Data science certifications are in demand from aspirants from all over the world. The reason is the boom we are observing in the data science jobs, globally. Besides, data analytics job roles are paying incredibly well. The average annual salary of a data scientist in the U.S. is a whopping $95,973, as per Payscale. Although, it’s much more in a few cities of the U.S. that are considered IT hubs like Los Angeles, and New York. 
The median salary of a data scientist in the U.S.
Source: Payscale
There exist multiple reasons to enroll in a data science certification in current times. It enhances your employability, improves your industry knowledge, spikes up your job readiness, and offers you a distinct competitive advantage. The other big advantage with professional data science credentials is that you can acquire them while being in the comfort of your respective homes.
All you need to do is to apply online and prepare for the qualifying examination, which also, is held online. A majority of certification programs in data science offer electronic and physical learning resources for exam preparation, that come in handy not only for clearing the certification exam, but to gain industry-relevant knowledge and skills too, at the same time.
Top 5 Data Science Certifications that Aid Career Growth
CAP (Certified Analytics Professional)
CAP is a vendor-neutral certification program, and hence, very valuable for young data science professionals who are desperately seeking career growth. The credential promises to hone its applicants on the skill of “transforming complex data into actionable actions and insights”. And that’s what recruiters seek for in the current day and age, in a potential data scientist. CAP credentials remain valid for three years from the time of their issuance.
MCSE, or Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert
The MCSE certification in data science is a highly renowned one, and a large percentage of data science aspirants enroll for the same each year. It’s a comprehensive certification to acquire in the data analytics domain, and therefore, constitutes training on a wide array of data science skills.
Under the said certification program, Microsoft offers two kinds of courses to choose from:
- One that is focused on business apps, and
- The other one that teaches data analytics and management.
The credentials remain valid for three years from the date of issuance.
SDS (Senior Data Scientist) by DASCA
SDS from DASCA (Data Science Council of America) is a comprehensive data science credential meant for bright and ambitious professionals holding a considerable experience under their belt in the subject disciplines of data science, business analytics, computing, business intelligence, among other related areas. The globally-recognized credential will help data science career aspirants to enter the booming world of data analytics that is offering its workforce an exceptional pay, apart from the hefty bonuses and other work-related perks.
The credentialing program will help shorten your struggle to reach to the coveted position of a data scientist at a top firm, across any industry of your choice. SDS is recognized as the world’s most valuable third-party vendor-neutral data science credential, custom-designed for those seeking new challenges and bigger-responsibility roles such as data architects, and scientists.
Amazon’s AWS Big Data Certification
If you hold an experience of two years or more, working in the AWS ecosystem, and seeking a move into the analytics domain pertaining to sophisticated datasets, AWS big data certification is custom-made for your career progression.
Having acquired the same, you will become capable of executing on the core AWS big data services in accordance with the best possible architecture. You will learn highly valuable and industry-relevant big data skills relating to the maintenance and designing of data ecosystems. The credential remains valid for two years.
SBDE (Senior Big Data Engineer) by DASCA
It’s among the most reputable 3rd party vendor-neutral credential best suited to experienced software professionals and engineers who would either want to break into the data science space, or already been working in the domain for a couple of years, and now want to move up the career ladder. It’s being offered by DASCA (Data Science Council of America), the globally-recognized accreditation body in the data science domain, whose credentials are valued across 183+ countries in the world.
