Data Science Skills for Innovation

Photo Credit: Avi Bender , Georgetown, DC

Data scientists are in great demand both in the Federal government and in the private sector. Exceling in this field requires a strong analytic background in statistics, programming, math and science. Data science practitioners are adept at using programming languages and analytical tools such as Python, R, SAS, Hadoop, and other open source resources. But is there something else that data scientists need to excel in their profession that maybe wasn’t emphasized in school or on the job?

I have worked with many individuals who were not experts in programming languages or data tools, but I thought that they were actually data scientists. They had something else that set them apart. Based on my experience working within statistical agencies I have come to realize what makes some data practitioners (or scientists) truly exceptional. These individuals have personal attributes that have nothing to do with technology and analytic tools. They have attributes that were developed, nurtured, and matured from childhood that collectively set them apart. It’s what drives them to this day and shapes what they do and how they do it.  It’s three things: curiosity; empathy; and story telling.

They have an insatiable curiosity that is a desire to know the why, who, when, where, and how. They have empathy, which is a need to understand the human and physical context of the object of their curiosity. Finally, they have the gift of story telling. This non-technical “data connectivity” skill is how data scientists combine their curiosity and empathy into a narrative and a contextual framework from which others can learn and understand. 

So the next time you hear a discussion about structured and unstructured data, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning - think about those exceptionally curious data scientists and the stories they are busy discovering that will help us better understand the national context, solve the right problems, and contribute to more effective and efficient government operations.