Hannah Alexander, Junior Data Scientist at Ascent, shares her journey into data and gives insight for young women to join the tech movement early on and revolutionize female data science
I remember reading an article in Harvard Business Review back in 2012 where data science was dubbed the “Sexiest Job of the 21st Century”. It comes as no surprise that, with booming investment in AI development, the demand for highly-skilled data scientists has risen dramatically in the past 10 years. However, for the majority of my peers who are pondering GCSE, A level or university options, data science is not an attractive career choice – nearly 50% of female STEM students think data science is too theoretical and low-impact, whilst only 55% are well- informed about various opportunities within the field.
Sadly, the gender gap in STEM is not closing fast enough. According to the latest research by PwC UK, 3% of females say a career in technology is their first choice, whilst only 16% of females have had a career in technology suggested to them, compared to 33% of males.
This is a statistic that really resonates with me, as at the beginning of my career, I had no idea what I wanted to do after my A-levels. I thought I could be an architect, and, through various trials, that path eventually led me to data science. I ended up studying Civil Engineering at the University of Bath, where there was a 40:60 female/male ratio, so companies that are looking to hire fantastic data scientists need to invest in this talent pool as early as possible!
What is data science and how to break into it?
Data science may not sound particularly exciting. However, there is much more to it than meets the eye! It’s all about solving real-world problems with data, and despite many people assuming that in order to become a data scientist you have to master deep learning, linear algebra or complex programming, that’s not the case.
Continue reading: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/girls-in-data-inspiring-the-future-of-female-data-science/142235/
I remember reading an article in Harvard Business Review back in 2012 where data science was dubbed the “Sexiest Job of the 21st Century”. It comes as no surprise that, with booming investment in AI development, the demand for highly-skilled data scientists has risen dramatically in the past 10 years. However, for the majority of my peers who are pondering GCSE, A level or university options, data science is not an attractive career choice – nearly 50% of female STEM students think data science is too theoretical and low-impact, whilst only 55% are well- informed about various opportunities within the field.
Sadly, the gender gap in STEM is not closing fast enough. According to the latest research by PwC UK, 3% of females say a career in technology is their first choice, whilst only 16% of females have had a career in technology suggested to them, compared to 33% of males.
This is a statistic that really resonates with me, as at the beginning of my career, I had no idea what I wanted to do after my A-levels. I thought I could be an architect, and, through various trials, that path eventually led me to data science. I ended up studying Civil Engineering at the University of Bath, where there was a 40:60 female/male ratio, so companies that are looking to hire fantastic data scientists need to invest in this talent pool as early as possible!
What is data science and how to break into it?
Data science may not sound particularly exciting. However, there is much more to it than meets the eye! It’s all about solving real-world problems with data, and despite many people assuming that in order to become a data scientist you have to master deep learning, linear algebra or complex programming, that’s not the case.
Continue reading: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/girls-in-data-inspiring-the-future-of-female-data-science/142235/
