Data is the new hot commodity and demand for data professionals have never been higher. In this digital age, surviving means adapting and companies all over are making that change by jumping on data-driven business models.

However, companies aren’t the only ones that should be paying attention to data science. Here are 6 reasons why you should study data science.

#1. We live in a data-driven world

Think you’re not affected by data science because you don’t work in the tech field? Think again.

Consider your social media activities, Google searches and online window shopping. Every click and scroll, all the minutes you spend on a webpage — these are all tracked and recorded in data form. They are then processed and analysed to churn out information about who you are.

Subsequently, this data is used to craft the perfect world aimed to entice you to stay online longer. This is why you see ads on products and services you’ve been googling. It’s also why your Spotify and Netflix recommendations are always on point.

We live in an unprecedented era where at least half of our lives are spent online. Data is everywhere, so even if you’re not interested in becoming a data scientist, you will be wise to arm yourselves with knowledge about this new world.

#2. There is a high demand for data professionals locally and globally

As we spend more time online and the number of website and mobile app interactions increase, the demand for data professionals to record and analyse this data increases with it. So far, we have over 14,000 talents trained in data science. In the next two years, Malaysia will need 12,000 professionals who specialised in Big Data to drive Malaysia's data-driven economy. The number will only grow from there.

Not planning to stay in the country? Data science is not limited by geographical restrictions. The demand for data scientists is much higher on the global scale. You can aim to relocate to tech-oriented countries like the United States, India and Canada — the world’s your oyster.

Additionally, some data science positions allow you to work remotely from the comfort of your own home, opening up a wide range of opportunities.

#3. Data scientist is just one of many jobs in the data industry

The data industry is big and constantly expanding. While data scientist is an important role in the industry, it’s not complete without other data science roles.

For instance, data engineers focus on building the methods, architecture and infrastructure to gather and organise data. On the other hand, data scientists work to analyse and interpret the data through algorithms, models and predictive analysis. Additionally, there is also the role of a data analyst whose primary job is to provide insights and observations to the business on a more holistic scale via charts and visualisations. Other related roles in the field include statistician, machine-learning engineer and business analyst.

The job requirements vary depending on the role and the industry. The kind of data you are expected to parse through will differ depending on whether you are in the retail sector or artificial intelligence sectors. As a data science graduate, you will have many options ahead.

#4. Data science is the secret architect behind many companies

Data science is an interdisciplinary field. While it is primarily a tech-oriented field of knowledge, it has been introduced and adapted into many other fields including medicine, academia and entertainment. In fact, data science can be considered as an essential part of many industries.

For starters, Spotify and Netflix both employ data science to improve their recommendation features. They use machine learning to automatically analyse data and make suggestions based on that analysis.

Big companies like Google and Amazon both use data science heavily to optimise their businesses. Machine learning models improve Google’s capabilities to cater to its increasingly demanding consumer base. Amazon employs data models that can survey the market and offer competitive prices as well as send personalised ads uniquely tailored to each customer.

It’s obvious that data science is the key to the future. As the secret recipe behind the success of many companies big and small, it’s a future-proof career that you want to dive into.

#5. Data science can help drive innovation and improve lives

Data science isn’t just for business and profit optimisation. It can also help improve your living condition.

In the medical world, data science has helped encourage sophisticated medical diagnosis, drive drug treatment discovery through virtual simulations and prevent future disease and complications through data-driven predictions.

Scientists are also looking into utilising data science to predict natural disasters. It’s still in development but being able to accurately predict floods, earthquakes and other disasters can save countless lives.

The technology is not all there yet but data science shows promise in humanitarian causes as well. Whether you’re a corporate citizen with ambition for innovation or you’re an idealist who wants to change the world, the field of data science is full of opportunities.

#6. Data science is the core of decision-making

Did you know that Starbucks uses data science to decide where best to open their next franchise, taking into account inputs like demographic and distance from other branches?

They aren’t the only ones. Predictive analytics is also used in decision-making in the sports world. With help from its pool of data scientists, Liverpool managed to come up with a data system that can identify which player and movement can contribute to the scoring of a goal.

If you like to be part of the decision-making process, a knowledge in data science will make you an indispensable tool that can help an organisation succeed.

This is only just the beginning. Data science is still a developing industry and there is still plenty of room for innovation. If you’re looking for a future-oriented career, look no further than the data science field.

While not entirely the same thing, data science and computer science actually intersects. Register for a computer science course now.