Data scientist has been named the number one job in the U.S. for the past four years, according to Business Insider. Not only that, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the demand for data science skills will drive a 27.9 percent rise in employment in the field through 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations. That’s why it’s important that high school students are given opportunities to prepare for the wide spectrum of data science jobs. Below are 10 industries that may inspire your students to learn more.
Plus, check out these interactive lessons to help your students build data science skills, available for free from our friends at EVERFI. Who knows? Maybe one of these surprising data science jobs awaits a student in your classroom.
Communications, Media, and Entertainment
We live in an age of instant entertainment at our fingertips. Consumers have become used to accessing what they want, when they want it. Companies like YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify rely on data science to offer their audiences the most relevant content.
Digital Marketing
Digital marketing depends on data science to obtain information in order to make business decisions. Data-driven information can help marketing managers predict user behaviors and anticipate consumers’ needs. Data science also helps companies like HubSpot, GetResponse and Signpost personalize offers and spot patterns and trends.
Gaming
For many teens, the possibility of turning a favorite pastime into a career opportunity is the dream. With over 3 billion gamers across the world, the gaming industry operates to the tune of $180 billion annually. Data scientists who work in gaming build models, analyze optimization points, make predictions, and identify patterns that ultimately improve gaming models. In addition, they use data to analyze general consumer behavior to increase the profitability of companies and detect fraud. Creating machine learning algorithms allows faster identification of suspicious account activities.
Retail
Retail is a competitive field, and the ability to anticipate and provide what customers want gives companies an advantage. Data scientists provide insights that keep retailers’ customers happy and returning to their stores. Using data to create personal and relevant shopping experiences ensures consumers’ satisfaction and influences return business.
Healthcare
The demand for data scientists in the healthcare industry is growing rapidly. With about 1.2 billion clinical documents being produced in the United States annually, doctors and scientists have a colossal amount of data on which to base their research. Being able to collect, structure, and process this data helps researchers gain a deeper understanding of the human body. In addition, wearable trackers, which record heart rate, sleep patterns, and brain activity, help doctors manage patients’ care.
Finance
Finance was one of the first industries that adopted data science into the field. Data scientists help banks with risk assessment and monitoring, fraud detection, customer analysis and experience, and more. The ability to make data-driven decisions creates a more stable financial environment.
Cyber Security
Cybersecurity Ventures predicts global cybercrime will increase 15% annually, reaching a stunning $10.5 trillion each year by 2025 (up from $3 trillion just six years ago). Data scientists can use artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to detect the source of malicious activities by studying patterns of attack and devising solutions to counter them and prevent their recurrence.
Image: The Payments Association
Government
Data scientists perform a critical role in many public service fields, from health-related research and financial market analysis to energy exploration, fraud detection, and more. During the COVID-19 pandemic, data science has become a powerful weapon in combating an infectious disease epidemic and arguably any future infectious disease epidemic.
Travel
Travel and tourism have become accessible to a greater number of people than ever before. Data scientists play a significant role in helping travel companies operate efficiently and profitably. Analyzing customer behavior helps airlines, hotels, and booking websites improve their services every day through personalized marketing, brand enhancement, and trip planning optimization.
Education
According to researchers at Stanford University, education is an especially well-suited domain for data science. District records, digital archives of instructional materials and grade books, as well as the mountain of student data collected every day by classroom teachers, all provide meaningful information to manage and improve student learning and teaching. All of this information can be mined and analyzed in an effort to understand and solve persistent educational problems, help train new teachers, and inform instruction. In addition, data scientists can help online learning platforms fine tune their curriculum to be the most effective for students.
Looking for more ways to help students understand data science jobs? Check out these interactive lessons to help your students build data science skills, available for free from our friends at EVERFI.
These lessons help teachers save time planning, teaching, and grading. They’re also aligned with common core national standards in statistics and probability, and the lessons are easy-to-implement resources for substitute teacher plans. It’s crucial that high school students have these opportunities to practice these skills so they can prepare for the workforce.
