Michael Li of the Data Incubator has written a timely article in VentureBeat on what a Data Scientist is not. In short a Data Scientist is:
- Not just a Business Analyst working on more data,
- Not just a rebranded Software Engineer,
- Not just a Machine Learning expert with no business knowledge.
A Data Scientist needs to be able to extract insights from datasets that are orders of magnitude larger than what they were 5 years ago. And they need to extract this insight carefully, with statistical significance and integrity. Moreover, the insight is only as useful as the business need it solves.
As a regular interviewer at Airbnb for junior and senior Data Scientists, attention to data cleaning and diligence in statistical analysis are fundamental for successful candidates. Moreover, we look for people that understand the ‘why’ of a problem and the business impact of a solution. This is what differentiates a really smart candidate from a hired candidate.
Alok Gupta 