The demand for data scientists has been growing steadily over the last few years. The BLS reports that the market for data scientists is projected to grow 35.2% between 2022 and 2032.
A growing number of factors are driving the demand for data scientists. One of the biggest reasons is that many companies are discovering the advantages of big data, since it clearly does a lot to improve their ROI. Here are some statistics about companies that use big data:
- They are 23 times more likely to outperform their competitors.
- They are 19 times more likely to stay profitable.
- They are seven times more likely to retain customers.
As these benefits become more clear, a growing number of companies are going to hire data scientists.
Unfortunately, there is a shortage of data scientists, because not enough people are going into the field. We have some articles on how to become a data scientist, but many people need to start developing the skills early on.
The good news is that there are a lot of hobbies that can help young future STEM employees develop the skills to be data scientists. Keep reading to learn more.
Certain Hobbies Can Help Future Data Scientists Develop the Skills They Need to Excel
In today’s fast-paced world, with a myriad of ways to become employed and even more ways to spend one’s free time, it can be hard to know what to do in life. The strange thing is that for as many options as people have nowadays for work, there are still a lot of people who are unhappy in their jobs. At the same time, in the job markets, even if there are plenty of jobs available to apply for, there is still a lot of competition to be had when looking for any job.
As such it is becoming increasingly important to continuously develop and enhance our professional skills to stay competitive in the job market. Surprisingly, one of the best ways to do this is to take a hobby or extracurricular activities and turn those skills into transferable knowledge for employment.
The following are some tech-related hobbies that are of value as transferable skills as a data scientist in the job market.
Coding
Coding is perhaps one of the most versatile and important tech-related skills that can be learned today. Being that so much of the technological world runs because of and based upon the coding that is created and generated means that there is a need for good coders in nearly every industry imaginable. Thus, that skillset is one that is currently in high demand across various industries and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
It does not matter if someone is a complete beginner or already has a bit of coding experience, spending time engaging in coding as a hobby can not only give someone a deeper understanding of how technology works, but what makes up the foundational principles of the many software systems that make up so much of the modern world.
There are plenty of platforms like Codecademy, FreeCodeCamp, and GitHub, each of which offer resources, courses and projects to assist in the learning and mastery of this new hobby. Adding such a skill set to a resume can only help someone looking for a job as a data scientist.
Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity-
The world runs now mostly digitally. While that is convenient and helpful in many ways, that technology can be and has been used for criminal activity more often than most people realize. With the increasing number of cyber threats and data breaches in industries like finance, engineering, and even several careers in healthcare, cyber threats far too often wreak havoc on unsuspecting citizens worldwide, the need for skilled professionals in ethical hacking and cybersecurity is growing, and is only expected to rise.
In fact, it is one of the fastest-growing fields. So, for anyone who has an interest in computers and has spent some time coding, taking that knowledge and leaning into the practical knowledge of ethical hacking and cyber security is a great way to turn a hobby into a new career path.
Graphic Design
Graphic design is a valuable skill to have in today’s visual-centric world. Where, for hundreds of years people had to become skilled artists to try and communicate with images and artwork, the advancements provided by modern technology have taken the collection of more traditional 2D art mediums and made things not only more accessible to learn but also enhanced the means and styles in which they can be created. Anyone who has an interest in art and also has the discipline to take a few organized classes or just sit and watch YouTube can quickly learn the basics.
Therefore, those who explore graphic design as a hobby can learn how to create visually appealing content. With time practice and the combination of understanding common design principles, developing their own style, and generating a portfolio will be able to market themselves.
There are plenty of affordable tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, and Figma which, with time and practice, can be unlocked to share creative ideas.
Video Editing and Production
Video production has become the new standard and common expectation amongst consumers and as a way to generate web traffic to attract new clientele. So much of the modern world economies are digitally based and the technology so advanced that heavier, more memory-dense forms of digital communication like photos and videos have now become easy to share and view.
What once may have been slow and hard to share are now easily transferable and shareable across platforms. Being that videos are naturally more engaging that a static photo, marketing firms and companies have learned the value of their production and strategic dissemination. With all that demand and technological availability, anyone who has the skill set required to make, edit, and produce video content will have plenty of work to do.
On top of those reasons, what once cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars in equipment fees have been made much more affordable and accessible to the general public which means that anyone with a cellphone can start learning how to make videos.