Understanding Data+

Before we dive into specific domains covered by the test and how it is structured, we should briefly discuss what the Data+ certification is and why you should obtain it, as well as why data science is a good field to enter right now. It is important to have a clear understanding of your motivations before you begin.

CompTIA Data+: DAO-001

CompTIA is an organization known for professional and technical certifications, particularly in the field of cybersecurity. The certifications they provide indicate that a person has the knowledge and skill set to perform a specific task. Earning one of these certifications means that you have more credibility in the field and are more likely to be able to enter or move up in the field of your choice. Data+: DAO-001 is the first certification CompTIA has created for data science. It is also one of the first data science certifications by any of the major professional certification companies. This is a major step in standardizing terminology and roles within the field.

Because data science is still a developing field, people are coming in from all sorts of educational and professional backgrounds. What this means is that employers are often not sure what specifically they need to look for and so certifications are becoming more important. As we have seen with some other technical fields, such as cybersecurity, it is difficult to get employed no matter what your background is, unless you have a certification from a recognized organization such as CompTIA.

Important note

Data+: DAO-001 is a vendor-neutral exam. Because data science is so varied, no one tool or software is used in every role. To reflect this, no specific programming language is required to pass this exam. That said, this book uses popular tools or programming languages as examples to help explain certain concepts. These examples are only one way to reach a solution and are meant to reflect broader concepts. You should practice using the tools with which you are most comfortable.

Okay, we’ve established that the CompTIA Data+: DAO-001 certification will help your data science career, but why should you enter the field of data science anyway?

Data science

Data science as a field is simply analyzing data to answer specific questions to help people make better decisions. It involves a little bit of statistics, a moderate amount of programming, and a lot of critical thinking. The concept has been around for a long time; the term data science has even been around since the 1960s. But it is only in the last few years that companies have gotten access to more data than they know what to do with. Large companies aren’t the only ones with a lot of data anymore. Now, medium and even small companies are quickly gathering or purchasing large datasets. All these companies, large or small, now need professionals to store, access, analyze, and report on all this information.

Almost every list you find of the fastest-growing careers in the world will mention data scientist, or one of the other specialties in the data science domain, such as data analyst, data engineer, database administrator, research analyst, statistician, or half a dozen other job titles that end in analyst. It has been gaining in popularity this past decade and is only expected to continue growing in the next decade.

Data science is an exciting field that is quickly changing and developing, with new programs and techniques coming out every year. As the field continues to grow, there will be more and more jobs and opportunities for those who have the right skills and the right certifications. Now that we know why the test is important, let’s talk about what this exam covers.