Both “Data Analyst” and “Data Scientist” are among the most desired professions at the moment. Unfortunately, both are among the most confusing ones. Surprisingly enough, both positions have the same job responsibilities but differ greatly in salary and definition, making it hard for people new to the market to choose. And here is how you can distinguish between them.
1. Data Analyst: The Storyteller
A Data Analyst tells the story on the basis of existing dataset. This concerns such actions as data cleaning and making it more readable in the form of reports and dashboards. His/her responsibilities include:
Recommended for you if: You enjoy working with numbers, finding out patterns and sharing your insights in an effective manner without having to build any models.
2. Data Scientist: The Predictor
While the Analyst just interprets the past and provides an explanation regarding what happened, the Data Scientist creates predictive models based on the past data that help predict the future. Or in other words, while the Analyst says “sales have fallen last month”, the Data Scientist says “sales would probably fall next month too, and here’s how”.
Responsibilities:
Skills needed:
This one is the best fit for you if: You are interested in numbers and enjoy working with algorithms and want to provide answers to “What is going to happen next?” question, instead of explaining what happened before.
Fast Recap
Analysts vs. Data Scientists:
Data analysts employ SQL, Excel, and dashboards to describe the past, whereas data scientists apply Python and machine learning to forecast the future. The former requires knowledge of the basics in statistics and programming, whereas the latter needs knowledge of advanced statistics and programming. Data analysts collaborate with managers, while data scientists collaborate with engineers.
Both careers are very popular these days, but the careers of Data Scientists are highly paid due to the more complicated skill set in terms of the knowledge required in statistics and machine learning. However, the career of a Data Analyst is much easier to begin with, especially when you do not know anything about programming.
But What Position Do You Want To Choose?
Answer yourself: Are you fond of building dashboards, detecting patterns, and communicating with non-tech people? → You should choose the role of a Data Analyst. It is the easiest path into the world of data.
Do statistics, experimenting, and modelling fascinate you? → Be a Data Scientist.
The Right Career Choice: Analyst at First, Scientist After That.
Not a lot of people become Data Scientists at once. Here is how most of them proceed: Data Analyst → Data Scientist.
As a Data Analyst, you’ll build skills in SQL, you will understand the business, and will work with data, which will help you to learn machine learning and modelling.
There is no better position than one that is appropriate for you. If you prefer clarity, communication, and immediate outcomes, Data Analyst is the position to go for.
But if you are into algorithms and predictions, just stick to the Data Scientist position right from the start or the Data Analyst position as an intermediate step.
Whichever option you choose, the best choice would be to try both: make a dashboard and train a model. Whichever one suits you, you have found your answer.