Big Data ERA coming! Data scientists become a sought-after talent

For a new Ph. D., a six-digit starting salary may be commonplace, while data scientists with only two years of working experience can earn 200,000 to 300,000 dollars in annual pay.

Astrophysicist Sabazuberi is currently working on data research at Taskrabbitinc. She says working for a consumer internet company may be a surprise.

Chris Farel (Chrisfarrell) worked on the study of giant particle accelerator data during his five years as a Ph. D. in astrophysics. Now, his job is to analyze the comments on Yelp on the business reviews website.

The 28-Year-old Farrell is a data scientist. Three years ago, the job title of "data scientist" barely existed, but became one of the hottest jobs in the High-tech labour market. Retailers, banks, heavy equipment manufacturers and media companies are looking for professionals to extract and interpret big data in the face of data explosions from internet clicks, machines and smartphones. This is a scramble to find or train talent.

Linkedincorp. Jonathan Goldman, head of the data science team, said people called them "unicorns" because the comprehensive skills needed for the job were so unique. The team developed the "people you might Know" feature in 2007. In the five years that followed, more than half of the "invitations" on LinkedIn, the talent network, were launched by this feature.

Business owners say the ideal candidate for this position needs not only traditional market research skills but also the ability to identify patterns from millions of data from different sources, then infer customer behavior through these patterns, find triggers for consumer behavior, and write statistical models.

Etsyinc, a data scientist working on an E-commerce site. For example, a biostatistics doctor has been digging medical records to study the early signs of breast cancer in the past few years, and now the person is compiling a statistical model for Etsy to infer what terms people use on Etsy to search for new fashions They see on the street.

Squareinc, a PhD in cognitive psychology who compiles statistical models and studies how people's political beliefs change, now specializes in people's behavior patterns to determine which retailers are more likely to encounter customer requests for returns.

Yelp another 28-year-old PhD in applied Mathematics has shifted his research from a genetic map to a product used by the company's advertising team. The same genetic algorithm is now used to estimate how many subtle tweaks to online advertising can affect consumers.

Scottclark, the designer of this genetic algorithm, says the academic process is long and only a handful of people can see your results. "On Yelp, I'm pushing experiments that can affect billions of people," he said. I made some minor changes to the Yelp site, and the impact was huge. ”

Some of these experiments also raised concerns. Inc. is a recent concern, as an experiment by its data science team has attempted to manipulate people's moods by modifying the content of the information flow.

Iac/interactivecorp OkCupid, president of the dating site, Christianrudder, recently disclosed in a blog post that the site manipulates the flow of information by exaggerating the two-bit match to encourage users to use their services more.

Intuit, who currently leads a new data science team in Inc.,intu, says employers are sparing no effort to recruit top talent. They must be prepared to issue a job offer at any time, usually within a day or two after interviewing a candidate, and are prepared to meet the candidate at any time during the day or at night.

Recruiters say that a six-digit starting salary may be commonplace for a person who has just received a PhD, and that only two years of working experience can earn 200,000 to 300,000 dollars in salary.

Booz Allen Allan Consulting Holding Company (Boozallen Hamilton LC Corp.) Sullivan (Joshsullivan) said that anyone who had the word "data science" on his LinkedIn page would receive e-mail from 100 recruiters a day. Sullivan currently leads a 500-member data science team in Booz Allen. In order to attract candidates, Sullivan would use private contacts: Send handwritten letters and meet with potential employees by plane. He will also send love packages filled with chocolates and academic books, such as statistics and computer science that he knows are interested in.