Some common training for a career as a data scientist includes an understanding of mathematics, statistics, and computer programming, as well as a foundation in business practices and concepts. This typically results from a combination of courses at a college or university along with practical work experience in various types of companies.
Though the field of data science is relatively new compared to other branches of science, it carries a consistent set of training requirements across positions and employers, beginning with a focus on mathematical concepts. The basic tasks of a data scientist involve analyzing large amounts of data, typically gathered from a business through either directly surveying customers or by tracking customer usage patterns across a product or service. Thus, the data scientists need a strong understanding of statistics and similar analytical operations to take the date, segment it accordingly, and turn it into graphs, charts or number sets for interpretation.