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Low Risk Growing +35%

Data Scientist

Data Scientists analyze complex datasets using statistical methods and machine learning to extract insights and build predictive models.

Data Scientist has an AI risk score of 18/100 (Low Risk). The median salary is $125,000 with 200,000 people employed. The safest transition path is Machine Learning Engineer with a risk score of 15/100.

$125,000
Median Salary
200,000
Total Employed
3
Career Transitions
AI Risk Score
0 %
Low Risk

Safer than 89% of jobs in our database

How we calculate this score →
Pivot Score 78/100

Strong pivot potential — many safe, transferable career paths available.

Recommended Courses

Start your transition today with these courses

★ Start Here Andrew Ng

Machine Learning Specialization

Stanford/Coursera

Duration 3 months
Price $49/month
Rating ★ 4.9

Skills You'll Learn

Supervised LearningNeural NetworksML Strategy
Enroll Now →

Deep Learning Specialization

DeepLearning.AI

Duration 5 months
Price $49/month
Rating ★ 4.8

Skills You'll Learn

CNNsRNNsTransformersMLOps
Enroll Now →
National Certification

Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT)

ASCP

Duration 2 years
Price $8,000/year
Rating ★ 4.7

Skills You'll Learn

Clinical Lab SkillsHematologyMicrobiology
Enroll Now →

Job Market Data

Real trends from multiple job platforms

Moderate Demand

Listing Trends

5 sources tracked
🇺🇸 United States
vs. Feb 2026
21K listings
-7%
🇩🇪 Germany
vs. Feb 2026
1.3K listings
+1%
🇫🇷 France
vs. Feb 2026
1.9K listings
+6%
🇪🇸 Spain
vs. Feb 2026
258 listings
+6%
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
vs. Feb 2026
8.2K listings
+4%
Sources: AdzunaArbeitsagenturFrance TravailReedJooble
Updated Mar 18, 2026

Career Outlook

Why this is a strong career choice

Job Outlook
Growing +35%
AI Resistance Score
8/10 High
Market Demand
Stable Demand

Why This Career Is AI-Resistant

Building AI requires human data scientists

Novel problems need creative problem-solving

Business context and stakeholder communication

Research and innovation cannot be automated

Strong choice for career changers

Career Transitions

Safe career paths based on your existing skills

Machine Learning Engineer

15%
Salary Change +20%
Skill Overlap 85%
Time to Transition 6-12 months

Skills to Learn

MLOpsProduction SystemsSoftware Engineering

Your first step

Look up a free MLOps course or tutorial — one evening is enough to know if this path fits you.

Best Match

Principal Data Scientist

10%
Salary Change +40%
Skill Overlap 90%
Time to Transition 3-5 years

Skills to Learn

Research LeadershipStrategyMentorship

Your first step

Look up a free Research Leadership course or tutorial — one evening is enough to know if this path fits you.

Clinical Laboratory Scientist

25%
Salary Change +45%
Skill Overlap 80%
Time to Transition 1-2 years

Skills to Learn

Advanced Lab TechniquesQuality AssuranceCertification

Your first step

Look up a free Advanced Lab Techniques course or tutorial — one evening is enough to know if this path fits you.

Need help making the switch?

Talk to a mentor who's been through a similar career change.

Find a Mentor