Do you need to know coding to learn data science?
There is a long-standing and popular myth among students nowadays that data science is only for people who are programming experts. Although, it is true that a data science course is chosen mostly by programming geeks and students who are from a programming background, learning data science is not just reserved for only those with programming knowledge. A lot of data science experts you see today had begun their careers in data science without any prior programming experience.
So, is coding required to learn data science? What really is the significance of coding in learning data science? Here is everything you need to know about coding and learning data science.
Who exactly is a data scientist and what does he do?
Technically, data scientists are people who are a mix of mathematicians, trend-spotters, and computer experts who decipher large volumes of data and analyze them to find useful patterns and gain a deeper insight into what it all means. Data scientists help organizations by analyzing complex datasets to extract useful insights that companies can leverage into actions.
Significance of coding in data science
Contrary to what most students believe, data scientists don’t have to be more skilled than software engineers. In fact, data scientists don’t need to have the same software engineering skills that developers must-have. Yes, it is certainly an added advantage if you have a deep understanding of data structures and algorithms. But an ideal data scientist will not necessarily be working on complex data structures and thousands of lines of coding all the time. All you need to know is the basic syntax of the relevant programming language and knowledge of mathematical concepts to implement using the predefined functions that are available in that programming language.
Moreover, organizations that are looking for data scientists require someone with a diverse skillset and not programming skills. Data science is not just about having technical knowledge and being a programming wizard. You need to have both computer science skills and knowledge about the business world that is very vital for becoming a data scientist.
What are the basic programming languages that you might want to learn?
Technically, the programming skills you require and programming languages you need to know depends on the area of data science that you want to work on. You might want to learn SQL if you want to manage databases. It helps you collect, store, and manage large amounts of data easily. Most of the companies including big tech firms use SQL throughout their operations.
If you are more interested in data analytics, modelling, and data visualization, you might want to consider learning Java, Python, or R. This helps you work with large datasets. Other than this, if you wish to create interactive visualizations and online dashboards of your reports, you might need to learn HTML and JavaScript.
So, do you really need to know coding to learn data science?
There is no doubt that programming is an essential skill for a data scientist job, but it doesn’t mean that you have to be a hard-core programmer to learn a data science course or pursue a career in data science. So, the lack of programming skills should not prevent you from considering a career in data science. Whether you’re from a programming background or business background, Data science is a field for everyone.
As a premier business school in India, Praxis offers a 9-month full-time postgraduate program in Data Science. With our vast experience in business education, we offer students both the time to understand the complex theory and practice of data science concepts and the guidance from knowledgeable faculty who are available on campus for mentoring. We also have a well-structured campus placement program that ensures interview opportunities with the most significant companies in the field.
