What Are The Pros And Cons Of Being A Data Scientist V/S A Data Analyst?

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  • Published on May 22nd, 2023

Table of Contents [show]

 

Introduction

 

New careers in data visualisation and datasets have emerged as big data has grown in importance in the commercial world. They are bringing crucial information to organisations of all sizes, from giant enterprises and healthcare organisations to government offices. Data scientist jobs and data analyst jobs are two career pathways that have evolved in response to the growing importance of corporate intelligence. The primary distinction between a data analyst and a data scientist is that the former uses statistical analysis and data visualisation to comprehend data and spot trends. While the latter develops frameworks and algorithms to gather data that businesses can use.

 

What Do Data Analysts And Data Scientists Do?

 

What data analysts do with the data is one of the key differences between data analysts and scientists. Data analysts often use tools like SQL, R, or Python programming languages, data visualisation software, and statistical analysis. They use these tools to work with structured data to address real-world business issues. Usual tasks for a data analyst include:

 

  • Identifying information needs in collaboration with organisational leaders
  • Combining primary and secondary research sources
  • Rearranging and cleaning up data for analysis
  • Examining data sets to find patterns and trends that you can turn into knowledge. This output is further useful in various applications
  • Easy-to-understand findings presentation to guide data-driven decisions

 

When dealing with the unknown, a data scientist uses more sophisticated data approaches to generate future predictions. They might develop techniques for predictive modelling that can handle both structured and unstructured data. Also, they might automate their machine learning algorithms. 

 

This position is an improved version of a data analyst. Typical work could include:

 

  • Gathering, purifying, and processing unprocessed data
  • Using predictive models and machine learning techniques to gather massive data sets
  • Creating instruments and procedures to track and test data accuracy
  • Creating dashboards, reports, and tools for data visualisation
  • Automating data collection and processing through programming

 

Their Differences May Include

 

Factor

Data Analyst

Data Scientist

Skills in Mathematics 

basic maths, statistics

Advanced statistics, predictive analytics

Skills in programming 

Basic fluency in R, Python, SQL

Advanced object-oriented programming

Knowledge of software and tools

SAS, Excel, business intelligence software

Hadoop, MySQL, TensorFlow, Spark

Extra Skills

Analytical thinking, data visualisation

Machine learning, data modelling

 

Pros And Cons Of Data Analyst Job

 

Below are the benefits of being a data analyst:

 

  • Any business or organisation must have data analysts to succeed because they assist in developing superior decisions based on data-driven insights.
  • They will be in charge of gathering, arranging, and analysing data. It can be used to increase the productivity and effectiveness of businesses. 
  • Their duties may include spotting trends and patterns in data, and putting together reports. They make recommendations for remedies in light of your conclusions.
  • Due to the growing significance of data in today's environment, data analysts are in high demand.
  • Working with cutting-edge technologies will provide you the ability to learn new skills. You can keep up with the most recent business trends as a data analyst.
  • Data analysis is an expanding topic that has many uses in a variety of industries. As a data analyst, you might work in the consulting or e-commerce sectors, giving firms vital information they need to make wise decisions.
  • Working with a range of people from various departments and backgrounds as a data analyst. It will provide you the chance to create a vibrant and engaging work environment.
  • One advantage of working as a data analyst is that they have the opportunity to work from anywhere. It can allow for more flexibility and a better work-life balance.

 

 

Our Learners Also Read: Is The Demand For A Data Analyst More Than A Data Scientist?

 

Disadvantages Of Being A Data Analyst

 

  • Their work may be interrupted by urgent client requests, and they may be forced to work nights, weekends, or both.
  • They might be working under deadline pressure, and the outcome of their labour might directly affect the success of an organisation. 
  • A data analyst's job might be monotonous and repetitive. They can exhaust Hours combing through the information. Sometimes, it  has no bearing on their task.
  • Being a data analyst necessitates staying current and being knowledgeable about the newest technologies and methodologies. This needs skill, understanding, and knowledge of each tool and how to use it in a variety of dynamic settings.

 

Pros And Cons Of Data Scientist

 

The following are some of the benefits:-

 

  • Due to its popularity, there are many job opportunities in all its related industries. They can be those working as data scientists, analysts, or researchers. It also includes  business analysts, managers of analytics, and big data engineers.
  • Businesses may determine when and how their products sell the best using data science.
  • They need to ensure that things are always delivered at the appropriate location and moment. 
  • The company makes quicker, wiser judgements to increase productivity and revenues. 
  • The payment is also very high as long as the data scientist position remains the most sought-after.  
  • Big Data and data mining have simplified hiring teams' processing and selection of resumes, and aptitude tests.

 

Disadvantage Of Data Scientists
 
 

The following are some of the drawbacks:-

 

  • The data's knowledge or insights can turn against any committee, group of individuals, or organisation. 
  • Information is extractable from both structured and unstructured data for later use. It may also be exploited against a group of citizens of a nation or any committee.
  • The tools necessary for data science and analytics can be very expensive for an organisation. The fact is, some of them need special training and that may be hard. 
  • It is quite challenging to choose the appropriate tools for the situation because doing so depends on having the right knowledge of the tools. You must know their accuracy in data analysis and information extraction.

 

Conclusion

 

Everything in this world has advantages and disadvantages, but we shouldn't ignore the fact that using certain tools makes our jobs easier by allowing us to extract information and at a lower cost. It speeds up product creation. Despite the fact that both data scientists and analysts work with data, their unique positions call for a different set of skills and resources. Data scientists use many of the same abilities that data scientists do. Above is a comparison of how they differ and their pros & cons. Join The IoT Academy to choose the right career path in Data Science!

 

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