The reason the skills matrix seems overwhelming is because there is no true singular "data scientist" role. It's a title that's been abused. So my answer is, it

The reason the skills matrix seems overwhelming is because there is no true singular "data scientist" role. It's a title that's been abused. So my answer is, it depends a lot on the TYPE of data scientist you want to become: - Data Scientist MIGHT mean Applied ML Scientist (important distinction) - Data Scientist MIGHT mean Data Engineer - Data Scientist MIGHT mean ML Engineer - Data Scientist MIGHT mean Data Analyst - Data Scientist MIGHT mean Statistician - Data Scientist MIGHT mean Product Analyst The traditional idea of a data scientist for the last decade or so is someone who is able to do insight extraction, create models (ML and otherwise) and build dashboard and presentations. In practice this has mostly proved to not be practical and little value is being extracted from the role, so a mature organization will properly break out the responsibilities into the above mentioned functional areas. I think it's super important that you reach out to industry data scientists at companies or in domains you're interested in and ask them what it is that they actually do on the daily. Be careful with most data science roles as they are really just data analyst roles in disguise. Very few true data "science" roles exist, and I'd argue that might you not actually want to work in those roles since they likely exist in companies that have no idea what they want out of them. That being said I think the 2 absolutely crucial technical skills to have for almost any modern data related job will be: - Python + Pandas - SQL That's really going to be the technical foundation to make a data career in industry. The breadth of other skills and required knowledge is too much for any single person or post to tell you. I'm not entirely sure what your PhD is in, but if it has an associated domain in industry and if you're actually interested in that domain, I would recommend starting there and seeing what Data Scientists with similar academic backgrounds as you might be doing. LinkedIn is a great place to find people and connect! Best of luck.