You’re probably already aware that the role of data scientist has been declared as the 21st century’s hottest job because of its excellent growth prospect and high pay. Perhaps you’re also dreaming of becoming a data scientist but the idea of joining a full-time engagement is something that’s stopping you back from attaining your goal. In this scenario, we’ll strongly encourage you to continue your study, develop relevant technical and non-technical skills, and become a data scientist because of the good percentage of availability of part time job s in this field.
The appeal of a high pay together with a flexible work schedule is bringing a significant number of data scientists to the part time job market. In this post, we’re going to discuss why you should try to get a part time job as a data scientist and how to get that.
1- Key advantages of having a part-time job as a data scientist
Despite the fact that working full-time for a big organization as a data scientist can be stimulating, fun, and rewarding, a significant number of professionals these days are quitting their full-time jobs to take up part time jobs in the same field. Let’s have a look at two major benefits of working as a part-time data scientist.
1.1- Freedom
The biggest benefit of taking up a part time job as a data scientist is freedom. There’re lots of people who don’t like going to the office everyday and work for the entire day. As a part-time data scientist, these people can work according to their terms and convenience.
1.2- You’ll work only as a data scientist
There’re lots of organizations where the employers don’t have a clear idea of the responsibilities of a data scientist. They often consider data scientists as a master of all things data and expect to get answers to all their data-related queries from that one person. But when it comes to working as part-time data scientist, you’ll only apply and accept the offer once both you and the employer agree on some assignments. Thus, you’ll only do what you’re hired for and nothing more.
By now, a majority of businesses have become aware of the benefits that can be gained by employing a data scientist. The reasons can be quite varied – from trying to earn more sales to making the campaigns more effective to finding better ways to serve their customers, and more. In short, whatever the goal is, employing a data scientist proves to be the best option to attain it.
From an organizational standpoint, the key reason behind the growth of the concept of offering a part time job as a data scientist is that hiring a full-time data scientist can bring in lots of financial overheads, especially when it comes to startups and small businesses. These companies often have to work within limited budgets and resources.
Mainly, there’re three options that can be utilized by these companies – hiring a full-time data scientist, trying to perform the analytics themselves, or bringing on a part-time data scientist to handle their data requirements. Among these three, we’ve already discussed the constraints of the first option. When it comes to the second option, utilizing big data is difficult and needs specialized skills that are hardly found available in employees other than data scientists. So, these businesses are best served by the third option, which is offering a part time job to a data scientist.
Even medium-scale organizations are also taking this route frequently for getting short-term assignments done while maintaining their budget and limiting additional overhead. Thus, once the assignment is completed, they don’t need to keep a data scientist on their payroll anymore as his/her help is no longer required, which wouldn’t be the case if they had hired a full-time data scientist.
2- How to get a part time job as a data scientist?
When it comes to taking up a part time job as a data scientist, there’re some prominent avenues that can connect you to businesses, which are looking for people like you. Let’s have a look at them.
2.1- Your own website
In this internet-dominated world, for data scientists who don’t want to work full-time, a robust online presence is almost a must. So, one of the most feasible ways to establish yourself as a part-time data scientist is to have your personal website. A personal website acts as your portfolio that potential employers can see and then reach you easily, if they decide to.
There’re some crucial things that you must focus on while developing your website. First of all, employers need to know who you’re and what you actually do. As you’ll be working as a data scientist, your website has to be data science-centric. Second comes the services section where all the services offered by you have to be mentioned in a clear and detailed way. You need to clearly mention your charges as well to help the clients get a clear estimate. Detailed online research should help you out in this matter.
It’s important to keep your pricing low initially, especially if you’re a beginner and trying to get a part time job as a data scientist. Do remember to highlight your previous projects, if you’ve done anything, as it’ll help clients evaluate your expertise. Even if you’re a beginner, try to do some projects for private clients or non-government agencies, which will look good on your portfolio.
2.2- Online portals
Apart from having your own website, it greatly pays to create a part-time data scientist profile on online platforms that receive a lot of traffic from potential clients. You can consider Toptal and Upwork, for example, both which boast of a high volume of part-time data scientist jobs on offer.
When it comes to getting started with Toptal, you need to prepare your portfolio, mention the relevant skills, and then submit an application. There will be some further screening processes clearing which will get you admitted to the platform.
Signing up for Upwork is relatively easier. You’ll need to submit a cover letter, and create a profile describing your technical and non-technical skills. After that, you’ll be able to browse part time jobs for data scientists posted there and apply to the ones you’re best suited for.
2.3- Participate in different community groups
Once you’ve taken care of one or both of the above aspects, it’s time to develop your presence as an expert in the field. The internet is filled with communities for data scientists looking for part time jobs. Try to collaborate, share ideas, and learn from other participants. Regular participation in these groups will not only give you exposure as a part-time data scientist with valuable insight but will advertise your skills to potential employers and peers as well.
Sometimes, data scientists taking up a new project turn to these communities for help in solving difficult problems. If you’re able to prove your expertise, your peers will potentially contact you with offers to collaborate on part time jobs. As a significant percentage of part-time work is found through these networks, you should try to put your best foot forward to maximize the advantages of increased online visibility.
2.4- Use LinkedIn
LinkedIn can help you greatly when you’re looking for a part time job as a data scientist. Create an account there and find people in different organizations that work with data. Look for HR professionals or data scientists and send them a message.
In the message, give a short introduction about yourself and mention that you’re looking for a part time job. You’re likely to be surprised to find that many of these people will be interested in helping you out. You can also use this platform to look for alumni of your university or school to network again and get a part time job as a data scientist.
2.5- Company websites
In addition to looking for part time jobs as a data scientist on different online portals, do remember to check out different company websites that work with data.
Some organizations may not be posting their part time job positions on external job boards. Do some research online and you should be able to find companies that offer part time jobs to data scientists.
Wrapping up
Though having the prior experience of doing some part time jobs as a data scientist will make the journey relatively easier for you, it’s not an absolute necessity. However, there’s one thing that you must have in order to be successful as a part-time data scientist – the right attitude.
You should always keep in mind that employers or clients want to hire someone with a can-do, positive attitude. They want someone who’s ready to go beyond and above the call of duty. If you can demonstrate this ability together with your expertise on the assignments offered, you can rest assured of receiving a significant number of high-value part time jobs as a data scientist.
We hope that all these tips will help you get a greater sense of why and how to become a successful part-time data scientist. Keep these tips in mind as you put together your brand and identity, and work toward getting part time jobs as a data scientist.
Wherever you’re on this journey, we wish you good luck!
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To learn more about data science, click here and read our another article.
