Careers with STEM: Data Science 2019

CAREERSwithSTEM

TERM 1, 2019

DATA SCIENCE 2.7

million data jobs coming in 2020! p3

Why startup Hyper Anna is siri-ously smart AI p7

DATA JOBS NEED YOU! CAREERSWITHSTEM.COM > R E TA I L <

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Work in social media, fashion, retail & more p4 Study tips from data science students p6 >FINANCE<

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More information requires more understanding.

The challenge of data driven decision-making demands new skills across computer science, statistics and social sciences.

The Bachelor of Applied Data Analytics degree has applications across business, finance and health through to national security.

See a world of possibility.

Bachelor of Applied Data Analytics ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science Enquire and apply at

cecs.anu.edu.au/study

CRICOS 00120C

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START YOUR CAREER HERE

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Bachelor of Applied Data Analytics, Australian National University: bit.ly/ANUBA Bachelor of Data Science and Decisions, UNSW: bit.ly/UNSWBachDataSciDecisions Bachelor of Information Technology (Data Infrastructure Engineering), TAFE NSW: bit.ly/TAFENSWBachIT

The data difference

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, to make businesses boom Big data has the potential rbon emissions – if only we prevent disease and cut ca to get the job done had enough data scientists billion

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ated there wil l be 24 y the year 2020, it’s estim d the world, producing smart devices used aroun 2 per person, per second.

1.7 megabytes of data – e te the world wil l produc Today, in just one minu ts, pos es, 3.3 mi llion Facebook 3.8 mi llion Google search eos3 .

500 hours of YouTube vid and ts pos ram tag Ins 972 65, h it? a… so what do we do wit That’s a whole lot of dat hin four wit en ldr chi ng ssi 3000 mi In India, police located col lected t tha ial recognition system days4 thanks to a new fac ages of faces. and analysed 45,000 im developing Massachuset ts, USA, is in y rsit Harvard Unive uakes t can detect deadly ear thq artificial intelligence tha the n tha times5 more reliabilit y and aftershocks wit h 17 standard seismograph. , London, titute of Cancer Research And scientists at the Ins a to predict 6 inburgh are using big dat and the Universit y of Ed terns in pat g patients by recognisin tumour growt h in cancer their genetic code.

data is everywhere and has the potential to revolutionise every industry. The only thing lacking are the actual data scientists

SHUTTERSTOCK

Data analyst: $49K–$98K Data scientist: $61K–$135K Data engineer: $58K–$125K *Source: salaries according to payscale.com

REFERENCES: 1. FUTURISM.COM 2. NODEGRAPH 3. ANALYTICS INSIGHT 4. THE VERGE 5. THE INDEPENDENT, UK 6. GIGABIT MAGAZINE 7. ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH UK

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Data isn’t just produced by social media or on you r smart phone. It’s everyw here, and it has the potent ial to revolutionise every ind ustry. The on ly thing lacking is the act ual dat a scientists to pu ll it off .

A report from PwC predic ts that by the year 2020, 2.7 mi llion new data and analy tics jobs wil l be created. However, it’s est imated that 40% to 60% of current data jobs aren’t even being filled.

Today’s data scientists are reaping the rewards of the shortfa ll, wit h gra duates able to expect starting salaries of $61,00 0+. And it on ly gets bet ter !

More experienced data scientists are taking hom e salaries up to $135,000 per year. Data analysts can pocket up to $98,000 per year, and data engineers are earning up to $125,0 00.

Feeling creative?

If you’re not fazed by the mind-boggling statistics in this article, then data science might just be the career for you. So what, beyond maths and code, do you need to brush up on to be a successfu l dat a scientist? Creative think ing and communication ski lls are vital for sifting through masses of data to discover meaning ful pat terns, and communic ate their significance effect ively.

You cou ld be working in business to analyse market trends and develo p the next hot tech craze.

Using satellite imagery to identify and combat the most harmf ul industry emissions contributing to climate change. Or even analysing the gameplay of mi llions of app users to identify early warning signs of dementia7.

Whatever avenue you cho ose, get ready to ma ke a big difference wit h big data. – Eliza Brockwell

DATA SCIENCE

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What do data scientists do?

There is currently a field-wide shortfa ll of up to 60%

re at numbers all day, Graduates are lining up to sta and we can totally see why

Crusin the socials for stats!

Jared Wong, data analyst at social tech company Digivizer Daily to-dos: “I build reports on real-time dashboards to help businesses see where their investment in digital marketing is succeeding. It’s a lot of extracting data, analysing trends, strategy meetings and presenting results!”

The fun stuff: “Basically my job is to read tweets, explore Instagram and watch YouTube! My friends are jealous.”

Making a difference: “Data experts take the guesswork out of making business decisions, so we’re in high demand!”

SASKIA HORGAN

The median sa la r y for data-based jobs is rising 4% a yea r DATA ON DATA JOBS

SASKIA HORGAN-CATCHPOLE / SHUTTERSTOCK

grocery guru! entist at retailer Coles Michelle Lugton, data sci to understand

stakeholders Daily to-dos: “Meeting with we s and brainstorming on how challenges for the busines s.” blem pro e solv to es techniqu can use machine-learning store a into k wal to ling fee g The fun stuff: “It’s an amazin ” project I’ve worked on! and see an initiative from a in alytics is a game-changer “An : Making a difference can and w their customers retail! Businesses who kno that are relevant to them are ts duc pro match them with panies who provide exactly more successful than com ers.” the same offers to all custom

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DATA ON DATA JOBS

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previously been ld-school data jobs have ices, tabs ful l of off ozy associated wit h sno numbers and not spreadsheets, too ma ny d to picture the har enough sun light, so it’s ed as, “Really crib des ng next gen of stats gigs bei and “Game-chang ing!”. hands on!” “Amazing!” ing panies have sta rted giv But as the coolest of com a can dat ts igh ins g stin boo props to the businessat col lecting and deliver, being awesome e the trending ski ll. tra nslating it has becom d them? Data scientists nee ies Why do compan the information needed provide companies wit h – more informed – er so they can ma ke smart y hunt dow n numbers business decisions! The predict trends and to uncover new insights, er behaviours. sum con x understand comple

Almost 3 million new jobs in data science are forecast by 2020 DATA ON DATA JOBS

shopping superhero!

Kshira Saagar, head of analytics and data science at e-retailer The Iconic Daily to-dos: “Sixty-two per cent of my time goes into solving business user problems, 23% into working with the team to unblock existing roadblocks and 15% into talking to the wider business about how we can make our customers’ lives better with data!”

The fun stuff: “People often assume that anyone heading a department would just be sending out a bunch of emails, but it’s actually really hands-on! There’s a lot of writing code, getting down and dirty with data and learning new techniques like a beginner every day!”

Making a difference: “One of the biggest levers businesses can use is data – on what customers want, do and say – so they can serve people better, faster and in a more seamless fashion.”

>DATA SCIENCE+ANU< What kind of places em ploy them? All kinds – yep, even the fun one s! Netfli x, Buzzfeed, Facebook, ASOS and Ap ple all employ data scientists to uncover the kinds of things that we wa nt to see/read/ buy. A data scientist might eve n be behind the decision to renew your favourite show for another season , those ads that keep popping up on your FB feed or the reason that the dress you love is now on sale!

Do you get paid much?

Yep, a lot. Graduates fresh from universit y can be paid up to the $100,000 range, wit h sea soned data scientists expecting closer to $150,0 00 and up.

Should you study? Data science is offered as a major at most universit ies wit hin other STEM (science, technolog y, eng ineering, maths) deg ree s.

Look at courses like a Bac helor of Science, Advanced Computing, or Engineering. Post-g rad master’s deg rees in data science specifical ly, are a great way to specia lise too! – Cassie Steel

it’s a small cohort so there’s lots of academic support” grace planting

Data science g igs pay three times the average Austra lian wage DATA ON DATA JOBS

ANU

Job search

e among Data science roles ar g jobs.

LinkedIn’s top emergin the kinds Here are just some of of positions going: #1 Software engineers

ree a unique ieddeDag ta Analytics the Bachelor of Appl ther three of at the anu draws toge nd work areas today’s most in-dema

#2 Statisticians analysts #3 Business intelligence gineers #4 Data infrastructure en alysts #5 Data scientists and an

bal ly – so t growing career area glo ata science is the fastes p students hel To up. p uggling to kee fast that education is str demands, e lac rkp wo ng ngi cha address develop the best ski lls to ped elo dev Universit y (AN U) has the Austra lian National Applied y deg ree: the Bachelor of nar ipli a unique interdisc Data Analy tics (BA DA). statistics disciplines (computing, BA DA draws three core to prepare al ide it g kin ma one deg ree, and social science) into a ana lytics. anyone for a career in dat dies r BA DA and Actua ria l Stu yea t firs Grace Pla nting, a rra nbe Ca to ast Co ld Go the ve from the student, made the big mo nd fou ’s She career in data ana lytics. king. to kick-star t her fut ure ma n isio dec en riv a-d nt intro to dat program to be an excelle small cohort, are great, and it’s a rea lly ers tur lec and ors “The tut ce says.

Gra t,” of academic suppor which means there’s lots for the jobs her e par pre l wil her deg ree Grace is confident that can go you ces rea lly wide scope of pla of the fut ure. “There’s a ries, from ust ind all to ree. It’s applicable wit h a data ana lytics deg develop ski lls cor porate business. You hea lth to env ironment and e too.” sid es puting and client ser vic to work in bot h the com g on severa l yin pla i, un at heaps of fun Meanwhile she’s hav ing student EM ST ns to join the Women in sporting teams, and pla here, but I ved mo I en n’t know anyone wh society next yea r. “I did feels like a big ckly,” she says. “Ca nberra made friends rea lly qui issa Fedunik universit y tow n!” – Lar

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anies hiring: And the types of comp ple, IBM, • I T corporates such as Ap Microsoft and Telstra anies like NAB, • F inancial service comp ANZ and ING d Accenture onsulting firms KPMG an •C , Coles etailers. Think: The Iconic •R and Amazon CSIRO ealth researchers like the •H ute tit and The Black Dog Ins ofits such • E nvironmental not-for-pr as Greenpeace and WWF

Australia is one of the top 10 employers of data scientists globally DATA ON DATA JOBS

To get there: bit.ly/ANUBADA 5

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See more about a degree at MQ: bit.ly/MQThisismyUniVid

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Career sorted!

Data science students Satw ik and Caitlin have their job options nailed by majoring in data science th rough Macquarie University’ s Bachelor of IT

Sat wik Chodisetti

Caitlin Apcar

the amount of data uch we have now is so mas more than there w o” even two years ag

ELIZA BROCKWELL

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rom the environment to gaming, data is everywhere and Satwik Chodisetti is learning to solve real-world problems with it.

Satwik, a student in the Macquarie University (MQ) Bachelor of IT (data science major), is excited to use his knowledge for good.

“I believe that by choosing this course I’ll be able to help with different aspects of the world’s problems,” he says.

Data scientists work in humanitarian aid, telecommunications, finance, and many other industries. They find patterns and predict trends to help people understand issues and make better decisions.

Because the profession uses a mix of skills from IT, maths and statistics, the MQ course covers aspects of all of these disciplines.

Satwik has just completed his second year.

So far, he has studied database systems, programmed with Java and Python, and

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learned statistical techniques and coding, using real data sets to tackle specific challenges.

A course highlight was analysing data from one of his favourite games. Using various maps, he was able to pinpoint the most action-packed locations and gain a better understanding of the game world’s layout.

COMBINE DATA SCIENCE + YOUR PASSIONS

Data science majors have many career options. As well as data scientists, they have the knowledge to become data solutions managers, or analysts in areas such as market intelligence, information systems and business.

Caitlin Apcar is another Bachelor of IT student who is combining her love of arts with data science units.

“Macquarie allows you to study elective units outside your faculty. I’ve taken Japanese and psychology, so I won’t be a data scientist who only knows data science when I graduate!”

Caitlin says she assumed that once she graduated, she would work in a bank, or for an IT company, but she soon found that every business has data that needs to be analysed.

“I could end up working for a fashion brand or a zoo! The amount of data we have now is so much more than there was even two years ago. It’s always changing and always evolving which means I’ll always have a job.”

The MQ course also partners with industry to give students experience in a capstone project during their final year. Satwik has already connected with a data scientist who works in the environmental sector.

“I think that’s a very big part – getting connected to people who know what they’re doing, so you know how to proceed,” he says.

According to Satwik, it’s important not to pursue data science because it’s a buzz word right now. He says go for it if you like seeing patterns in numbers and, “Enjoy what you do.”

– Nadine Cranenburgh and Eliza Brockwell

To get there: bit.ly/MQUniversity 6

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The solver

s any startup Hyper Anna, reckon s tic aly an at t tis ien sc ta da Dr Christine Seeliger, adept data scientist an be uld co r lve so lem ob pr natural-born

Civil Engineer, South Australia Water

Data Scientist, Hyper Anna Graduate Diploma of Data Science, Monash University

PhD in Systems Biology, University of Cambridge

rch Bioinformatics Resea titute Officer, Garvan Ins of Medical Research

Data Scientist, Hyper Anna

earch, blem is. Talk to people, res “First identify what the pro can do you work towards that goal.” If figure out nex t steps, and eers. car IT of ty in good stead for plen that, says Christine, you’re lyse ana and s, and test hypothese Christine learned to create rted with science, but biology. She sta a dat g dyin data sets not by stu lar biology nce and a diploma in molecu a degree in computer scie versity of systems biology at the Uni before completing a PhD in es and how uld teach you methodologi Cambridge. “Studying sho more areas ’ll be equipped to work in to solve problems, then you ,” she says. than just what you studied skillset. e is constantly evolving her Even at Hyper Anna, Christin dually gra has and , acing consultant role She started out in a client-f ply sim – g nin lear e king in machin transferred her skills to wor that needed solving. s blem pro by picking up new of learning,” she says. “It’s one “I’m moving along, I’m still ell ckw Bro a Eliz – .” ure rtup cult the great benefits of a sta

Data Scientist, Hyper Anna

Bachelor of Civil & Structural Engineering, University of Adelaide

Actuarial Analyst, Rice Warner

Dr Christine Seeliger

e Seeliger t data scientist Dr Christin roblem solving is a skill tha sans h atc cook a meal from scr has in spades. She can also ’re all you kon hout a pat tern. Rec recipe and knit a jumper wit t. ntis scie a dat You might be a future over that kinda thing, too? sing ces pro ge gua lan l scenes in natura Christine works behind the nce llige inte l ficia arti t produces an at Hyper Anna; a startup tha ers h Hyper Anna, business own Wit cs. lyti ana ss tool for busine site web my ted visi rs use ny ma as “How can type in a query, such der -un stand vers the goods with easy-to this month?” and Anna deli is one s up with innovative solution visuals and charts. Coming s on the daily. of the top skills Christine use rs that had is questions from use ve we’ s “One of the problem would na “An e. istin a sets,” says Chr were not directly in our dat Hyper the So, ” ry.’ sor tand you, I’m respond with ‘I don’t unders for look ld wou t tha tem sys gestions Anna team developed a sug . ults res the n ade ry to bro synonyms of the search que

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Patrick Taylor

Bachelor of Science (Adv. Mathematics), USyd

Shane Zhong

Flip for Ca reSecrs with STEM: ience

Meet Shane: bit.ly/CwSDataShaneZ and Patrick: bit.ly/CwSDataPatrickT

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