From personalised shopping suggestions to space exploration, data science is key to unlocking the latest technologies
Ever wondered how Spotify knows your taste in music so well? Or how Netflix knows what you want to watch? It’s all thanks to data science.
Data science uses different techniques to collect, organise and explore large sets of information to make patterns. This allows businesses to make informed decisions and personalise their products for you. Data science is used in everything from healthcare, to sports and retail. NASA even uses data science for space exploration!
There are three main career categories in data science: data entry, data analysis and data science. These can be split up based on our earlier definition of collecting (data entry), organising (data analysis) and exploring (data science).
#1 Entry point
Data entry is collecting data and inputting it into organised systems such as databases or spreadsheets. Types of data can range from customer names to addresses, and financial details to transcribed audio.
#2 Finding answers
Data analysis is about organising, cleaning and studying data to answer specific questions. It can provide businesses with useful insights, such as the bestperforming products or the least-watched shows. Careers that use data analysis skills include astrophysicist, bioinformatician, infrastructure architect and many more.
#3 Making sense of the world
Data scientists create models with coding, statistics and AI to solve big problems and shape our future. For example, the Wyss Institute in Boston is using AI to develop artificial bees that can help with crop pollination, climate monitoring and more! Data science is a fast-growing world spanning many industries. Plus, data scientists can be well paid, and are in high demand! So if you enjoy using maths and technology to solve problems, this could be the career for you!
Potential Employers:
Read more:
- Natural with numbers: Maths & Data + Environment careers
- Will AI replace your maths teacher?
- The A–Z of maths careers
A version of this article also appears in our latest issue of Careers with STEM: Maths and Data 2025.
