How to

Become a
Data Scientist
in Six Months
springboard.com
 “Every company has big
data in its future and
every company will
eventually be in the data
business.”

Thomas H. Davenport, co-founder of the International Institute for

Analytics and a senior advisor to Deloitte Analytics

College athletes and coaches use it to optimize
their performance. Matchmaking apps use it in
their algorithms. Netflix used it to create House of
Cards, Bird Box, and more. Data science has
become an integral part of day-to-day life.
questions about making a career switch to data
science in six months or less. Here is what you can
expect to learn:

A Quick-and-Dirty Introduction to
The global big data market is expected to reach a Data Science
whopping $103 billion in 2027. Currently sitting at
#3 on Glassdoor’s 50 best jobs in America list, data • What Skills Do You Need to Become a
science is now one of the country’s most Data Scientist?
sought-after careers. There’s virtually no industry • Finding a Mentor
that does not collect, analyze, and gain insights • Real-Life Case Studies
from data, which is why data science has become • Working on Real-World Problems
the most versatile skill of the 21st century. • Building a Network
• Becoming a Data Scientist
This e-book will answer some of the most pertinent
Chapter 1:
A Quick-and-Dirty
Introduction to Data Science
In this chapter, we’ll touch on the fundamentals of data science.

What is data science?

“The job of the data scientist is to ask the right
questions. If I ask a question like ‘how many
clicks did this link get?’ which is something we
look at all the time, that’s not a data science
question. It’s an analytics question. If I ask a
question like, ‘based on the previous history of
links on this publisher’s site, can I predict how
many people from France will read this in the
next three hours?’ that’s more of a data science
question.”
— Hilary Mason, founder, Fast Forward Labs
business, and economics 03
 While data analysis is about extracting information from data, data science is about extracting
valuable insights and making meaningful predictions and business decisions with data.

T R A D I T I O N A L D AT A S C I E N C E P R O C E S S

Identify Data Last Mile Feature Engineering Machine Reporting Production

Business Collection ETL Learning
Use Case

Load Profile Validate Architect Hypothesize Implement Compute Select Non-linearize Train Validate Develop Reimplement Deploy
Data Data Data Data Features Features Features Features Features Models Models Dashboard Process Process

Source: dotData

In other words, data science is a wide spectrum of asking the right questions, collecting relevant
data, making informed hypotheses, building models, automating processes, visualizing the data,
and deploying refined processes.

Experts predict that we’ll have 175 zettabytes of data in the global datasphere by 2025. (To give you
some perspective, 1 zettabyte is 1 sextillion bytes.) This means companies are in increasing need
of people who can manipulate such large and complex datasets to help build their business
models, hire the best talent, and attract and retain their target audience.

Are companies still hiring data scientists? least 10,000 more professionals by the end of 2020.

“The hottest job and the scarcest talent.” Within the finance and insurance industry, data
science jobs have actually increased. Overall, data
- Deloitte
science job postings are declining at a much slower
In a post-COVID world, your first instinct might be to
pace.
think data scientists are among professionals who
are being laid off the most. And there are reasons to
Let’s not forget the huge role data science plays in
believe that. At least 63% of companies do not iden-
predicting the spread of the pandemic, creating
tify as data-driven. And some research suggests
projections, forecasts, and simulations, making
that 85% of big data projects don’t even see the
predictions about a post-COVID world and helping
light of day.
healthcare and governance professionals alike to
make sound decisions.
But this isn’t stopping big tech companies like
Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon from hiring
Every issue is a data science issue, and if anything,
data scientists. In fact, some tech companies have
the pandemic has only proven that the data science
become even more aggressive with their hiring.
field will continue to evolve.
Facebook, for example, has promised to hire at 04
 What does the job landscape look like for data
Industry
scientists?
1 Entertainment $1.2Lakh
A quick glance at LinkedIn shows that there are
2 Software & IT Services $1.2Lakh
more than 21,000 open data scientist jobs open in
the US. 3 Consumer Goods $1.2Lakh

4 Real Estate $1.1Lakh

In its comprehensive salary page for data scientists

5 Hardware & Networking $1.1Lakh
(a feat that is, in itself, possible thanks to data
science), LinkedIn says that data scientists earn Source: LinkedIn Salary

anywhere between $71,000 to $181,000. Different locations have different impacts on data
science salaries. Unsurprisingly, major tech hubs
Base salary Total compensation
like San Francisco and Seattle come out on top with
$ 105,000 /yr $ 110,000 /yr
Range: $70K - $150K Range: $71K - $181K impressive median salaries of $135,000 and
Median: $105,000
$120,000, respectively.

Location Median Range

base salary (min-max)
San Francisco Bay Area
$1,35,000 /yr $1Lakh - $1.8Lakh
1,131 salaries reported

Greater Seattle Area

$1,20,000 /yr $92K - $1.4Lakh
332 salaries reported
$70,000 $150,000
Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area $1,17,000 /yr $75K - $1.5Lakh
66 salaries reported

Source: LinkedIn Salary New York City Metropolitan Area $1,13,000 /yr $80K - $1.5Lakh
775 salaries reported

Even among analytics professionals, data scien- San Diego County, California, United
States $1,12,000 /yr $69K - $1.5Lakh
tists are the highest-paid. 84 salaries reported

Source: LinkedIn Salary

Data Scientist salaries continue to
exceed others in analytics Will data scientists become obsolete in the
future?
0%
$250,000
In the age of machine learning, artificial intelligence,
+08%
$200,000
+22%
+14%
and automation, data science is exploding with new
$150,000 +30%
Predictive Analytics

+19%
and advanced technologies every day. Does this
$100,000
Data Science

$50,000
mean data scientists will be replaced by algo-
$0 rithms? This worry is unfounded.
IC-1 IC-2 IC-3 MG-1 MG-2 MG-3

As long as data scientists keep upgrading their

Source: Burtch Works
skills and staying on top of these updates in their
Almost every industry is now in need of skilled data field, they’ll continue to be indispensable. After all,
scientists. The top industry hiring data scientists even artificial intelligence needs professionals who
with the most pay is entertainment, followed by can design, refine, and wield it. As AI continues to
consumer goods. learn and grow, so will data scientists and their
skills. 05
Chapter 2: What Skills Do
You Need to Become a
Data Scientist?
Let’s get an important question out of the way first: Do you
need a college degree to become a data scientist?
Not at all!
“Data is useless
without the skill to
analyze it.”

Jeanne Harris, author of “Competing on

Analytics: The New Science of Winning”

As per IBM's data science skills competency
model, a data scientist must possess the follow-
ing skills to be successful:
• Statistics, to model and summarize data sets
• Computer science, to design and use algorithms
to store, process, and visualize data
• Domain expertise, necessary to formulate the
right questions and to put the answers in context
• Other skills, such as leadership, teamwork, and
communication
In this chapter, we’ll closely examine the skills
most in demand for data scientists and how to go
about acquiring them.
Statistical and mathematical skills
First and foremost, data scientists are excellent math-
ematicians and statisticians. But if you don’t have a
background in these fields, don’t worry: data scientists
come from all kinds of backgrounds and their domain
knowledge makes them incredibly valuable.
While mathematics and statistics are theoretical
areas, data science is the practical application of
these concepts. A data scientist must be able to com-
fortably apply probability distributions, linear algebra,
calculus, hypothesis testing, and regression.

DATA SCIENCE

MATH &
DOMAIN COMPUTING
STATISTICAL
EXPERTISE SKILLS
KNOWLEDGE
06
Source: QuantHub
 Technical skills
Skills That Affect
Data Scientist Salaries
Different skills can affect your salary. Below are the
most popular skills and their effect on salary.
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Algorithm Development
Machine Learning
Big Data Analytics
Python
Source: Payscale
• Programming languages like R and Python.
While developing software is not a priority for data
scientists, programming has become a necessary
skill. Python is one of the most commonly used
languages for data mining, visualization, and
predictive modeling. R is an integrated suite of
software facilities for data manipulation, calcula-
tion, and graphical display.
Springboard offers a detailed guide to help you
learn more about data mining with Python.
• Hadoop platform. Hadoop is a collection of
open-source software utilities that allow data
scientists to process large datasets across
clusters of computers using simple programming
models.
• SQL databases. Creating the perfect SQL query is
often the first step in any sequence of evaluation.
Having good SQL skills allows a data scientist to
dig into large quantities of legacy and list-based
data and find the right kind of information.
• Machine learning and AI. Machine learning helps
analyze large chunks of data using algorithms and
data-driven models. It can automate significant
parts of a data scientist’s job, such as cleaning data
by removing redundancies.
• Data visualization. Data visualization is the graphi-
cal representation of data using charts, graphics,
maps, infographics, and more. A data scientist uses
tools such as ggplot, d3.js, and Tableau to visualize
6%
data.
5%
3%
Soft skills
3%
Apart from a strong foundation in math, statistics,
1%
and programming, data scientists are expected to
possess some interpersonal skills as well.
• Problem-solving. Data scientists need to be able to
see the big picture. With a rigorous data-driven
approach to problem-solving, they are able to figure
out the right questions and model solutions to the
problem.
• Communication. Data scientists excel at more than
crunching numbers and building solutions. They must
also be able to communicate these solutions to key
stakeholders across the organization, from top man-
agement to their own team. Understanding business
needs, probing the right people for more data, and
conveying insights are all crucial in the day-to-day job
of a data scientist.
• Storytelling. Just numbers and data will not invoke
an emotional reaction and persuade the key people to
make the right decisions. Some amount of storytell-
ing and creativity are required in bringing the data to
life to create impact.
• Collaboration. Whether they work alone or in a team,
they have to collaborate across functions and work
with several people in the organization, ranging from
team leaders to other data scientists, data architects,
and data engineers. Gathering requirements and 07
feedback from everyone around them to improve their
work is important.
• Learning. Data scientists must be continuous learn-
ers. With data science frameworks and methodologies
evolving rapidly, they need to keep up and grasp new
skills every day. As such, being a self-starter and a fast
learner are critical.
How to gain necessary data scientist skills
Self-learning is the most inexpensive way to learn data
science.
• Several Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can
help you pick up the fundamentals of mathematics
and programming.
• There are books of varying depths for each of the
skills you need.
• Springboard has plenty of helpful blog posts,
guides, and other resources you can use.
However, learning alone in six months can be
challenging without the right guidance and resources.
Furthermore, with the field advancing at a lightning
speed, you need the right insights from industry
experts and the most up-to-date curriculum to help you
become job-ready swiftly.
• Certifications, which are offered by reputed organiza-
tions such as Microsoft, Google, Cloudera, Dell, and
IBM, can help you validate the skills you’ve gained and
also stand out in the job market. Some examples are:
• IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
• Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist Associate
• SAS Certified Data Scientist
• Dell Certified EMC Track
• Google Data and Machine Learning
However, these certifications are typically about using
the organization’s technology for data science purpos-
es. They might not give you the foundation in
mathematics, statistics, and other skills that you
might need.
• Bootcamps and short-term online courses, such
as Springboard’s Data Science Career Track, help
you gain the right skills quickly. Bootcamps are
short, intensive programs that are built by active
data scientists. They equip you with the skills that
are currently most in-demand in the job market.
Even college students take up bootcamps to
supplement their degrees with the right skills.
In just six months, Springboard’s data scientist
bootcamp gives you a rigorous curriculum, 1:1
mentorship, meaningful insight into the data
science field from experts, career coaching, and a
community. Plus, you get to build a strong, impres-
sive portfolio. Employers need to see that you’re
well-versed in not just the theory, but also in apply-
ing your knowledge to real-world problems and
can execute projects from start to finish.
Most bootcamps are also transparent about their
success rates. Particularly, Springboard publishes
its student outcomes every year. Springboard’s
data science graduates have gone on to launch
their careers at Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and
LinkedIn, among others.
08
Chapter 3:
Finding a
Mentor
Let’s discuss why you need a mentor
to learn data science.
What is a mentor?
A mentor is:
A resource. A mentor helps you navigate through
data science tools, technologies, learning resourc-
es, and jobs.
An advisor. A mentor gives you advice and guid-
ance based on their own professional experience.
A critic. A mentor gives you constructive feedback
on your work, including projects.
A sounding board. A mentor lets you bounce ideas
off of them and brainstorm with them.
A career coach. Your first point of contact in the
data science field, a mentor can put you in touch
with contacts, refer you to jobs, and even help you
prepare for interviews.
On the flip side, a mentor is not a manager or super-
visor.
Fun fact: Only 1 in 12 applicants is chosen
to become a Springboard mentor.
Why do you need a mentor to learn data science?
Learning with a mentor helps you build vital job
skills quicker and more efficiently.
• Personalized learning. Everyone learns differently.
With a mentor by your side, you get advice tailored
to your specific needs, delivered in a way that will
help you the most.
• Industry insight. The data science industry chang-
es every day. It might seem like an endless sea of
tools, technologies, and languages. A mentor would
help you focus on what’s current, relevant, and
important. They can also give you crucial informa-
tion that keeps you on your toes, such as industry
best practices.
• Networking. Your mentors direct you to the right
opportunities best suited to your strengths and give
you networking and career advice.
• Motivation and accountability. Learning with a
professional who is passionate and great at their
job will only motivate you to do your best. Plus, they
keep you accountable and in check. 09
Chapter 4: Real-Life
Case Studies
TechCrunch recently reported an interesting trend in hiring
data scientists: employers are no longer quizzing applicants
with statistical or coding brain teasers and puzzles. Instead,
candidates are being asked to analyze real-world data
provided by the company.

What do real-world case studies mean for aspir-
ing data scientists?
In a world of readily available data, a data scientist
must be able to find the right problems to solve and
create simulations and solutions to any such prob-
lems.
The first step to learning data science is developing
an intuition for data. This means being capable of
looking at data from different perspectives, asking
incisive questions, and digging deeper in ways that
are not immediately apparent.
Where can you find real-life case studies?
GitHub, StackExchange, Kaggle, and other data
science communities routinely have several
open-source projects that you could learn from and
participate in.
Springboard has a handy list of data science
projects. Unsure where to start? Check out this
beginner’s guide to data wrangling.

You cannot develop these skills unless you start

looking at data and solve real-world problems.
Exploring live case studies in different areas such
as governance, finance, business, and more, also
helps you understand the role of data science in the
bigger picture. 10
Chapter 5:
Working on
Real-World
Problems
Now that you’ve explored several data science
projects and observed other data scientists at work,
it’s time to apply your knowledge to your own
projects.
Why you need completed projects
To truly grasp the nuances of data science, you
should be able to work on a project (or two or three)
where you execute every stage from data collection
and wrangling to visualization and deployment.
Working on projects reinforces your skills and helps
you feel validated. Completed projects are a huge
milestone in your learning journey.
Your projects need to be impressive and worthy of
conversation—having at least two projects will give
you enough to talk about at your data science inter-
view and show your employer that you’re serious
about data science.
Building a portfolio
Plenty of studies suggest that a portfolio is more
valuable than a resume for data scientists. A portfo-
lio is nothing but a collection of projects. You can
“Portfolios are extremely
critical to have, because
when you’re in the inter-
view it shows your
real-world experience, so
you can explain to an
employer from A to Z the
entire data science
workflow.”
David Yakobovitch, data scientist,
instructor, and Springboard mentor
build one on GitHub, LinkedIn, or even Medium.
• Where to start? There are several public datasets
that you can use for your projects. Large, complex
data from various open-source platforms such as
Kaggle, GitHub, and Our World in Data give you a
good starting point. When you identify problems
from these datasets and build innovative solutions
from scratch, you showcase not just your skills,
but also your ability to ask the right questions.
• Write a business case for your projects. In a
competitive job market, you want your prospective
employer to be able to understand the whole prob-
lem and the business case for your project, no
matter how complex it is. In data science, you can
accomplish this using Markdown. After key lines
of code, add a thoughtful interpretation that
covers the meaning of your analysis and how it
relates to your customer. This would be especially
helpful when you revisit your project later and need
to remember at a quick glance.
Learn more about how to build a great data
science portfolio in 6 steps. 11
Chapter 6:
Building a
Network
It’s important to have a community so that you can
continue to learn from your peers, keep yourself
abreast of the latest trends in data science, and
even find career opportunities.
If you have a mentor, that’s half the problem solved.
Your mentor helps you grow your network and
points you to the right avenues where you can
showcase your skills and meet other data scien-
tists to work with.
Bootcamps like Springboard’s Data Science Career
Track give you a ready-made community, with
whom you can stay in touch long after the end of
the course.
There are several online data science communi-
ties. Kaggle is the largest data science, machine
learning, and AI community. You’ll also find that
data scientists from all over the world frequently
connect on places like Slack.
Competitions and hackathons are another way to
hone your data science skills as well as grow your
network. Kaggle, Tableau, and several other
platforms and companies host competitions in
which you can flex your newly earned skills.
Plenty of major names in data science host confer-
ences and seminars where experts discuss the
latest trends and share insights about the future of
data science. Although some of them were
canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, many of them
went virtual, making it more accessible for data
scientists from all over the world. A few examples
are:
• Rise, hosted by Springboard
• Global Women in Data Science,
hosted by Stanford University
• Data & Analytics Summit, hosted by Gartner
• Think Digital, hosted by IBM
12
Chapter 7:
Becoming a
Data Scientist
With all the requisite skills and a powerful portfolio,
you’re ready to tackle the job market.

What kind of jobs does a data scientist qualify For every job you apply for, you should create a
for? resume that matches their description. Your
Depending on your domain interests and skill level, resume should demonstrate that you fit the job
you could qualify for jobs such as: description in experience, skills, location, and other
factors.
• Junior data scientist
• Big data consultant Make sure to follow the company or recruiter’s
• Decision scientist requirements when preparing and sending your
• Data architect resume.
• Business analyst
• Data journalist Research, research, research
Employers do not just want candidates who simply
You could also take up teaching or mentorship to fit the job description by ticking all the right boxes.
give back to the community. They want candidates who:

Preparing your resume • Understand exactly what the company does

“A tailored resume separates applicants who • Whose values align with the company
just want any job from those who want this • Who are a great culture fit
job.” • Who bring strengths, skills, and perspectives that
— Jon Brodsky, country manager for Finder.com the company needs but probably doesn’t have
To be the right employee, you need to do your
research on the company. Read their website,
follow them on social media, check out the compa-
ny blog, and study their products and offerings.
This would also help you weed out companies that
do not suit your goals.
Update your LinkedIn profile, portfolio, and
website
Your online presence is the first part of your back-
ground that recruiters and hiring managers check.
Therefore, you need to polish your social media
profiles and other web profiles to create the best
first impression.
Practice interviewing — online and offline
Interviewing is an acquired skill. Even the most
common questions, like “Tell me about yourself”
could trip you up if you aren’t prepared.
It’s a good idea to have the answers ready to some
of the frequently asked questions at data science
interviews. Plus, virtual interviews on Zoom and
GoToMeeting are commonplace now, so you want
to ensure you have a strong internet connection
and the correct technical settings.
Continue your learning journey
Even after you land that perfect data science job,
your learning curve does not end. With newer, more
powerful technologies emerging every day, it’s
necessary to update your skills frequently. Once
you’ve entered a specific domain, you can also
become a subject matter expert and move into
management or strategic roles in your organiza-
tion.
14
Launch Your Data
Science Career
Springboard’s Data Science Career Track is a comprehensive bootcamp that is structured
to fit your life, so you can learn at your own pace. With a job guarantee and deferred
tuition, Springboard lets you focus on gaining all the requisite skills.

The curriculum is designed by data science experts. You’ll work with a one-on-one
mentor to learn about data science, data wrangling, machine learning, and Python—and
finish it all off with a portfolio-worthy capstone project.

Explore Springboard’s Data Science Career Track today to find out if you’re eligible.

Need More Prep for the Data Science

Career Track?
Springboard also offers a Data Science Career Track Prep that gives you the foundational knowledge you
need to qualify for the Data Science Career Track. Brush up on Python programming, statistics, and introduc-
tory data science concepts in this mentor-led course. In just 4-6 weeks, you’ll be ready to pass the Data
Science Career Track admissions skills survey. No prior coding experience required!