JOB ROLE

Data scientist: certifications, study paths and pay

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You use statistics and machine learning to find patterns and build models that predict or explain outcomes.

See practice tests for this roleWhat does it pay?
US$120,230 US median pay4 practice-test exams2 study paths

What you do

  • Explore data and test hypotheses
  • Train and evaluate models
  • Present findings and work with engineers to put models into use

Skills that matter

  • Python and statistics
  • Machine learning methods
  • Experiment design
  • Communication of uncertainty

What does this role pay?

Lowest 10 percent earn less thanUS$67,240
Median per yearUS$120,230
Highest 10 percent earn more thanUS$199,130

United States, May 2025, annual wages for the closest official occupation: Data scientists, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay grows with experience, scope and certifications. Pay in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries is different, so check local job boards and salary guides. These figures are a guide, not an offer or a promise of pay.

Practice tests that fit this role

Certifications that appear most often alongside this role. Start with the first one if you are new to it.

AssociateAWS MLA-C025 tests · 425 questionsAssociateNVIDIA NCA-GENL5 tests · 250 questionsIntermediateCompTIA Data+5 tests · 450 questionsAssociateDatabricks GenAI Engineer Associate5 tests · 225 questions

Study paths that lead here

STUDY PATH

AI path: from foundations to builder

View roadmap →

STUDY PATH

Data and analytics path

View roadmap →

Job titles this page covers

  • Applied scientist (junior)
  • Data scientist
  • Data scientist (junior)
  • Data scientist in training
  • Data scientist moving into production work
  • Junior data scientist

Employers use many names for similar work. Requirements vary by employer and country, and a certificate supports your application but does not guarantee a job.

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