How do I prepare myself for a Data Science Career during this Covid-19 lockdown?

Everything was going so well…you have this perfectly suiting White-Collar job showing you promising growth opportunities. And all of a sudden, Covid-19 emerged, and came the lockdown days. While this virus battle rages, we are forced to stay inside with extended work from homes option.

Now, our world has come to a standstill position as we wait for the COVID storm to pass by. But this does not mean that we need to sit idle.

Though you anticipate for the certain times of going back to regular work to emerge, it is essential for you to figure out a change in your career and have to make some important choices by looking at things differently.

When there is a big wave of change in our lives and is our job too because close to half of the job seekers have started taking up online courses to enhance their skills for better career opportunities. And, this is obvious as per survey conducted by Naukri, “50% job seekers enhancing skills in lockdown”.

The survey also revealed that 22% of job seekers have chosen Data science and analytics courses to up-skill themselves. Further, when analyzed, it is not the fear of job loss or salary cut which is driving them for a job change instead what was revealed that 70 percent of job seekers are looking for new jobs in order to enjoy better career opportunities and especially, their choice is “Data Science”.

Why should I upskill myself???

Think of any seasonal business, where the business runs really profitable for the season and once the season is over there will be no business. It doesn’t mean, the businessmen dealing with these kinds of business never hunker down for the rest of the season instead they look for different business opportunities. Am I right?

Today, Businesses are facing heavy losses and trying to cut manpower. Yes, many employers are forced to lay off their employees. In this situation, it is essential for each of us to take advantage of the time we get to equip our skills in the most in-demand field.

When I talk about the most in-demand field, the first thing that comes to your mind is Data Science. Of Course, with no doubt, the current wave is high towards Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning.

Why Data Science has to be my first career choice???

Data Science has been the revolutionary tech of the 21st century. It is the study of data that involves many series of processes such as extracting, analyzing, visualizing, managing, and storing data to create insights. The dwelled insights help the companies to make data-driven decisions and boost their productivity as well as profit.

Especially, at the current scenario of the rapid spread of COVID-19 Data scientists have teamed up with medical experts to make contact tracing even more efficient. In fact, we could see that the traditional methods of contact tracing used in public health are not fast enough to effectively slow down the spread of COVID-19.

It is not only for the contact tracing but also Data Scientists are using machine learning models to find expedited methods to find interventions that work for coronavirus patients.

Furthermore, Data Science is not a constraint to one industry and is offering a range of new roles and skillsets that are in demand.

It’s time to hone your skills to make your CV stand out to recruiters.

How to utilize this time to sharpen your Data Science skills?

For better or worse, you may have loads of free time now. Leverage the lockdown time to tighten up your skills without breaking much of your bank.

We understand that looking at something pretty new would definitely make you tremble. It includes a very tough process of learning about the niche and the world of work you land into. Don’t navigate the rough waters all by yourself, we are here to guide you with the step by step process of how to get started with the Data Science career.

Step #1: Start your research about Data Science and learn everything about it:

Your journey of Data Science discovery starts with initial searches of “What is Data Science?” on google, then it proceeds on.

You might start searching for, what are the basic knowledge or skills needed to be a Data Scientists? what are the types of jobs available? Why Data Science is so popular? How to Become a Data Science? What are the free resources available to equip with Data Science knowledge? Will Data Science be a long-lasting career? Is statistics or Math knowledge is really required for Data Science jobs? Does coding knowledge is needed for Data Science? and many more.

Yes, please go ahead start your research and browse for Articles which helps you to understand all the basics of a Data Science and what are the skills needed to become one.

Step #2: Get Career advice from industry experts:

When it comes to choosing a new career, you could use all the advice that you get. Isn’t it?? Right from judging whether the Data Science career works better for you to actually excelling in it, there’s certainly a lot to learn. There are lots of uncertainty and doubts that come when you try to kick start an entirely new career, navigate your career from perspectives of industry experts can set you up for success.

There are many Career counselling services available at free of cost, they can help you by answering all of your doubts. Additionally, they help you with the needed skills and the courses that you need to pick in order to kick start your Data Science career.

Step #3: Look out for free or budget-friendly Data Science courses:

Starting a new career looks exciting but don’t jump into enrolling yourself in high paying courses. It is always better to start with low investing courses.

Look for free Data Science foundation courses and start taking up those courses to understand the basics of Data Science. If you feel interested and want to proceed further, try from some budget-friendly courses.

With the Lockdown into effect, many training institutes have slashed the prices of their online courses. In fact, there are many short-term courses available for one day or two. Try to research about these courses, and enrol yourself in any one of the courses and see how it helps you.

Step # 4: Choose the right institute for a data science course

Choosing a quality and highly reputable institute for starting your data science career is most important. Remember, the complexity of data science demands you to demonstrate the most relevant skills and experience in this industry. So, your course should come with exposure to live projects and in-depth knowledge in your niche. Proactively upskilling and extending your experience in Data Science will reward you with a lucrative and fulfilling career. But for that, it is essential to choose the high-quality learning provider who could mould you into a successful Data Scientists.

Whether you are tired of your current monotonous work or just want something different, an organized approach will serve you well. Follow the above steps and make a strong first step in your Data Science career.

Why DataMites®?

DataMites®, accredited by the International Association of Business Analytics Certifications (IABAC) is offering many future-ready Data Science programs designed by industry experts. For those who have no idea of where to start, we do offer Data Science basic courses at just 99 rupees only. Further, we do offer free career counselling on Data Science by renowned Dr. Ashok Veda, MBA., Ph.D. Scholar.

Don’t keep your fingers crossed and count on your working days with a fear of our name to be added to the layoff list. Instead, upskill yourself with all the essential training needed and polish your resume to start your job search in the Data Science field.