Have you noticed how some of your students are very engaged during maths classes? Are they finding themselves comfortable when solving logic problems? Do they seem eager to learn more about programming? Add to that their interest in data, and you might have a future data scientist in your classroom! Data scientists are people who analyse data and develop machine-learning-based algorithms. This profile implies having strong analytical skills. Find out more and scroll down to meet Flaminia Catalli, a data scientist!
Meet the professional
Flaminia Catalli holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics and a PhD in Geophysics. She has worked for almost ten years as a research seismologist in different European institutions. Four years ago, she decided to leave the academy, and currently, she is working at Ratepay as a data scientist.
“Today I understand how unprepared I was back then when a PhD seemed almost the only way to go and I did not know the true spectrum of job possibilities I could have had. This is perhaps the step I would change today: going back to that choice, I would try to make it with more awareness.”
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Skills
Data Analysis
This is the core job of a data scientist. It consists of modelling data with the goal of discovering useful information “We look for patterns in data.”
Problem-Solving
As a Data Scientist, you need to get used to facing daily problems. “We try to understand complex problems and solve them with a simple solution.”
Artificial Intelligence
One of the tasks of a Data Scientist is to develop machine-learning-based algorithms “We develop and implement machine-learning-based algorithms, which directly learn from data.”
Programming
“Our algorithms are coded and then go into production, becoming services. The whole infrastructure should be secure because we work with confidential data. Finally, data are administrated in databases.”
Social Skills
Soft skills are crucial for a Data Scientist since you work with many people and an understanding is essential. “It’s a very collaborative work, where relationships might be very intense and demanding.”
Openess towards Feedback and Criticsm
Accepting feedback and criticism is part of the job of a Data Scientist. “We present our solutions/products to stakeholders or product managers, and we write documentation. They constantly give us new targets for improvement.”
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Advice to take away
The study is as essential as experience in the field. Try to complement your studies with as many internships as possible. Those will help you decide what you really like to do.
Disclaimer
CC BY 4.0: all the materials and content presented on this STEM Job profile have been provided by STE(A)M IT, a project funded by the European Union’s ERASMUS+ programme project STE(A)M IT (Grant agreement 612845-EPP-1-2019-1- BE-EPPKA3-PI-FORWARD), coordinated by European Schoolnet (EUN).