At a time when we are too familiar with the terms like demand and supply gap, there is a new type of gap/void coming into the picture in the 2020s. This particular term is skill gap or talent gap. This skill gap is being seen all around the globe in the data science field.
What exactly is the skill gap or talent gap?
The skill gap is a void between what a company/organization desires in their employees and what skills they really have to perform the tasks/projects. The skill gap in data science is not because there aren’t enough people to perform data analysis tasks but because they cannot fulfill the company’s needs while dealing with the projects.
Plenty of data professionals can deal with the data and analyze it. The real challenge comes in finding data professionals who can perform data collection, data processing, data analysis, and data visualization and can apply real-life applications to their data sets.
With such a scarcity of skilled data professionals, data-driven companies face a competitive disadvantage in the era of big data.
If you see the fact behind the world’s data, 90% of total data has been created in the past 2 years. Fundamental data analysis is no longer helpful in tackling this large amount of data. What companies need in their employees is that they must be curious to work with data, be visionary about the data, and can help them increase the company’s revenue with their skill set.
Skill Gap in Data Science
This skill gap in the data science field occurred 4-5 years ago when about 1.5 lacs positions in the data science field stayed unfilled. Due to the shortage of skilled data professionals, companies in the US started to find relevant skill sets in employees from other countries.
Due to the lack of practical expertise in working with data sets, data professionals from previous generations had to upskill themselves to secure their job. With the trend continuously changing and data constantly increasing, the demand for skilled professionals in data science is seeing an upward curve around the world’s companies in every domain.
With the changing demands of skill sets in organizations and comparatively lower supply of manpower with necessary skill sets, the demand & supply gap of skills in data science is getting bigger with each passing day.
After the shortage, many universities and institutes started offering data science programs to fulfill the market needs. Any university degree or program generally takes about 2-4 years to be completed, and there is still a wait of about 2 years for the first set of employees coming into the market with relevant skill sets.
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How to benefit from the skill gap in data science?
The best thing about data science is that it is open to everyone. Whether you’re from a tech or a non-tech background, you can get into data science and pursue your career as a data professional.
To become a data professional, two things are needed: Technical Knowledge & Domain Knowledge. You can learn data science tools & perform tasks & projects using your technical skills, but that is not enough in today’s perspective to become a successful data professional.
Companies now prefer candidates having knowledge of a particular domain. The reason behind that is every company is working in a definite niche, and they want their employees to understand their business perfectly.
Experienced working professionals from domains like healthcare, finance, banking, manufacturing, e-commerce, and more can now move to data science in the same field by learning technical skills. Technical skills needed to become a data professional are limited. These skills are Python programming, Python libraries for data analysis like NumPy and Pandas, Python data visualization libraries Matplotlib and Seaborn, big data analysis tools like Apache Spark, and business intelligence tools like Power BI or Tableau.
Candidates with these skills and practical knowledge of the projects can quickly move into data science and grab attractive salary packages.
We at Console Flare are contributing to closing the skill gap in data science by offering industry-based certification courses to tech & non-tech professionals. With a proven track record and curriculum needed to fulfill market needs, our data science programs are specially designed to make you ready for data science jobs within 6 months.
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