The Job Market: Hot Prospects

Among the Hottest Jobs

In October 2012, a Harvard Business Review headline proclaimed data scientist “the sexiest job of the 21st century.” More recently, in 2016 and 2017, data scientist ranked at the top of Glassdoor’s list of 50 best jobs. Three-other data-related positions—data engineer, analytics manager, and database administrator—earned a place in Glassdoor’s top 10 for 2017.

“There has never been a better time to get into the field of data analytics,” Dr. Nenad Jukic says. “If you earn a master’s degree in data analytics, you’ll have no trouble finding a job. The dilemma will be deciding which job to take and what types of projects most interest you.”

...In 2016 and 2017, data scientist ranked at the top of Glassdoor’s list of 50 best jobs.

Data analytics programs attract students and professionals with the broadest range of interests—from education and the arts to healthcare, finance, agriculture, energy, real estate, retail, and more. Despite their differences, these students tend to have some common traits: • They are comfortable with math. • They favor evidence-based decision-making over gut instinct. • They take great satisfaction in solving problems.

Carrie Rider is a case in point. After earning a bachelor’s degree with a double-major in math and statistics and social sciences, she decided to pursue a master’s in data analytics. A career fair in fall 2015 led to an interview and job offer. Rider completed her degree in May 2016 secure in the knowledge that, one month after graduation, she would join the Rome, N.Y. , office of Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) as a data scientist. A global company, Booz Allen helps clients solve the most difficult management and technology problems through a combination of consulting, analytics, digital solutions, engineering, and cyber expertise.

Rider is part of a research and development team involved in creating customized software for a government project. Her role is to extract unstructured data and convert the extracted information so it can be analyzed and used by other applications.

“I like to solve puzzles, so I prefer the ETL (extract, transform, load) aspect of data science,” she says. “I know where we want to end up. My job is to figure out how to get there—how to set up the databases so the actual discovery can begin.”

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“My Clarkson degree definitely prepared me and helped open the door to opportunities. My employer is familiar with Clarkson’s reputation and taps a lot of Clarkson talent.”

— Carrie Rider ’16, MS in Data Analytics, Clarkson University Da ta Scientist, Booz Allen Hamilton