We live in a digital era and innovative software products and data-driven approaches have completely transformed this digital era. Data Science and Software Development are not the fields that are more popular today but they are the skills for the future. The demand for Data Scientists and Software Developers is consistently rising as companies make huge investments in these sectors. These two areas of expertise have similarities as a few skills requirements are common. However, both are among the most popular fields in Information Technology (IT). The jobs in Data Science and Software Development have been constantly on the rise over the past few years, which clearly shows the emerging popularity and demand of these two fields. But what exactly are these two fields, how are they similar, and what are their differences? What does each of them do? All these things we will discuss in this article. Let’s start with understanding what is a Data Scientist and is a Software Developer.

Data Scientist

One of the fastest-growing domains, Data Science, is a multidisciplinary field that uses various scientific processes and methods to study different kinds of data, including both structured and unstructured data. Data Science has become one of the technology industry’s most in-demand and highest-paying areas in the past few years. It has got a very bright future as a career. This field encompasses disciplines like data inference, algorithm development, and technology to work out analytical problems or provide insights into the data. And to get these insights into data, it uses technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine learning, Data mining, statistics, and other tools. The ultimate goal of a Data Scientist is to detect and analyze any hidden patterns in the available data, use these patterns to predict future behavior, and identify trends. The insights derived by the Data Scientist would lead to action, from creating a specifically targeted marketing campaign to detecting variations in a process. A Data Scientist carries out the vital task of detecting anomalies using extensive data sets.

The role of a Data Scientist requires visualizing and integrating data from multiple sources and analyzing and interpreting it. This requires the ability to work with and analyze complex systems. The typical process adopted by a Data Scientist starts with creating a problem statement. Further, he or she digs deep into the data and analyzes the exploratory data. This is followed by feature engineering, model building, development, and finally interpreting the results obtained. The obtained outcomes help build solutions for the organization’s challenges, making improvements and developments. They immensely help in creating new business strategies or redesigning already existing ones. Some of the major responsibilities of a Data Scientist include the following:

Programming:

Data Scientists know the programming basics, including Java and Python. And they use it to manage websites and adjust data for their organization. They need to be programming experts but understand its fundamentals enough to resolve issues with the program’s code or know when to call for an expert.

Creating data frameworks:

Data Scientists are responsible for creating the framework of their company’s database and intranet system. They also work toward data protection by securing information regarding the organization’s finances, employees, and finances. To protect company processes, they may oversee critical information. They also assess the strength of their data framework through different tests.

Algorithm adjustment:

Data Scientists help different parts of the company’s overall process using algorithms. It may be for creating a new marketing campaign or a product release. Data Scientist plays an important role in helping the experts predict customers’ reaction to the company’s advertisements, marketing campaigns, or new projects using different algorithms.

The working process of Data Scientists starts with the collection of data from different sources. Then they structure the data with the use of programming tools. They then create project blueprints and use algorithms or tools for computing the data. They then build analytical systems and perform exploratory analysis of data. Next, they implement and predict the final model for the business. And finally, they present data to all the stakeholders through visualization tools like graphs, charts, dashboards, etc.

So, we have learned a great deal about Data Scientists. Let us now know about the Software Developer.

Software Developer

This is one of the two most sought-after roles in today’s organizations. With almost every industry driven by technology today, working software for almost every function of an organization has become essential. And the software has to be customized according to the requirements of a specific function or organization. Hence, the necessity for Software Development. Therefore, the demand for Software Developers is constantly on the rise and will only recede for a while.

But what is Software Development? It is a process of developing software by the application of engineering principles. And a Software Developer is a computer science expert who develops information and systems for the organization. The Software Development process involves planning, designing, building, and testing the software to ensure it meets customer requirements. A Software Developer gathers and analyzes the specifications and requirements provided by the customer, designs and builds the software, tests it for functioning, and finally implements it. Software Developers don’t just build new products; they check the existing operations for any bugs and fix the ones they find. They also make improvements in existing Software Development processes. Let us have a look at the major responsibilities of a Software Developer.

Responsibilities of a Software Developer:

A Software Developer creates and installs software solutions per the customer’s requirements. He or she is also responsible for maintaining and improving the existing code bases. They manage the whole Software Development cycle and develop, test, and implement software solutions. They are also responsible for evaluating any problem arising in the Software Development cycle. Software Developers are experts in computer languages. So, they are responsible for writing efficient, verifiable, and reliable codes. Apart from this, they also prepare and publish software updates. They must search for and resolve issues in production and non-production applications besides analyzing and debugging the software. And lastly, they have to analyze complex data models.

A Software Developer designs and builds computer programs. These may be in the shape of an underlying operating system or a new mobile or desktop application. The purpose of developing new software can be to improve the efficiency and productivity of an organization or to create a new mobile game or some other digital architecture.

Now that we know much about Data Scientists and Software Developers let us evaluate and compare them against certain factors.

Outcome:

The revolution in technology over the past few years and the popularity of information technology has meant that a huge amount of data is being extricated worldwide and Data Science has emerged as the solution to handling all this data. The necessity to understand and interpret this data has put Data Scientists in the business domain to analyze the data and provide solutions to organizational problems.

On the other hand, Software Development has become a platform for building software in the information technology industry to make processes easier and less complex. Software Developers build products that are not endangered by bugs. The main objective of a Software Developer is to create products that are helpful in the industry’s growth by using advanced development tools.

The approach used:

Data Science methodology includes data mining and data processing tools to collect, analyze, and interpret the data. The process includes extracting data from a source, transforming and structuring it using various analysis tools, and loading it on the system software to arrive at the solution. Whereas Software Development uses the methodology of the Software Development cycle that includes planning, designing, building, and testing the software before finally implementing it.

Tools used:

A Data Scientist uses data mining and extraction tools and data visualization and analysis tools to arrive at organizational solutions. A Software Developer, on the other hand, uses tools like programming, Software Development, application, integration processes, and algorithms to create solutions.

Working environment:

Data Scientists and Software Developers work in different environments. While a Data Scientist works in a business environment to find problem areas and their solutions through diligent analysis and interpretation of data. Their main objective is to help grow business and plug the leaks in operations.

Software Developers work in a technological environment in the field of technology applications to build high-quality working software with the help of Software Development tools.

Role and responsibilities:

This is a major difference between Data Scientists and Software Developers. The main area of responsibility of a Data Scientist is focused on algorithms of data, business plans, and machine learning. They build dashboards that will track the journey of the problem to its solution. They use the approach of Data Science to achieve this end.

The Software Developer role focuses on building high-quality applications through engineering and re-engineering processes to fulfill the customer’s needs. They work through a step-by-step process, including coding, testing, and reviewing.

Skills needed:

The skills required for the two profiles also differ. For a Data Scientist role, you must acquire skills like machine learning, algorithm, big data, Structured Query Language (SQL), data mining, and analytical tools. These skills are essential to start the process right from data mining and take it through transformation to modeling.

Software Developers need skills like programming languages, building, and configuration tools. They must understand customer specifications and requirements and interpret them correctly to develop the right solution.

In the emerging scenario, Data Scientists and Software Developers are becoming crucial profiles for almost all organizations. As you have seen, both roles require different skills, approaches, and knowledge and have different working environments. Both are different in the results they achieve and the methodology they employ. But we would like to reiterate that both are in high demand and are critical to every business.

So, the pick is yours. If you are statistically minded and love to dig deep into data, then Data Science is the field for you. But if you are a creative being and building new things excites you, then Software Development is for you. So, go ahead, choose, and have a fulfilling career.