Solving the data science conundrum

South Africa is facing a shortage of data scientists – a new breed of analytical data experts with the technical skills to solve complex problems. They're part mathematician, part computer scientist and part trend-spotter. And, because they straddle both the business and IT worlds, they're highly sought-after and well paid. The demand for data scientists is being driven by the emergence of big data – that unwieldy mass of unstructured information that can no longer be ignored and forgotten. It's a potential gold mine for companies – as long as there's someone who can dig in and unearth the business insights that no one thought to look for before.