How I DOUBLED My Salary: Data Analyst to Data Scientist in 3 Years (UK)

[@LeonLokk]

Thanks for watching! Let me know if you're also looking to transition into data science. 0:00 - Intro 0:53 - Background 1:52 - My First Data Analyst Job 3:59 - Getting a Master's in Data Science 4:58 - My First Data Scientist Job

[@robbiedeegan3121]

Great stuff Leon! Enjoyed the personal insight. Finding your 1st real data scientist job is a lot more work than (usually) advertised

[@LeonLokk]

Very true, getting people to give you a chance is usually the hardest. Glad you enjoyed it Robbie!

[@muhumuza134]

Hey, Leon nice to hear your story. I'm about to complete my bachelor's degree in business computing and I would like to do a master's in computer science. How do you think that boosts my chance of becoming a data scientist because I know the two courses share a fair amount of modules. Thanks

[@LeonLokk]

Thanks! I'd say it would definitely increase your chances. The only thing I'd recommend is making sure that you do enough core maths modules needed for data science, and not just focus on the computer science side of things.

[@muhumuza134]

@@LeonLokk Thank you, this info is invaluable. Gonna think deeply about this.

[@Xarishher]

I have a question I'm in year 11 in the UK studying for GCSEs - for my A-Levels I'm picking Maths , Further Maths , Chemistry and Biology. I picked Maths , Further Maths and chemistry as it leads me into a finance/Data Science Career.I chose Biology as a back up for medical if I have to / want to drop out 1 subject for the 2nd/3rd years.So my question is do you these A - LEVELS subjects are suitable for Data-Analyst/Scientist - however I do not have any knowledge in Computer Science as I didn't pick it for GCSEs however I might pick it for A-Levels reading either Chemistry or Biology if it is essential for the job...

[@LeonLokk]

I did maths, further maths and biology A-Levels too without any knowledge of computer science. I only learnt computer science formally during my master's degree. I'd say maths and further maths are the most important subjects for data analyst or data scientist roles. Computer science is something that you can learn at university. It's also one of the few subjects where you can get quite far just by having a good portfolio. One of my regrets is not picking a degree that combines maths with computer science, but I don't know if not having a computer science A-Level will affect your chances of entering such a course. You could drop chemistry or biology and pick computer science if you're certain that you don't want to enter the medical field, but that's something that only you can decide based on your own interests. Good luck with your studies! :)

[@Fr0s7y.]

So you were already from a tech background. Here I'm trying to go from a finance background to data science 😭 I dont know if that even possible

[@LeonLokk]

I have a maths background and worked in a payday loans company (finance) so I wouldn't say I have a tech background. I tend to see a lot of data scientist roles in finance so you might actually find it easier to enter data science with a finance background 🙂

[@SJ-vx2hr]

I'm currently doing maths too at uni. Do you think its possible to become a Data Scientist without doing a masters with perhaps only 2 years of analyst working experience?

[@LeonLokk]

Yes, I think you don't need a master's to become a data scientist. It really depends on what kind of data analyst experience you have though. What I will say is that a master's in data science (or anything analytical) will allow you to at least pass the initial screening process. Whether that will hold true in the coming years is questionable, and whether it's worth the time and money will really depend on your own circumstances.

[@NurulIslam-jq9kh]

I’m a data analyst at a large tech consultancy company but I want to become a data scientist. What do you think of doing a masters degree part time in data science whilst working? A bit more on your plate but I feel like that would be a really good route to consider for someone in a similar position.

[@LeonLokk]

I agree, I think it's a great route to consider. Personally, I'd rather take the time out to focus solely on studying data science (which is obviously what I did) but I completely get why some would want to do it part-time instead. If gaining more work experience and keeping an income is important to you, and you can handle the extra stress and workload of the master's, then go for it 🙂

[@nikitakraev]

Being a BI Developer myself and looking towards Data Science world...would you mind sharing a rough salary ball park (UK) since you mentioned doubling the salary. Thanks

[@LeonLokk]

My analyst job had a typical graduate salary of around £20-25k. Since I'm not sure if I'm allowed to disclose specific information about my current salary, I think you can do the maths now 🙂

[@mariyyahassan1078]

Hi thanks for sharing, I got an offer from Morgan Stanley to do level 4 equity research data analyst. The starting salary is 26k but it’s only 18 months and after that I don’t know what to so. Do you think it’s worth it or should I take an offer of accounting with big 4 instead?

[@LeonLokk]

It really depends on what you want your career path to be. In my opinion, if you want to go down the data analyst / data scientist route, then I'd take the analyst position at Morgan Stanley and then look for something else once I have some experience. But this is under the assumption that it's an entry-level role, and you're okay with the level and salary.

[@manoulomanoulo7]

Hey nice video! I am looking for data analytics jobs in the UK but I don't have a Visa. How hard is for employers to sponsor me a Visa as a skilled worker? I have studied in the UK Maths and Computing. Thanks.

[@LeonLokk]

Thanks Alekos! I'd love to help but unfortunately I don't know much about getting visas to work in the UK (I'm a British citizen). However, I do have some international friends from university who managed to get jobs in the UK at larger companies. They said the process was difficult, but it wasn't impossible.

[@Anil75987]

Did you ever think about becoming an actuary?

[@LeonLokk]

I did! I actually considered it as a potential career option when I was a maths undergrad... until I started struggling on the advanced finance modules 😂

[@constantint9595]

It's a secret the wage? Or approximate

[@LeonLokk]

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to disclose specific information about my current salary. My analyst job had a typical graduate salary of around £20-25k, so I think you can do the maths 🙂

[@deepakmalhotra2880]

What is the point of this video. There's no useful information here. "How I DOUBLED my salary ...": I did a master's. Thats the entire video. Nothing useful here.

[@LeonLokk]

I explained the point of this video in the first 5 seconds. Appreciate the feedback though!