What is a Data Science Internship?

Are you a numbers whizz? Do you love to crack code? If so, hop on board the data science train and become a data science intern! Imagine working with robots and getting them to recognise human behaviours. Now that is cool.

If you want to work in data science, the UK is a great place to pursue those dreams. Home to one of the world’s best AI firms, there are tons of opportunities if you’re thinking about a career in this industry. 

By learning how to extract information from raw or structured data, you’ll be making a real impact on businesses and their decision making. That’s pretty awesome if you ask us.

Want to get your foot through the door and make a difference in tech? Read our guide to IT Internships and Placements.

• How do you crack a data science internship?
• What is the role of a data science intern?
• Which internship is best for data science?
• Can a fresher be a data scientist?
• Is data science high paying?

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How do you crack a data science internship?

Internships have so many benefits. You’ll meet great people, learn from professionals in your field and add skills to the bank that’ll set you up for life. Did you know that approximately 70% of employers offer their interns full-time jobs?

As a data science intern, you’ll combine advanced analytics and scientific principles to back up your theories. So you’ll need specialist skills and training to prepare you for your role. Like these…

Statistical and probability

Statistical and probability skills are essential if you want to work in data science. So if linear regression, probability distribution and maximum likelihood estimation are not your thing, dust those hefty books off the shelves and get reading!

Programming

Programming is an important part of data science. Ever heard of ‘Python’ and ‘R’ before? 

‘Python’ is a programming language that’s used for website development and task automation by companies like Google and Netflix. 

‘R’ is an open-source scripting language that plays a huge part in data analysis and statistical computing.

Data management and data wrangling

Data Management is an admin-related process that involves extracting, transforming and loading data into a data warehouse. 

Data Wrangling (aka data remediation) is all about restructuring complex data to make it useful for analysis.

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What is the role of a data science intern?

As a data science intern, you’ll support scientists, computer programmers and research analysts in collecting and reviewing data.

Responsibilities

Other than interpreting data to identify patterns and trends, you’ll have responsibilities like:

• Writing and delivering reports
• Creating visualisations
• Improving predictive models and crafting others
• Working with clients to understand their needs and goals
• Recognising growth within an organisation by analysing data on customer preferences and buying habits.

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“As a Data Analyst within one of the teams in the Global Data Department, I worked pretty much on 2 different projects throughout my internship. The first part of the project involved business intelligence: analysing data and building dashboards to aid management decision making, and the second part involved extensive data wrangling, manipulation and feature engineering.There were lots of opportunities to learn across different teams, from leaders across the firm, and also, from different communities within the firm.”

(Global Data Analyst, Bloomberg)

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Which internship is best for data science?

The digital age has come, folks! And by the looks of things, it’s here to stay. So if you want to work in data science and get the ball rolling as a data science intern, now is your chance. 

Our Best 100 Student Employers list is a great place to find those companies that go above and beyond. It’s based on thousands of honest reviews written by students on placements, internships and insight schemes.

So if you need a helping hand kick-starting your job search, but aren’t sure where to begin, make sure to check it out.

We’ve hand-picked some of the best companies for data science internships below…

• G-Research
• Bank of America
• Arcadis
• EDF Trading
• Natwest Group
• UBS
• Deloitte

G-Research

G-Research is Europe’s leading research and technology firm. But what do they do? They use data analysis and machine learning to predict future activities in financial markets. Pretty cool, right?

By joining their fantastic data science internship programme in London, you’ll get to apply your scientific knowledge and develop solutions to some complex data problems.

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Want to know what it’s like to work at the company? Watch this video.

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Can a fresher be a data scientist?

Data science is a very competitive field, so you’ll need to be persistent if you want that breakthrough. Remember, nobody becomes a data scientist overnight.

You’ll start as a fresher in an entry level role and work your way up. If this career path is your calling, it’s totally worth it. Before considering a career in this industry, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you fascinated by numbers, figures and graphs?
• Can you program without difficulty?
• Do you understand statistical calculations like Measures of Central Tendency and Standard Deviation?

Programming languages

Also, make sure you’re comfortable with programming languages like JavaScript, MATLAB or Scala. Knowledge is power. So the more you know, the more you’ll bring to the table. And the easier your internship will be. 

Portfolio

Lastly, don’t forget to build a portfolio. Portfolios can make all the difference when it comes to getting hired. Having one will give employers a taste of your work and show them you’re the best candidate for the job. 

Ideally, you should have a few projects on the go. One in data cleaning, another in data preparation and a visualisation project too.

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Is data science high paying?

Data science is a rewarding career with strong earning potential, especially for those in more senior positions. If you’re starting your career as a data scientist, you’ll earn £25,000 to £30,000 a year. Once you’ve gained experience, you’ll earn around £40K – £60K.

If you go the extra mile and become a chief data scientist, you could bag yourself an eye-watering £100,000 a year. Yes, you read that right.

Alongside your salary, you may even get benefits like:

• Pension scheme
• Seasonal bonuses
• Medical insurance

So… what do you think? Ready to take the leap?

Your data science internship awaits …

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