Are data analysis and data scientist jobs the same?

Can I go for a data science job at the age of 30
Can I go for a data science job at the age of 30

Data analysts and data scientists depict two of the most in-demand, high-paying jobs in 2023. The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2020 recorded these roles as number one for boosting demand across enterprises, followed instantly by AI and machine learning experts and big data specialists. 

What Does a Data Analyst Do?

A data analyst generally gathers data to determine trends that assist business leaders in making strategic judgments. In addition, the discipline performs statistical analyses to help reply to questions and solve difficulties. A data analyst utilises tools such as SQL to bring in queries to relational databases. A data analyst may furthermore clean data, or put it in a usable format, dumping unrelated or unusable data or figuring out how to deal with missing data.

A data analyst normally works as part of an interdisciplinary squad to discern the organisation’s objectives and then manage the process of mining, cleaning, and analysing the data. The data analyst utilises programming languages like R and SAS, along with the visualisation tools like Power BI and Tableau, and communication mastery to formulate and convey their findings.

What are the requirements for a data analyst?

  • Education: Those who want to function in data analysis should have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a field related to data analysis, such as mathematics or statistics.
  • Programming language skills: Programming languages that have hefty usage in understanding data analysis, like Python, SQL, CQL, and R.
  • Soft skills: With the significance of utilising data to further business strategy, excellent written and verbal communication aptitudes.

What Does a Data Scientist Do?

A data scientist will commonly be more active in designing data modelling processes. Therefore, data scientists may spend more time designing instruments, automation techniques and data frameworks.

Compared to a data analyst, a data scientist may be more concentrated on formulating new tools and techniques to extract the data the organisation requires to unravel complex problems.

What are the requirements for a data scientist?

  • Education: The education prerequisites for data scientists will generally ask for an advanced degree like a master’s degree or even a Ph.D. in a corresponding field, such as statistics, computer science, or mathematics.
  • Computer programming languages: Interested experts should anticipate ascertaining expertise with programming languages related to data, comprising SQL, R, Java, and Python.
  • Experience with web services and data sources: Web services like Hadoop, S3, Spark, and DigitalOcean, play a substantial position in the job of a data scientist, so candidates should indicate expertise.
  • Experience with statistical tools and technology: Data computing tools like MySQL and Gurobi and the latest technology growth like artificial intelligence, machine learning models, deep learning, and artificial neural networks. 

Differences and Similarities Between Data Analysts and Data Scientists

Both career paths need at least a bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field such as statistics, mathematics, or computer science. 

A data analyst may spend more time on daily analysis, and furnishing reports regularly. A data scientist may develop the way data is stored, manipulated, and analysed. Simply put, a data analyst puts together a sense out of existing data. In contrast, a data scientist works on new paths of capturing and analysing data to be utilised by analysts.

If an individual loves numbers and statistics as well as computer programming, either path could be a good fit for their career goals. An analyst generally works on answering distinct questions about the organisation’s industry. A data scientist may function at a more macro level to formulate new paths of asking and responding to important questions. 

Data Analyst vs. Data Scientist: Job Outlook

A data analyst or data scientist’s salary may vary depending on their enterprise and employer. However, the employment outlook for data scientists is bright, and the projected development between. According to O*NET, data analysts may gain a median annual salary of $98,230.

If a person wants to seek a career related to data, it’s a good notion to discern if they will fit better as a data analyst or data scientist. The characteristics that will likely impact their decision include their educational knowledge, work preferences, career objectives, etc.