become Azure Data Scientist

How to Become Azure Data Scientist?

Microsoft Azure / By

The demand for cloud-based infrastructure has grown over the years through the pandemic, and now companies see it as a cost-effective and easier solution. A data-driven approach is also evolving greatly as businesses continue to realize their potential.

Companies are currently hiring fresh Azure data scientists to help make crucial business decisions through accurate data comprehension. This is the reason why knowing about Microsoft Azure is a brilliant way to advance your career as an IT professional. Being a data scientist with expertise in Microsoft Azure is not a complicated process, so we will lay down all the points that you need to remember in this discussion.

Also Read: Microsoft Azure Certification Path

Right from the admission process to landing a job as an Azure data scientist, this discussion will cover all the required information. If you are intrigued to know more about the certification and leading a life as an Azure data scientist, we believe that this article will surely help you out.

Chalking Out The Path To Becoming An Azure Data Scientist

To reach your goal of becoming an Azure data scientist, you have to follow an accurate path to easily attain it. Before we move forward with giving you all the other information, know that Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service that makes it easier for businesses to have a virtual infrastructure. It has integrated tools for databases, analytics, servers, and storage along with hybrid cloud facilities to ensure that businesses get all such services under the singular umbrella of Microsoft Azure.

Research shows that about 85% of the Fortune 500 companies are now proud users of Microsoft Azure. This trend reflects the requirement of Azure data scientists in the newly employable market. Now is indeed the golden time to get trained as an Azure data scientist by following the right certification path. The simplest way is to obtain a certification from Microsoft itself, but more details on it later. 

Why Become An Azure Data Scientist in 2021?

As per a report by Glassdoor, being a data scientist is the third-best job in the US in 2020, as per the demand, supply, and growth. As per LinkedIn, there has been a growth of 650% in data science jobs from 2012. Even the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of jobs in data science will increase by approximately 28% through 2026, roughly estimating 11.5 million vacancies. 

In addition to all the available statistics and surveys, there is a huge gap in the supply-demand graph of data scientists. To bridge this gap, the industry needs to appoint more Azure data scientists, thus giving you a perfect reason to become an Azure data scientist in 2021. The demand for data scientists is not slowing down in any way, thus making it a very lucrative and promising career path right now. 

Azure DP-100 exam is intended for the Azure Data Scientist Associate role. Follow this DP-100 exam preparation guide and get ready for the exam!

Skill Set Required To Be An Azure Data Scientist

The global machine learning market is projected to touch $20.83 billion by 2024. In an industry of such a massive scale, there is a dearth of capable Azure data scientists. If you are looking forward to leveraging this shortage and enhance your expertise and skills to be a data scientist, then you must have the following skills:

  • Your fundamentals of data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning should be clear, with a proper understanding of different tools, their operations, and common terminologies.
  • The most crucial task for every Azure data scientist is the ability to analyze data. Therefore, you should have practical skills in Big Data, data mining, data modeling, risk modeling, data wrangling, data manipulation, critical thinking, generating data visualizations, and developing metrics and construction of predictive models.
  • A data scientist should also reflect a good grip on statistics and probability along with efficient programming knowledge. Some essential programming languages include Java, Python, SQL, and R, along with expertise in C++, Tableau, Perl, MATLAB, and Reporting Tool Software.
  • Deep learning along with creativity and open-mindedness is important to identify the trends in the data and establish connections. 
  • As it is the task of the data scientists to explain insights collected from the data to everybody else, they should also have structured thinking with good communication and collaboration skills. 
  • Data scientists should also have hard skills in mathematics on topics like linear algebra, statistical modeling, algorithm identification, and machine learning techniques.

For the candidates who are specifically looking out to become Azure data scientists, some additional role-specific skills are required, like:

  • Knowledge of Python libraries and framework for data science and machine learning
  • Understanding of data visualization tools like Microsoft BI and Tableau
  • Knowledge of Hadoop and GitHub
  • Expertise in GPU hardware and CUDA
  • Understanding different algorithms like Logistic Regression, decision trees, and convolutional neural networks

Certification Course To Be An Azure Data Scientist

To prove your credibility for any job position, you need accurate certification and experience. As an Azure data scientist aspirant, you have to undertake the DP-100 examination to get Microsoft certified as an Azure data scientist associate. The data scientist certification path is organized into three levels – Fundamentals, Associate, and Expert. If you are new to Microsoft Azure, you can also start by getting a fundamentals certification like Microsoft certified in Azure Fundamentals.

The certification can prove beneficial for your career while opening up your paths to better jobs and higher salary packages. The certification is also proof of your dedication and commitment towards the subject, as you went a step ahead to study and get certified.

If you desire to begin your career as an Azure data scientist, DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure, is the best way to initiate your journey. The DP-100 exam evaluates the candidate’s potential to be an Azure data scientist and monitors their ability to carry out various technical tasks that every data scientist performs.

Apart from Azure data scientist certification, if you wish to expand your knowledge as an Azure data engineer, you can also go ahead and appear for the DP-203 (earlier named as “DP-200”) and DP-201 certification exams.

Evaluations Done In The Azure Data Scientist Certificate Exam

The Microsoft Azure DP-100 certification exam validates your skills and knowledge in machine learning and data science, along with verifying your skill to implement and run machine learning through Microsoft Azure. This certification exam evaluates your candidature based on four significant categories with the following weightage:

  • Manage Azure resources for machine learning (25-30%)
  • Run experiments and train models (20-25%)
  • Deploy and operationalize machine learning solutions (35-40%)
  • Implement responsible machine learning (5-10%)

If you are an expert in all of the above-mentioned domains, then you can easily get certified as an Azure data scientist with professional training help. However, if you fail in your first attempt, you can retake the test after 24 hours. You need to wait for 14 days before taking your third attempt, and subsequently, Microsoft allows you to take 5 attempts in a year. 

Prerequisites To Be An Azure Data Scientist

As an Azure data scientist aspirant, the prerequisites are all the skills required to strengthen your preparation for the certification. The mandatory prerequisite for aspiring candidates is to have a formal education background in computer science, mathematics, or statistics. The candidates should also have proven expertise in one of the programming languages supported on the cloud.

As mentioned above, qualifying for the Azure Fundamentals certification exam by Microsoft can also be beneficial for the Azure data scientist candidates. However, this is not mandatory as the candidates can learn more about the comprehensive Azure services and trends with thorough research.

Job Description of Azure Data Science Practitioners

Before you go on and pursue a career as an Azure data scientist, you should know all that this job entails. This discussion will reflect what you should expect from your future career. The primary job of a data scientist is to explore data and decipher actionable insights from them. Along with that, some of the major job requirements of Azure data scientists are:

  • Writing programming codes to run and deploy models
  • Work with experimentation and metrics
  • Create codes for machine learning algorithms for other data scientists’ usage
  • Work directly or indirectly with the customers to offer a resolution of technical issues
  • Develop new features of the products or create new products
  • Address several business issues with a wide assortment of analytical techniques and machine learning tools
  • Use machine learning strategies to train, evaluate, and deploy models that can address business objectives with AI solutions
  • Use different applications for speech processing, predictive analytics, computer vision, and natural language processing
  • Ensure that all ethical, governance and privacy implications are incorporated in the solutions

Expected Salary For A Trained Microsoft Azure Data Scientist 

According to the data by LinkedIn, there are over 9000 vacancies for Azure data scientists in the United States while there are over 1000 vacancies in India. Globally, the vacancies cross 50,000 proving that the demand for Azure scientists with valid Azure certifications is only going to increase.

The average annual income of an Azure data scientist, according to PayScale, is US$95,102 in the United States. With experience and skills, the pay can rise to US$110,000 per annum. In India, an average Azure data scientist earns approximately ₹1,180,000 in the beginning, while this salary can go up to ₹2,000,000 with seniority and experience. As this industry is now attracting fresh candidates, all aspirants should ensure that they possess ample prerequisite skills along with extra accolades to stand apart from the competition.

In Conclusion 

This entire discussion can act as your roadmap to becoming an Azure data scientist. The IT sector is on a boom and every individual should grasp these emerging opportunities as IT professionals. The need of the hour is to learn to capitalize on the importance of data and its management like an emerging tech skill. Simultaneously, if you are enrolling in a course to be an Azure data scientist, then you will need appropriate guidance and training material to qualify for the examination and receive your certificate.

Therefore you should also choose the right platform to help you throughout the preparation and achieve your objective of becoming an Azure data scientist. By committing to the goal that you want to achieve, you can ensure your success. Looking for good Azure data scientist certification training programs? Check out our Azure certification training courses and get started with professional help.

About Girdharee Saran

Girdharee Saran has a glorious 13 years of experience transforming the way e-learning and SaaS start-ups approach digital marketing for their organisations. He has successfully chartered tangible results, which have proven beneficial. Working in the spaces of content marketing and SEO for a considerable amount of time, he is well conversant in his art. Having taken a deep interest in content and growth marketing, his urge to learn more is perpetual. His current role at Whizlabs as VP Marketing is about but not limited to driving SEO, conversion optimisation, marketing automation, link building and strategising result driven content.

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