Data Discourse Over The Years

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Data discourse over the years

You will encounter the terms “data science” and “data analytics” throughout this program.
Although these disciplines can be quite different in their scope, industry professionals often
use them interchangeably. It’s important to examine the similarities and differences between
data science and data analytics to better understand the data career field and where your skills
fit. In this reading, you’ll learn more about data science, data analytics, and how the data
profession has evolved over time.
What is data science vs. data analytics

Data science is an entire field dedicated to making data more useful. A data scientist is a
professional that uses raw data to develop new ways to model data and understand the
unknown. Often, their job responsibilities incorporate various components of computer
science, predictive analytics, statistics, and machine learning. The collections of information
that data scientists work with can be quite large, requiring expertise to organize and navigate.
Data analytics is a subfield of the larger data science discipline. The aim of data analytics is
to create methods to capture, process, and organize data to uncover actionable insights for
current problems. Analysts focus on processing the information stored in existing datasets
and establishing the best way to present this data. Data analysts rely on statistics and data
modeling to solve problems and offer recommendations that can lead to immediate
improvements.
The following table presents a side-by-side comparison:
The connections between data science and data analytics

Data science and data analytics share a fundamental goal: discover insights that can be used
to lead an organization to improve and grow. They are closely connected with information
gathered through interactions within the measurable world. As data projects become more
complicated, organizations are discovering the advantages of assembling data teams, bringing
data analysts and data scientists together. Within these highly-collaborative working
environments, data scientists and data analysts work on common tasks using similar software
packages, tools, and programming languages. Additionally, the responsibilities of data
scientists and data analysts are impacted by a company’s resources, budgetary constraints,
and other factors which vary depending on the organization and industry. The commonalities
between data science and data analytics within the workplace explain why practitioners and
industry professionals often use the two titles interchangeably. This has also extended to job
postings.
The data professional in the data career space

This program uses a few terms when addressing data science and data analytics professionals.
The term data professional is used when referring to data scientists and analysts
collectively. Data analytics professional is used to highlight positions where the
majority of tasks focus on data analytical processes. The data career space functions
as an inclusive term referencing the spectrum of jobs and careers in data science and related
areas. The intention for these descriptors is to serve as inclusive labels—enabling the
broadest possible grouping of data science and data analytics related jobs and titles.
Career opportunities for data professionals span a wide range of industries. Each with their
individualized needs, demands, and responsibilities. It’s possible for two employees with the
same job title at two different organizations to have different roles and tasks. To help clarify
how careers across data science and data analytics are described in this program, the data
career space is used to collectively refer to the variety of careers and job opportunities
available to those with data science skills.
The data career space over time

So far, you’ve been considering how data science and data analytics work together in the data
career space. This field has also been evolving and changing over time as technology, data
storage, data analysis, and communication has changed. Progress in the field means that data
professionals need to learn to adapt and evolve to build and define careers within this space—
and understanding how the data career space has evolved so far can help you do just that.
1965
In 1965, the world’s population was 3.3 billion. The Mariner 4 spacecraft took the first
close-up pictures of Mars. The first commercial communications satellite allowed nearly
instantaneous contact between Europe and North America.
1985
In 1985, the world’s population was 4.8 billion. The internet’s domain name system was
created. A hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica was discovered. DNA is first used in a
criminal case.
2005
In 2005, the world’s population was 6.5 billion. The first video was uploaded to YouTube.
NASA’s Deep Impact space probe impacted a comet in motion.
Today
Today the world’s population is around 8 billion. The James Webb Space Telescope is
expanding our knowledge of the universe’s earliest moments.
Key takeaways
Data science and data analytics are distinct but connected fields that have developed over
time in the evolving data career space. Organizations often use these terms interchangeably
when hiring, so being able to recognize the similarities and differences between the two
professions will help you identify opportunities that are aligned with your particular skill set.
That’s why, throughout this course, you will learn more about the data career space as a
whole and how data analytics professionals work within that space.
Prepare to assess your readiness for the
Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate
The Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate is a program for everyone interested in
advanced concepts in data analysis. However, a background in data analytics is a useful
foundation for many of the concepts that will be taught in these courses. We have created a
quiz that will enable you to assess your readiness and to decide if you would like to proceed
with the certificate or review some foundations first.
The quiz will ask questions about how comfortable you are with the following data analytics
concepts:
 General data analytics principles and data types

 Data strategy
 Data integrity and data cleaning
 Programming languages
 Data visualization, dashboards, and sharing insights with others
If you are coming to this program from the Google Data Analytics Certificate or you have
worked in a data analytics field, you may already be familiar with these concepts. That’s
great! This quiz is just a way to double-check that you’re prepared to succeed. Plus, it will
provide you with some resources to give you a refresher before moving on.
To help you decide if you’re ready for this course:
 Take the optional readiness quiz.

 Refer to the scoring guide to determine if you’re prepared for the Advanced Data
Analytics content. A score of 80% or higher is the target goal for readiness for these
courses.
 Based on your individual score, follow the recommendations in the scoring guide for
your next steps.
If you are confident that you have the prerequisite knowledge and experience for this
certificate, you can skip the readiness quiz after this reading and move directly to the next
activity, which is the weekly wrap-up video located at the beginning of the next lesson.
Glossary terms from module 1

Terms and definitions from Course 1, Module 1
Data professional: Any individual who works with data and/or has data skills
Data science: The discipline of making data useful
Data stewardship: The practices of an organization that ensure that data is accessible,
usable, and safe
Edge computing: A way of distributing computational tasks over a bunch of nearby

processors (i.e., computers) that is good for speed and resiliency and does not depend on a
single source of computational power
Jupyter Notebook: An open-source web application used to create and share documents
that contain live code, equations, visualizations, and narrative text
Machine learning: The use and development of algorithms and statistical models to teach
computer systems to analyze patterns in data
Metrics: Methods and criteria used to evaluate data
Python: A general-purpose programming language

Data Discourse Over The Years

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Data Discourse Over The Years

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109900855008250000

Data discourse over the years

What is data science vs. data analytics

The following table presents a side-by-side comparison:

The connections between data science and data analytics

The data professional in the data career space

The data career space over time

 General data analytics principles and data types

To help you decide if you’re ready for this course:

 Take the optional readiness quiz.

Glossary terms from module 1

Data science: The discipline of making data useful

Edge computing: A way of distributing computational tasks over a bunch of nearby

Metrics: Methods and criteria used to evaluate data

Python: A general-purpose programming language

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