Introduction

There is a common misconception that the data scientists who are most likely to succeed are the ones who have the most technical ability. I have been working as a data scientist for almost a decade, and during that period I have been promoted multiple times. Although I do have technical skills, I also have to attribute my success to my non-technical principles.

I don’t agree there is a strong correlation between technical ability and career success, instead, I would rephrase this statement as:

Data scientists are less likely to progress in their data science careers if they do not have/develop their non-technical principles.

Success can be defined in various ways; this could be financial, working for a specific employer, having a good work/life balance, or having a specific job title. Regardless of how you define it, I still believe this statement holds.

The purpose of this article is to discuss key non-technical principles all data scientists should develop to enhance their careers. Principles will be divided…