What Really is Data Science? Read this article as Data Scientist Kai Jie Shares Why You Should Pursue a Career in this Field

The world is filled with a huge amount of data. In the past, data wasn't seen as something that was valuable. However in today’s world, data is everything. Data is used to make important decisions across all industries which is why every company in the near future is projected to have a data department of their own.

You may wonder, what does one do with the data and how is it even useful? The data is used for various purposes. For example, when we are downloading apps, we agree to terms and conditions where our data is collected with our consent. The data is used by the company to improve customer experience and refine marketing strategies. This is an example of how businesses use data mostly to their own advantage.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that there is a shortage of graduates from the data science field in Malaysia.

So, do you want to explore what Data Science is all about? Read this article as we address common misconceptions about data science and share with you some interesting insights by our Malaysian Data Scientist, Kai Jie Lim, who is currently working at Celcom Axiata, a renowned and a highly regarded mobile telecommunication provider in Malaysia. 

#1. Data science graduates are not in demand in Malaysia

Data science is a new term which was first introduced only in 2001. This explains why some Gen Z may or may not be familiar with this term. Even though not many have a full understanding of what data science encompasses, data science professionals remain to be highly in demand in Malaysia.

Only during Kai Jie’s university days where he was enrolled in a Computer Science programme, he learned about the fundamentals of machine learning while completing his final year project on the topic of image classification. This has opened his eyes to the impact of machine learning and how it will transform every walk of life in our world.

While many may think that this profession is only highly valued and recognized in countries like the United States, this is not the case. Malaysia is in dire need of data science professionals and clearly, one of the reasons is because school leavers are unaware of this profession and its demands. HRDF reported that there should be at least 20,000 data professionals and 2,000 data scientists by 2020, however it's already 2021 and there are only over 14,000 data professionals. Malaysia also requires another 12,000 Big Data experts. This is the primary reason why Malaysia has started to hire data science professionals from the United States.

#2. Data science professionals require excellent computing skills

By definition, data science means having computing and statistical skills. Over decades, the term evolved and now there are other important skills one need to possess in order to be a high quality data science graduate. What are the skills needed?

To see this from the perspective of a data scientist, Kai Jie shares that some of the most essential skills in data science include being a good storyteller with a deep understanding of machine learning and statistics. You need to be able to present the data insights with a good storyline in order to get the message across the audience. Your biggest challenge would be having to explain in a simple way without the complexity of technical jargon.

Likewise, Kai Jie’s advises aspiring data scientist to always keep a creative mind when working on any problems. “Sometimes you have to take a step back and rethink on your approach when things aren’t working out”.

From here, we can conclude that apart from technical skills like machine learning, statistics and computing skills, you also need domain knowledge, communication skills as well as problem solving skills.

#3. With a data science degree, you can only become a data scientist

Furthering your studies in the data science field does not necessarily require you to be a data scientist. You can also be a data analyst or a data engineer depending on your interests and strengths. The terms are used interchangeably even by hiring companies but the roles and job scopes are distinguished.

As Kai Jie says “To put it simply, data analysts and data scientists work on the data built by data engineers. Data engineer gathers data from multiple sources and performs ETL (extract, load, transform) before storing them into a database. If you have solid knowledge of database design and management, you can consider the role of a data engineer. On the other hand, if you are analytical and have a good understanding of statistics, data analyst and data scientist are suitable for you”.

This goes to say that being a data science graduate opens up numerous pathways to a dynamic career. If this has sparked your interest to discover more about the data science field but you are unsure of where to begin, your starting point should be solely based on your strength. Data visualization and machine learning is often a good start as it is less complex but extremely essential.

In sum, there are multiple ways one can venture into this field. In order to be in the data science field, you don't have to necessarily enrol yourself in a data science programme or get a specific data science degree. Although it is one of the most direct options available, there are other ways you can get into this field and that is by enrolling yourself in various other courses like computer science and software engineering. We hope that this article has helped you gain some insights on data science and why it is worth pursuing.

If you are interested in applying to a private university but unsure of which private university is best suited for the course you want to pursue, you can browse through a list of top private universities in Malaysia here. Some of the best private institutions offering students with top notch educational programmes from a spectrum of fields include MMU, Medic ED, ADMAL, TAR UC, INTEC, KYUEM, MSU, Imperium International College, Limkokwing and IUKL.

You can also schedule a personalized 20 minutes FREE counselling with our expert counsellors. Finally, we hope that this article will to some extent help you in making the right decision for your future. Do your best and we wish you good luck! 

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