Data analyst vs data scientist: what's the difference?
Data analysts answer business questions using existing data. Data scientists build models that predict or classify, and run experiments. Analyst is the entry path; scientist usually requires more maths, more coding, and one or two years of analyst work first.
Day-to-day differences
Analysts build dashboards, write reports, and meet stakeholders. Scientists train models, run experiments, and write internal research write-ups. The overlap on day one is small. The overlap at three years is large.
Pay differences
Senior data scientists earn around 20 to 40 percent more than senior analysts in most markets. Junior pay is roughly comparable. The path from analyst to scientist is well-trodden.
Which to start with
Start as an analyst if you do not have a quantitative degree. The analyst toolkit is faster to learn and gets you into the industry quicker. Convert later if you want to.
Related questions
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