Career Opportunities With a Degree in Data Science

Data science is the process of using scientific methods and systems to extract key information from various forms of data. Data science is one of the most sought-after fields in the United Kingdom, meaning this is a perfect time for budding data scientists to enter the industry.

To ensure the best possible start in a sector as complex and competitive as this, first, candidates must ensure they’re fully equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills – both of which can come most effectively from data science university courses. Once you’ve secured your undergraduate degree, you could consider building upon your skills by gaining a postgraduate diploma in data science.

You’ll be demonstrating a willingness to go above and beyond by choosing to further your education, which is something that should impress prospective employers. In addition, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the industry and exactly what’s necessary to produce fantastic results. In theory, this should give you an edge over other candidates applying for the same job roles.

But what job roles are out there? Here we explore the top available opportunities in the world of data science.

Data scientist

Of course, with a degree in data science, you could become a data scientist. In this role, you’ll be expected to collect and analyse large quantities of data with the aim of using your findings to improve business performance.

While each specific process will be dependent on the business you’re delving into, you’ll be able to draw upon the knowledge and skills accumulated during your university studies to carry out the best possible job. Technical skills you’ll need a firm grasp on include data visualisation, statistical analysis, and mathematics.

How much could I earn? 

The entry salary for this job role can be anywhere between £25,000 and £30,000 per annum, which is a fantastic place to start! You can expect £40,000 to £60,000 per year once more experience has been gained, and anything upwards of £60,000 once you reach lead/chief data scientist status.

Data Engineer

As a data engineer, your responsibilities will include designing and building systems that can effectively store, manage, and convert data sets. The work you produce should be at a standard strong enough for data scientists and analysts to interpret this data and use their findings to create or improve a business plan.

In this job role, you’ll lean heavily on your knowledge of operating systems as well as have a basic understanding of machine learning. In addition, you’ll need to be confident in your communication and critical thinking skills.

How much could I earn? 

The average yearly salary for someone in this job role is around £50,000, depending on your location, experience, and sector. A data engineer on the lower end of the scale could expect at least £31,000 per year, and those at the peak of their career could achieve up to £80,000 per year.

Data analytics manager

If you’d like to go down the route of data analytics and become a data analytics manager, you’ll need strong team leadership, management, and critical thinking skills on top of your data visualisation and programming language skills. 

Your job will be to coordinate your team and their tasks to carry out a successful data project. Within this, you could be responsible for researching and creating the best methods to collect data, as well as analysing important information. 

How much could I earn?

In the United Kingdom, the average base pay for a data analytics manager is £58,000 per year. At the very least, you can expect £40,000 per year, and at the most, £80,000 per year. Again, this will depend on your specific circumstances, but this should give you a rough idea of what you could look forward to if you enter this career.

Machine learning scientist

To be a successful machine learning scientist, you must be certain of your capabilities in researching complex algorithms and building models to assist machine learning engineers. Similarly to a data scientist, you will need to carry out some data analytics to aid your projects, verify data quality, and pick suitable data sets.

Skills you’ll need to utilise may include data modelling and evaluation, applied mathematics, computer science fundamentals and programming. If this sounds like the right job role for you, it’s important you prioritise the development of these skills. 

How much could I earn? 

Based on 1,260 salaries, Talent.com found that the average yearly salary of a machine learning scientist is £57,733. At the higher end of the scale sits a figure of £80,000 per year, which you could be awarded after dedicating many years to the subject. Entry-level positions start at £42,092. That’s not a bad place to start your career in data science!

An exciting, rewarding career awaits you 

If you’re willing to put in the work at the education level – first securing your undergraduate degree and then postgraduate – you should receive the best opportunities in terms of a relevant career. There’s so much demand for data scientists, which is likely to increase even further as the world moves closer to digitalisation. 

Studying for a data science degree will improve your employment opportunities and create many different career paths. The hard work now will indeed pay off. We wish you the very best of luck in your studies and your future career!