have picked up a skill, you should look up IT staffing companies in India that are currently hiring a data scientist. Given that you are looking for employment in a fast-growing industry, you should hear from one of the businesses pretty soon.
Before getting hired for paid employment, here is what you can do to accumulate some real-world experience.
- SQL Case Studies
As a data scientist, you are required to have a strong command over SQL. The better you are at it, the more you get paid. So, it would be ideal for you to look up various case studies online and practice them. If you are new to SQL, then do not jump into the case studies straightaway. Look for online tutorial to get a better understanding of the concept.
- Create Tutorial or Teach Data Science
Many people are looking to enter the data science job market. As a result, the demand for informative tutorials are at an all-time high. Other than that, you can teach at any IT institution (volunteer or part-time). Making tutorials or teaching people will help close any knowledge gap that you may have. Needless to say, you also get a real-time experience working as a data scientist. So, building a sturdy reputation as a knowledgeable expert in data science will help you find employment quite easily.
- Work on Small Personal Projects
The key to become a much sought-after data scientist is to have an overwhelmingly sturdy portfolio. Hence, it is essential that you work towards building quality small scale projects that are immensely enriching and appealing. If you are starting now, it would be ideal for you to start a small project. You can work on collecting and cleaning a messy dataset. After you are done cleaning it, explore the dataset to make predictions. To retrieve datasets, you can find several places online, such as Kaggle, Omdena, etc.
- Data Science Freelancing
Yes, freelancing has been a major source of income for millions of people around the world. In recent times, several IT businesses had to shut down their workplaces and move to remote working. The transition also means that they are now able to look to online recruits to work on projects for them. So, you can easily get a paid, real-world experience in your career as a data scientist.
You can find beginner to expert level data science work on several freelancing platforms. Upwork and Fiverr are two of the most renowned platforms right now. Of course, you will need to open an account there to look for jobs.
As a freelancer, you will have the liberty to work as many or as few jobs as you may like. As such, you can find diverse work and also brush up your multitasking skills. Nonetheless, you will be able to show all the projects you have worked on, if you ever go out to look for paid fulltime employment in an organisation. Any staffing company in India is likely to hire you in a heartbeat if you have a strong portfolio.
- Volunteer as a Data Scientist
You will be stunned to know that there are several NGOs out there that work on several data science projects for social causes. Of course, they recruit volunteers to keep the costs at a minimum while doing something valuable. You can look up such institutions and offer to work as a volunteer. You will be performing a charitable task by working as a volunteer. Moreover, it will help you develop your teamwork skills. Overall, it is a magnificent addition to your resume.
In a fast-growing yet competitive market, it might be difficult to find a well-paying employment for yourself. As a result, you should work towards building a strong portfolio that makes you look like an all-rounder. Of course, it might take time. But if you are able to dedicate enough time on it, you will be able to gather sufficient real-world experience for yourself. Any of the top recruitment companies in India will certainly consider your resume for job opportunities.