Topping the list for this report once again are data science jobs. They respectively earn a job score of 4.8 out of 5, with a job satisfaction score of 4.4 of 5 and a healthy base salary averaging $110,000 per year. In fact, data science jobs beat out other careers in IT including data engineering and DevOps for this most recent report.

If you ever wondered what one of the hottest choices for careers in IT were, this recent Glassdoor report on the 50 best jobs in America provides clarity. Each year, the company releases its findings, which are based upon the hiring and salary ranges of the top jobs. They assess each job with their signature “Glassdoor Job Score.” The company uses three methods to ascertain the most desirable career positions. These include: Overall job satisfaction, annual salary and number of jobs currently available.

Topping the list for this report once again are data science jobs. They respectively earn a job score of 4.8 out of 5, with a job satisfaction score of 4.4 of 5 and a healthy base salary averaging $110,000 per year. In fact, data science jobs beat out other careers in IT including data engineering and DevOps for this most recent report.

Data Science Jobs Are in Demand

A related report by CareerCast.com offers similar findings, showing that jobs in data science have one of the best industry growth rates over the next decade and remain one of the most difficult positions for employers to fill. Related statistics from rjmetrics.com concur, finding that just 50% of the estimated 19,500 data scientist jobs were filled over the past four years.

If you were to scan LinkedIn for available jobs in this sector, you ‘d easily find more than 13,000 open jobs. A quick search on Indeed.com will yield similar findings. Topping it off is a report by Computer Science Zone finding that the information technology sector will require more than 1 million jobs to be filled over the next decade.

Why is a career in data science one of the hottest prospects in IT? Here are the top three reasons why it could make sense to consider a career change.

No. 1 Lack of Qualified Talent

The leading reason why data science jobs are in high demand is that there just aren ‘t enough qualified people to fill the roles that are currently open. Data science careers require a unique combination of skills that range from analytical to statistical, in combination with a unique set of soft skills, that have made it one of the most in-demand careers in the IT sector at the present. It ‘s so in demand, in fact, that recent projections find that this sector will grow by at least 5% in 2018.

The one problem that companies are faced with is that they need more data scientists, but most are not out of school or certified yet. Since data science courses are a newer addition at the college level, it could take years for traditional schools to catch up. But with fast-track data science courses at Woz U, you could be prepared to apply for and land one of these in-demand jobs a lot sooner than you think. The good news is that these positions won ‘t fill overnight, and an already large industry demand is set to become even bigger in the next few years.

No. 2: Organizing Data is Hard

Nobody ever said organizing data was easy, and the companies that are tasked with doing this have wisely realized that. To this extent, they ‘ve created entire divisions and departments that are filled with career professionals whose sole purpose is to prepare, analyze, wrangle and clean data, ultimately converting it into usable, practical company insights. But still, these departments are half-staffed and in desperate need of new professionals to help lighten the load.

Current data scientists not only are tasked with making the data usable, but also with ensuring that the data isn ‘t bad. This requires a unique method of translating the different system values and integers while also eliminating or minimizing errors in the process to create efficacious, reliable data. With studies finding that poor data streams cause millions of preventable losses each year to companies, you can imagine why data science jobs are so popular right now.

For the career professionals that have the knacks to sift and sort data properly—the organization of which becomes the backbone for company insights and interior knowledge—the employment potential is enormous. These experts not only ensure that clean data and insights stream forward, but that bad, old data is corrected, reformatted and made usable again, too.

No. 3: Companies of All Sizes Are Hiring

It ‘s not just the larger companies that are offering jobs in data science; small and medium technology companies are hiring as well. According to HBR: “Companies in the top third of their industry in the use of data-driven decision making were, on average, 5% more productive and 6% more profitable than their competitors.”

Certainly, smaller entities won ‘t have nearly as large a data bandwidth as a tech leader will. But that doesn ‘t mean they don ‘t need a qualified data scientist helping them create usable insights from their metrics. Doing so gives them the same “big data” leverage as larger companies possess, and therefore helps them remain competitive.

Early entrants into the data science field are finding ample career options at startups, too, where they are given more opportunity to grow into the role. What ‘s more, entry-level positions are not only hot in demand, but provide the necessary stepping stone towards a fulfilling career in this field.

Getting Started with a Data Science Career

Do you have what it takes to be a data scientist? Data science jobs require a unique blend of skills that are typically not taught in most colleges. One of the best ways that you can break into this exciting industry is by a coding boot camp, like the data science program offered at Woz U. During the course, you will not only learn the core skills, but many of the soft skills required to be successful in this demanding yet rewarding IT industry.

Woz U prepares you for success in this field with HD video instruction, amazing content, browser-based labs and one-on-one mentors. Our Employer Network connects you with the necessary resources you ‘ll need to get your resume in the hands of decision makers.