The appealing possibilities of data science and its high earning potential attract thousands of people every day. The first prerequisite is a compelling portfolio showcasing your skills, background, and ability to create high-caliber data science projects. You can also mention your credentials to show that you have invested time, money, and effort to advance your skills and earn a higher certification as a data scientist.

The job prospects for data scientists are excellent. The US Bureau of Labour Statistics predicts that the number of jobs for data scientists will grow 22% from 2020 to 2024, which is much faster than the average for all jobs in the field of data analytics.

Let us examine 3 internationally recognized data science programs that can improve your qualifications and skill set.

What is the Role of a Data Scientist?

A specialist in data analysis who utilizes data to solve issues and forecast outcomes is known as a data scientist. They derive insights from data that would otherwise remain hidden by applying their applied data science abilities, which include statistics, data visualization, mathematics, programming, data manipulation, predictive modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning. Although it is possible to enter the industry without completing formal education, experience might make a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science less necessary. Most data scientists hold one of these degrees. This is something that many prospective employers will consider when hiring data science experts.

There are several everyday tasks that a qualified data scientist must complete:

1. Collects data: Applying a tried-and-true data science approach to acquire information from various sources, including surveys, consumer interactions, and social media.

2. Prepares and cleans data: This entails cleansing the data of mistakes and inconsistencies. This stage is crucial since it may impact the data analysis’s accuracy.

3. Data analysis: Finding patterns and relationships in data involves applying statistical tools, known as data analytics. There are many ways to analyze exploratory data, including using machine learning, clustering, and regression analysis. One of the most crucial data science skills you’ll need to master before entering the industry is data analytics.

Are Certifications in Data Science Worthwhile?

The value of a data science certification depends on your experience and degree. There are courses for beginners, people with some data science knowledge, and those with university-level education. The difficulty level of each certification program varies.

If you’re interested in a particular area of data science but lack expertise or background in it, like computer programming or machine learning, completing specialized certification courses can help you expand your knowledge.

You can also use certifications to make your portfolio stronger. Certificates not only show that you have a particular set of skills, but they can also show that you have completed reputed projects before.

Top Data Science Certifications to Pursue 

1. SAS Certified Data Scientist

The SAS Certified Data Scientist credential offers higher recognition to individuals who want to prove that they can manage large amounts of data by utilizing open-source software and SAS Data Management. This certification is ideal for anyone who wishes to take in extensive data and apply business recommendations using complex machine-learning algorithms.

Applicants to this program must complete three separate certification requirements, which entail passing three exams:

• The Professional Data Curation exam
• The Advanced Analytics exam
• The AI & Machine Learning exam

The cost of each Associate Examination is $120. The Predictive Modeller exam has a $250 registration fee. Each additional exam is $180.

2. Certified Data Science Professional (CDSP™): USDSI®

The Certified Data Science Professional (CDSP™) program from the United States Data Science Institute (USDSI®), an accredited member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence and ANSI. CDSP™ is one of the best data science certifications for aspirants who are just beginning in data science.

A CDSP™ certification is a perfect match to enable you to start your journey in the most exciting and captivating knowledge-based sector. Applications for CDSP™, which develops a data science character in the certification bearer, are open to recent undergraduates in any field.

You can finish this online course at your speed and your discretion. To obtain the certification in 4–25 weeks, you only need to dedicate a minimum of 8–10 hours per week. Everything you need to study for the certification exam will be in the organized and contemporary resource hub for you to succeed.

After 25 days of enrollment but before 175 days, students can arrange their exam whenever they choose. The 60 questions on the CDSP™ exam take 100 minutes to complete. For students to pass the test and receive a digital badge, they must receive at least 70% points.  If you don’t pass, don’t worry—for a small fee of $149.00, you can arrange another chance to take the re-test.

3. IBM Data Science Professional Certificate

This program is great for people new to data science and wanting to get their jobs off the ground. For the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate program, students must use tools like Jupyter Notebooks, SQL, Python, data visualization, and analysis packages. Building and analyzing machine learning models with SciPy and Scikit-learn is also part of the course, as is applying the above methods to real-world datasets.

The coursework for this program is easy and doesn’t require any previous knowledge. It is possible to get a certification after finishing all of the courses in the program on Coursera. There are 10 classes in the curriculum, and if you work at it for 10 hours a week, you can finish them in about five months. The cost of this program is $234.

The Bottom Line

To sum up, to find the best data science certification, you should think about things like the program’s reviews, how long it takes, how much it costs, what skills you learn, how valuable it will be in the future, how much money you can expect to make, and how long it lasts. The credentials mentioned above are internationally recognized data science programs. It is important to remember that getting recognized and respected certifications can help you get promoted and improve your marketability manifold.