Software development to data science – how to make the jump?

The role of the software developer is highly skilled, but so is the role of the data scientist and while transitioning isn’t simple, it’s not impossible. Something to keep in mind with data scientists is that generally, they come from diverse backgrounds and sometimes with no formal training in software development or computer science. This creates a knowledge gap you can fill.

One area where software developers have an upper hand over data scientists is coding, so on one hand you’re perfectly placed to go from software developer to data scientist. But on the other, you probably know very little about machine learning, statistics, big data or analytics. As a data scientist you’ll have the responsibility to educate your organisation about the challenges data science can solve, look for problems to solve, research new techniques and turn data into valuable information. You might even be given a very specific role in a larger organisation such as designing big data architecture.

Use a bootcamp as a stepping stone

To make the career transition from software development to data science you need to fill the gap and one of the ways to do that is by taking a data science bootcamp. Bootcamps are intensive courses run over anything from one to fifteen weeks. They’re available for people at all stages of their career.

Take for example the General Assembly boot camp, this is an accessible course open to anyone who applies and is run over 12 weeks covering programming basics, research design, exploratory data analysis, data modelling and machine learning. On the other side of the scale there is the Insight Data Science boot camp  which is an invitation-only course for people with a PhD. It’s much more advanced and illustrious.

If you’re a software developer or software engineer, making the jump to data science is achievable with a bootcamp. This isn’t a shortcut into the industry though, you’ll be expected to have a degree in a STEM subject and here you don’t, extensive experience with coding and demonstrated skills are very important.

If you’re a self-taught software developer, attending a bootcamp will provide you with the skills you need to understand and start with data science. To give yourself a bump start, develop a portfolio that demonstrates and showcases your skills as a data scientist. This can also prove to be a valuable educational project.