Will the need for data scientists change America’s educational model?
In a discussion last month on RetailWire, Nikki Baird of RSR Research wrote that finding a data scientist was akin to finding unicorns and dragons in retail enterprises. There is no doubt that the explosion of big data has created a real need for numbers gurus who can make sense of key points and communicate insights to the rest of the business organization.
So what skills does it take to become a data scientist and where do companies find the people that have them?
According to a recent article on the Pacific Standard website, companies have gone in search of individuals holding advance degrees in the past. Today, however, becoming a data scientist requires basic math skills and a computer connected to the internet. "Becoming a data scientist," according to the article, "is perhaps the most prominent example of a new industry that breaks from the higher education model and allows people to learn the necessary skills without years of classes."
The Pacific Standard article profiles three data scientists who took statistics in school, but otherwise are largely self-taught. Brian Burke, a former Navy fight pilot and military contractor, founded Advanced NFL Stats. Charles Pensig is a senior data analyst at Jawbone, the wearable tech and audio device company. Carl Bialik, is lead news writer at Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight. None of the three suggested that the higher educational model is the means to becoming a data scientist.
"There is a treasure trove of information available on the Web, most of which is far more gentle, user-friendly, and effective than a grad school course," Mr. Burke told Pacific Standard. "Free courses on Coursera or similar sites can be really great sources."
- Where have all the retail data scientists gone? – RetailWire
- You, Yes You, Can Analyze Data, Too – Pacific Standard
Do you agree that people can be taught how to be data scientists without years spent pursuing advanced degrees? Will the need for data scientists help to spur changes in America’s colleges and universities?
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16 Comments on "Will the need for data scientists change America’s educational model?"
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I hear this same challenge when I attend events and speak with retailers. At a recent event, an exec from Gilt Groupe mentioned their talented data scientists and I asked if he could let other retailers know where to find good data scientists — and he basically said “No.”
I do think colleges and universities need to step it up when it comes to this expertise. It’s a great opportunity for young people looking for a potentially lucrative career.
Yes, you can learn what you need without pursuing an advanced degree, but you still need the knowledge you would get from an advanced degree. I’m guessing your knowledge search would be more focused — you could avoid the theoretical stat courses I had to take. Just learning stats, however, does not a data scientist make — business knowledge and presentation skills are just as important.
I’m always looking for gifted programmers and systems engineers for a software venture and have actually been advised against hiring people with advanced degrees, especially PhDs.! That’s one of those unfair judgements with just an element of truth.
Personally, I have a genetic aversion to anything even resembling a spread sheet. But just this morning I watched a Business Insider video on how to use an Excel trick to make practical sense of data. Very cool stuff indeed. Chances are a retail shop already has a very bright 20 something employee who could do data analysis in heart beat. Here’s the link to the video.
Those years spent pursuing advanced degrees do more than just give the scientists an education. They provide networking opportunities, chances to succeed (and fail) on many projects and perhaps most important experience with technology solutions. While some individuals may not need the structure or even the curriculum of an advanced degree, namely stat prodigies and math geeks, there really isn’t a substitute for education.
On the second question, these changes are already happening. The notoriety and success of stat/data whizzes like Nate Silver, as well as forces in the marketplace, has pushed academia to offer new courses and even full degrees in data and predictive analytics.
I can only draw conclusions here from personal experience: My son is a data analyst by trade, not because he intended to specialize in the field, but because his first employer (where he began as a software developer five years ago) recognized his aptitude. It helped, of course, that he was a math and computer science major who took a statistics class, so he — like many others in the field — would naturally be drawn to data analytics.
It’s a small sample size, but companies needing to build their data analysis teams (with growing management of “big data” to predict behavior and outcomes) should identify those with an innate interest and skill set, not just those who have sought out advanced degrees. At the same time, the field of data analytics is growing so fast that colleges with “applied math” specialties ought to provide more training for undergrads heading into the workforce.
Retailers probably just aren’t looking in the right places for people with these skill sets. They are definitely out there — a friend of mine has a Ph.D. in cognitive psych and works as a data scientist for a large national retailer. I don’t know if there is really a need for specific data science programs when it is already a major component of existing academic and scientific disciplines. The talent is out there; companies just need to get more imaginative and flexible with their recruiting (not to mention being willing to offer competitive compensation).
Yes. However, we shouldn’t discount the advantage that an advanced degree offers, including learning from the mistakes and experiences of others (often first-hand), being taught differing perspectives on the same process or procedure, discovering new perspectives which are not widely available, etc. Combine all of this with peripheral courses which may compliment analyzing data, and you have the basis for an advanced degreed platform at a university.
We (colleges and universities) must do a better job preparing students for the big data/analytics world. Every business discipline and every company must deal with a growing volume, velocity, and variety of data.
In response to this need, we started requiring 6 hours of business analytics for all business students (at Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business) a couple of years ago. Starting last year, we now offer an undergraduate major in business analytics, a business minor in BA, and an MBA concentration in BA. Should the need for data scientists spur changes in America’s colleges and universities? We certainly believe it should.
As someone who built a data science team, I know the challenges of finding good people. The problem with universities is that a lot of them do not know what makes a good data scientist for industry. So they create programs they want to teach, not really what we want to hire.
I have found that in a lot of cases, the skills do exist to some degree with people already in the workforce. What we did was train up analysts in the areas they were short in. We didn’t need to send them in for a degree, just a few classes to improve their skills. It saved us time and money.
Also, the role of a data scientist 4 years from now will probably be very different than today. So anyone going to school to get a degree may find that the world changed on them while they were in school.
Data scientists can be taught, just as can dragons and unicorns, with years spent pursuing advanced degrees. However, time spent in college has many other advantages as pointed out by Ron above.
As – or if – the need for more data scientists arises, colleges, retailers and industry experts will all spur changes in their specific environments. Like so many examples of accomplishments in history, this challenge too shall pass.
Okay, I can answer this one. You see, I am one of those folks who just loves data! Had there been a job for data scientists back when I was in school, I would have been first in line. I did look at actuarial jobs back in the day and that was pretty close.
Does it require an advanced degree? Absolutely NOT! Excuse me for saying this but the fancy-pants data people with the big degrees are too textbook to be any real value for what we in retail need. There, the truth is out!
What it takes is someone with a real love and understanding of the nuances of data, but you don’t stop there. The other critical piece is having the master insight person right beside that data scientist to bring wisdom to the process. The success of the team will lie in the give and take between those parties.
If you don’t believe me, read Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink.”
And that’s my 2 cents….
There’ s truth in all the answers above. Yes, I believe that people can be data scientists without years spent pursuing advanced degrees. Yes, the need for data scientists will probably spur changes in America’s colleges and universities. Formal education does not an expert make, but it will help.
As many of the respondents suggested, the best data scientist will have a combination of skills plus experience, plus interest, plus networking, plus objectivity, plus ability to communicate, etc. The coming generations who grew up with a computer in their hands (actually, starting with computers in their cribs, nay, computers in their mother’s tummies before they were born) will have ample basic skills to start in the directions needed, tempered by a lot of experience and knowledge. Just having the capability won’t count for much if it can’t be applied and used practically.