Life during and after COVID will be relatively similar. During times like these, technology like the internet and telecom have been the only source of working, communication, socializing, education, banking, shopping, entertainment, and everything else. With everything happening online, there is tons of data that is produced on the daily basis. That is why, post-COVID, a career in the field of data science will be the most sought after.
Most of the big companies are already using data for identifying customer buying patterns and leveraging huge datasets from multiple sources to improve their growth. Because of the pandemic, the need for making smart business decisions has increased and the management needs to rely on data to make insightful decisions.
The industry will need skilled resources who can gather data and create database management solutions that support the organization. Here are the popular verticals for a career in data science:
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Human Resources and Education
Major corporation Tata plans to have 75% of its employees work from home by 2022. There are other conglomerates with the same plan which means that managing the performance, security, and productivity of the employees will be changed. Companies will have to create HR policies in a way that supports this new form of working. They will need skilled data scientists to make this possible.
The traditional form of education might also be superseded by the technology-driven platforms. Schools had to shift to digital platforms to continue education during the lockdown. Some of them might want to continue this in the long term. Data science professionals will need to study data for understanding how students learn and develop progressively to help them teach better.
In both the segments, the market reach and scope of data science is huge.
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Marketing
Digital marketing has seen exponential growth in the past couple of years. Post-COVID, this is only going to increase. Digital marketing helps in defining communication strategies that focus on acquiring and retaining customers through different programs like releasing loyalty. Machine Learning will play a crucial role in understanding the behaviour of the customer and make the product successful.
An example of this is the food delivery apps that have leveraged concepts from AI and ML to recommend you the best restaurants. After COVID, the customer behaviour might change or not. Regardless of the situation, there will be a need for data science professionals who can build intelligent systems by gathering more data and putting the data into action. So, companies that have not yet adopted digital marketing strategies will have to prioritize and accelerate their investments in this area.
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Security
The Security Industry, whether it is for a residential area, workplace, government sector, policing, or restaurant is an industry that will rely heavily on data science post-COVID. For instance, a mandatory rule in this period is to maintain distance, wear masks, and capture COVID symptoms like cough and fever. In order to enforce this, the security team needs to ensure that everyone is following the rule, identifying the people with symptoms, and tracing the contacts. Many companies have already initiated this solution. AI is being used for detecting people who are not wearing a mask in public spaces, littering in public areas, and not maintaining social distances. Data Science professionals might be hired for building a deep learning platform that alerts the authorities about this.
Other examples of data science being used in the field of security include drones used for collecting data and monitoring and driverless cars used for delivering essentials and collecting data by leveraging cameras and sensors on the roof. This is based on data and the technology used for building these systems is AI that requires data science professionals.
Apart from the ones mentioned above, there are several other sectors that will need data science professionals. However, this is not the only change a post COVID world will see. Data scientists will have to undergo a different journey to become a professional. Here are a few of such major changes:
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Increased competition
Now that virtual hiring and remote working are in place, businesses won’t be just hiring talents from their geographical region. So, data scientists, especially freshers, will have to face some serious competition. However, this will also increase opportunities as they will be able to work outside their country and gain a better salary. So, they must prepare themselves with appropriate skill sets.
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Isolated learning process
When it comes to a career in data science, upskilling is a continuous journey. Now that pandemic has disrupted the way businesses work, companies want professionals who have advanced skill sets. So, upskilling has become more important than ever. Before COVID, organizations would often organize training sessions and in-person workshops for their employees. And even though they might continue to do the same post COVID, chances are that they will be online. Young data scientists will have to rely on online courses to learn the skills they need to make it in the field of data science. This will impede their learning process as they won’t be able to communicate with other teammates.
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Difficulty in collaboration
An important aspect of data science is solving business problems that require team collaboration. This not only enhances business operations and leads to better products, but also helps the management make better decisions. It is especially important for freshers who have just joined the company. But now that the employees are working from home, online collaboration is the only way to go. It is filled with many challenges. Apart from the significant communication gap, online collaboration might decrease the efficiency and productivity of data scientists.
So, even though there are some challenges, the career in data science post-COVID is bright and full of opportunities. All you need to do is upskill yourself. For this, you can enroll yourself in a data science course in Mumbai that will help you acquire the required skills without leaving the comfort and safety of your home.
