These 7 Signs Show you have Data Scientist Potential!

Ram Dewani 03 Dec, 2020 • 6 min read

Overview

  • Let’s have a look at these 7 signs to know whether you are a potential data scientist or not
  • By no means is this list exhaustive. Feel free to add more qualities in the comment section

 

Introduction

Data Science has not just become the “Sexiest Job of the 21st Century” but one of the most exciting job roles. You get to make an impact at the company-wide level with the latest technology and algorithms.

How does a person know that he needs to pursue Data Science? What are the qualities of a Data Scientist that one must look for? He may be interested in coding, building new tech, is patient at debugging. For example, a mathematics aspirant knows he wants to become a mathematician due to his interest in mathematical concepts and a knack for solving problems. So what are the signs that define a data scientist and one must look within themselves to know if they are a potential data scientist or not?

Potential Data Scientist - Meme

The role of a data scientist is really crucial to the whole organization and the economy as a whole. But the problem is – there is a shortage of “Skilled” data scientists globally. The AI and ML Blackbelt+ program aims to make you an industry-ready certified data science professional with 14+ courses, 39+ real-life projects, and 1:1 mentorship sessions so that you are never off-track.

If you are new to the world of data science, I suggest you go through the data science roadmap –

 

Table of Contents

  1. Love Number Crunching
  2. You are always up for solving Puzzles
  3. Enjoy solving unstructured problems
  4. You are curious – always asking “Why?”
  5. You have a knack for problem-solving
  6. Enjoy deep research
  7. Love telling Stories – Great at presenting

 

1. Love Number Crunching and Solving Puzzles

Potential Data Scientist - Number Crunching and Solving problems

If you love crunching numbers and solving logical problems based on probability, statistics, puzzles then chances are that you have a natural tendency of becoming a data scientist or a business analyst. By “love”, I don’t mean calculating the bill split among your friends accurately, but a craze that reaches to next level.

For example, guessing the number of boys in India that are under 15 years. This is known as guess estimate and Data science interviewers love asking these questions. I have found the perfect article for you to understand problem-solving as data scientists –

 

2. Enjoy solving unstructured problems

Potential Data Scientist - Solve Unstructured Problems

Unstructured problems are everywhere around us. In an Edtech company, the management may be asking – how do we increase the revenue on our courses? Whereas in a social networking company, the question maybe – How do we increase the user retention on our app. Do you notice something wrong with these questions? Well, these are unstructured problems.

An important aspect of being a data scientist is the ability to form well-defined goals. A structured approach to the above question can be – To retain 20% more customers through the slide-down feature in the next 3 months. The goal should represent What? Why? How?

Next time, if you find yourself in the middle of a problem and you find yourself breaking down the problem into smaller goals, this might be a good starting sign of becoming a data scientist.

 

3. You are curious – always asking “Why?”

Potential Data Scientist - Curiosity

Do you find yourself questioning other people’s assumptions? Are you not able to end your day without asking “Why this? Why that? Why this over that?” You may be a natural fit to become a data scientist.

For example, in the above example, you may want to question the management and ask – Why do we want to retain customers? Can we retain only the paying customers? why focus on retention rather than user acquisition?

Some of the best data scientists would stop anyone and ask for a rationale if they are not clear – Why did you ask this question? What was your thought process? Why do you assume so? are just a few examples of these questions!

Do you find yourself in the middle of these signs? You love problem-solving but don’t love mathematics by heart? A lot of these qualities can be gained with practice. The AI and ML Blackbelt+ certified Data Science program aims to take you from zero-to-hero with its 14+ courses, 39+ real-life projects, and 1:1 mentorship sessions with experts!

 

4. You have a knack for problem-solving

Problem Solving

The easiest sign that tells you are a potential data scientist is the addiction to solving problems. The fridge is not working? You try to identify the root cause of the problem. The sales of your company have decreased the quarter, you try to understand the root cause of the problem.

Data Scientist’s role is not just to apply machine learning algorithms to build an accurate model, it is to formulate a problem statement, form a hypothesis, data analysis, data model, and then finding the best results and communicating to the management. Each of these steps requires a knack for solving problems.

 

5. Enjoy Deep Research

Deep Research

A Data scientist needs to sit on a single problem statement for a long duration of time, going back and forth to the stakeholders to understand their requirements, trying out different hypotheses, mining data, different modeling techniques until the results have been achieved.

Are you someone who finds themselves not giving up until the problem has been solved? Studying and Googling and researching on a single problem. When was the last time you spent hours and hours immersed in solving a problem? Can you do that again and again?

 

6. Love telling Stories – Great at presenting

Love Storytelling

There is always a person in the room who tells amazing stories. No one can resist listening to him and he impresses everyone with his storytelling skills. Are you that person?

A Data scientist needs to be great at storytelling. What is the use of all the hard work, if he is not able to influence his stakeholders? Communicating with data and presenting stories backed by data is one of the most important elements in the life of a data scientist.

 

7. Love Experimentations

Love Experimentations

Do you find yourself experimenting at any time in the day? I don’t mean science experiments. A part of being a data scientist is to be curious.

What is the best mode of transportation to the office? If I find traffic at the X traffic signal, what is my estimated time of arrival? What if I travel halfway through the bus and then take the metro at the signal where I find traffic 90% of the time? These problems seem trivial but a large part of your life is going to be filled with experimentations.

If you love to experiment and play with curiosity in your daily life then being a data scientist is going to be a fun job for you!

 

End Notes

Being a data scientist is one of the most exciting roles and I love being part of this awesome community.

Were you able to relate to the points mentioned above? You are probably going to enjoy being a data scientist and do some amazing work in this field. The AI and ML Blackbelt+ program aims to nurture your talent as a data scientist and make you an industry-ready professional. You can check out the program here.

Which point were you able to relate to the most?

Let me know in the comments if you have some other points or signs that make a person a natural fit or has the potential for the role of a data scientist.

Ram Dewani 03 Dec 2020

Frequently Asked Questions

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Responses From Readers

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Extratech
Extratech 09 May, 2023

Thank you for sharing the blog. It is really helpful.

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