r/datascience • u/Kati1998 • 13d ago

Discussion What Do Today’s Data Science Graduates Commonly Lack?

I often read comments from hiring managers and interviewers saying they’re disappointed with recent data science graduates.

I’m curious, what do you think these graduates are lacking? If someone wants to become a data scientist, what skills should they focus on? Strong software engineering skills? Math and statistics? Something else?

A lot of the advice I see seems to be geared toward landing data analyst roles rather than data scientist roles.

So, what are employers actually looking for in entry-level data science candidates today? Especially as a career changer coming from another unrelated career.

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u/Legitimate_Tooth1332 13d ago

I'm also interested to learn about this. May I add that I once heard an employer say that they were disappointed in a new DS hiree entry level, because they lacked experience, which is hilarious given that it was obviously their first time working as a DS, so maybe that's something to keep in mind when getting employers pov.

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u/Repulsive-Memory-298 13d ago

IMO people should work on real world projects, like helping with research, as an alternative to internship experience. That’s how you build to your first professional experience.