Technology & Computing
Data Scientist
You find patterns in numbers and help people make better decisions.
- Starting salary
- R22 000 – R40 000
- Job demand
- Growing fast
- Key subjects
- Mathematics, Information Technology
What do they do?
You find patterns in numbers and help people make better decisions.
A day in the life
You clean data, build models, make charts and explain what the numbers mean to the rest of the team.
Skills you need
- Mathematics
- Curiosity
- Storytelling with numbers
- Coding
- Critical thinking
School subjects that help
- Mathematics
- Information Technology
- Physical Sciences
- Economics
How long does it take?
3 main steps after school, usually 3–6 years of study, plus practical experience.
Study path
- 1High school
- 2Degree in stats, maths or computer science
- 3Data analyst
- 4Data scientist
Ways in: University degree · University of Technology · Professional certification. University is not the only route.
Where can I study?
- University of Cape Town
- University of the Witwatersrand
- Stellenbosch University
- University of Pretoria
- University of KwaZulu-Natal
- University of South Africa
Admission requirements differ by institution, always check the official website.
What can I earn?
Entry level
R22 000 – R40 000
per month (estimate)
Mid career
R45 000 – R75 000
per month (estimate)
Experienced / senior
R80 000 – R140 000+
per month (estimate)
Estimated salary ranges only. Salaries vary based on experience, qualification, industry, location and employer.
How to start preparing now
- • Play with spreadsheets and make charts
- • Track something for 30 days and graph it
- • Learn basic Python
Try this career
Survey 20 classmates about a topic and turn the answers into three charts.
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This tool is designed to help you explore career possibilities. It does not replace professional career counselling, school guidance or official university admission requirements.