For the fourth year in a row data scientist has been named “the best job in America” by Glassdoor. From healthcare to software to real estate and financial services, the skills required for data scientists are in demand across industries. As demand for data scientist skills remains strong, hiring for these positions poses a challenge. With this ongoing talent shortage, organizations must consider training existing staff with data science skills as well as keeping their data scientists’ skills up to date with a fast-changing industry. For example, Udemy for Business customer Booz Allen Hamilton recently launched an internal training program to help the company meet its goal of reaching 5,000 data scientists. Watch the webinar here: Winning the War on Talent: Scaling Personalizing Learning. Prioritizing a training curriculum on relevant programming languages and cutting-edge data science techniques will help managers keep their teams’ output competitive with global trends. Find out how Udemy for Business can help upskill your data science team.
Data science overlaps with the growing field of artificial intelligence (AI). To function at their full potential, AI applications require data—lots of it. Data is the food that powers AI and knowledgeable data scientists are needed to properly clean, prepare, and extract this data in order to run powerful AI applications. In fact, many of the following AI and data science skills—from programming languages to algorithmic techniques—work in tandem with one another, building on top of each other to garner deeper data insights.
Based on insights from Udemy for Business customers and our expert instructors, here are the technical skills to look for when hiring data scientists or when planning learning paths for your current team.

1. Python
Python is central to the growth of AI and data science and arguably the most important skill to learn for data science exploration. The programming language is a favorite for data scientists, web developers, and AI experts thanks to the simplicity of its syntax, the wealth of open-source libraries created for the language that drive efficiencies in building algorithms and apps, and its diverse applications across data analysis and AI.
Learn Python: Learn Python Programming Masterclass
2. R
The R programming language is most often used for the statistical analysis of large datasets. It was the preferred tool in the data science community for many years as an ideal resource for plotting and building data visualizations. R sees continued strong use in academic circles. However, the fast performance speeds of Python have made it the optimal choice for the convergence of data science and AI applications.
Learn R: R Programming for Statistics and Data Science
3. Machine learning
Machine learning is a subfield of AI that uses data and algorithms to train computers to identify patterns and take actions or make predictions on those patterns without being specifically programmed to do so. Machine learning uses structured datasets to teach computers across a variety of techniques most commonly differentiated in several categories including supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning. Fraud detection and recommendation engines are common applications of machine learning.
Learn Machine Learning: Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp with R
4. Deep learning
Deep learning is considered a subset of machine learning and uses artificial neural networks, which are computational algorithms built on many layers of datasets. These artificial neural networks are intended to mimic the neural networks of the human brain and learns by observing details in the datasets it’s told (by a data scientist or web engineer) to study. Deep learning is used in applications like image recognition—training digital photo albums to recognize and group photos of your parents together—and also in robotics, teaching robots to recognize common scenarios and to react accordingly in each one.
Learn Deep Learning: Deep Learning A-Z: Hands-On Artificial Neural Networks
Discover which data science and artificial intelligence courses could take your team to the next level.
5. Regression and classification
Regression and classification are methods of supervised learning where input and output data are provided to the learning algorithms. Both methods attempt to predict a value based on supplied datasets; regression algorithms use numerical data while classification algorithms use categorical data. Regression analysis may be used in predicting housing prices based on data of similar houses in similar neighborhoods. Classification analysis would be used in a mobile app that identifies a plant based on a user’s uploaded photo.
Learn Regression and Classification: Deep Learning Prerequisites: Linear Regression in Python
6. Natural Language Processing
Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a branch of artificial intelligence that trains computers on reading and understanding language as it’s informally used by humans. NLP uses machine learning algorithms to parse substantial amounts of data on language syntax and semantics, teaching computers to understand human speech inputs and respond accordingly. NLP is at work in digital assistants like Alexa, chatbots for customer service support, and even the legal industry for the quick scan of lengthy legal documents.
Learn Natural Language Processing: Data Science: Natural Language Processing in Python

7. SQL
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a necessary skill for anyone in a data role and is useful for software engineers and system administrators. SQL is great at data manipulation, allowing teams to run basic to advanced queries and merge data frommultiple data sources. Like Python, it’s an essential skill for most data scientists today, letting teams derive meaningful business insights from even the most simple of queries.
Learn SQL:
8. NoSQL
NoSQL refers to “Not Only SQL,” a type of database that isn’t bound by a relational structured data schema such as those that use SQL syntax. Learning NoSQL isn’t as straightforward as learning the language of SQL. Data scientists and developers instead should learn the principles of building and maintaining unstructured NoSQL databases as they continue to grow in popularity with large tech companies like Facebook and Google relying on NoSQL.
Learn NoSQL Database Administration: The Complete Developers Guide to MongoDB
9. Elasticsearch
Elasticsearch is a powerful open-source analytics and full-text search engine. The full-text functionality is often used to power search on applications and websites, and will account for typos, auto-completion, and synonyms to make it highly intuitive for the end user. It can be used as an analytics engine by writing queries to aggregate data.A common use case is monitoring an application’s performance management (APM).
Learn Elasticsearch: Complete Guide to Elasticsearch
10. Hadoop
Hadoop is open-source software that stores large data volumes across clusters of computers, which allows organizations to scale and distribute data processes without worrying if its computing systems and servers have enough memory available. A data scientist might use Hadoop to quickly process, explore, filter, and sample massive datasets across many clusters.
Learn Hadoop: The Ultimate Hands-On Hadoop — Tame Your Big Data!
11. Data visualization
Data visualization tools allow teams to extract meaningful insights from data and share with stakeholders who can then take business actions. Popular data visualization tools like Tableau and Microsoft Power BI let users make complex datasets more digestible through visual representations and intuitive dashboards.
Learn data visualization: Tableau for Beginners
This list of skills to prioritize with your data science team isn’t exhaustive. Tools and skill specialties are constantly evolving as AI adoption grows and companies recognize the deep tech infrastructure required to arm teams with comprehensive business data. The next step in building a world-class data science team is to tackle the data challenges within your organization’s IT infrastructure. Download “Tackling Your Data Challenges” to learn how to partner with IT on solving some of the most common hurdles to a data-driven company. Find out how Udemy for Business can help upskill your data science team.
FAQs
What should I take in 11th for data scientist? ›
To be eligible for Btech you must take non medical stream in 11th and 12 th ( PCM subjects) or you can also take computer as your optional subject so as to create base for your further course.
Who is No 1 data scientist in the world? ›Andrew Ng is a scientist and professor at Stanford University, and he has made a name for himself in the data science community. Ng has been working on artificial intelligence since before it was trendy. His work has helped scientists revolutionize Google Brain—the company's massive AI project that is still underway.
Is data science course on udemy worth it? ›This massive course is rated as one of the Bestseller courses in the platform with over 360k enrollment as well as a 4.5 rating score and if you are really a beginner and you want to be professional in data science and highly recommend the course.
How much Python do data scientists need? ›For data science, the estimate is a range from 3 months to a year while practicing consistently. It also depends on the time you can dedicate to learn Python for data science. But it can be said that most learners take at least 3 months to complete the Python for data science learning path.
What data skills are in demand? ›- SQL. ...
- Statistical programming. ...
- Machine learning. ...
- Probability and statistics. ...
- Data management. ...
- Statistical visualization. ...
- Econometrics. ...
- How to include data analyst skills on your resume.
However, even if you don't have strong coding knowledge and a special degree in data science, you can still become a data scientist. With good learning capability, you can be a data scientist without a degree in it.
Which subject is best for data scientist? ›Data Science, loosely, is an amalgamation of concepts from Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics. Students should have a degree in one of the fields in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM background).
Which stream is best for data scientist? ›Answer. In order to become data scientist Students are expected to complete the 10 + 2 successfully by obtaining at least 50 per cent marks from any recognised board of India in the science stream consisting of physics, chemistry, and mathematics, computer science as compulsory subjects.
Who is the richest data scientist? ›Alexander Karp – Palantir Technologies – $1.6 billion.
Who is father of data science? ›The modern conception of data science as an independent discipline is sometimes attributed to William S. Cleveland. In a 2001 paper, he advocated an expansion of statistics beyond theory into technical areas; because this would significantly change the field, it warranted a new name.
Who is the youngest data scientist? ›
Young Veer Shandilya caught his attention in the technological aspect of fiction in Sci-fi movies. His interest paved the way to becoming the youngest Junior Data Scientist (AI) at Clevered.com globally at 11.
Which is one of the key data science skills? ›Both inter-personal and written communication skills are essential parts of a data scientist skillset. The ability to communicate the results of the analysis to other members of their team as well as to the key decision-makers who need to be able to quickly understand the key messages and insights are vital.
What are big data skills? ›In Big Data Market, a professional should be able to conduct and code Quantitative and Statistical Analysis. One should also have a sound knowledge of mathematics and logical thinking. Big Data Professional should have familiarity with sorting of data types, algorithms and many more.
What makes a good data scientist? ›A truly great data scientist is able to solve valuable business problems in a way that will generate maximum, and in many cases, enduring value. To do this a data scientist needs to understand and make the rights trade-offs between complexity and simplicity.
Which of the following is correct skills for a data scientist? ›Probability & Statistics B. Machine Learning / Deep Learning C. Data Wrangling so All of the above is the correct skills for a Data Scientist.