7 Types of Gigs You Can Do as A Freelance Data Scientist

Build a better portfolio, develop your expertise, and earn money

Let’s be honest, being a data scientist in 2021 is not easy. Although the demand for data scientists is still high, and the supply is also as high, finding a job in data science can be very challenging and, at times, frustrating. If you’re a data science newbie, who just got done learning the basics, built a few projects, and is ready to apply for jobs, then you know that getting a job is not that easy.

Even entry data science jobs require some experience — I will not get into how that doesn't make sense. But, to gain the experience required to land a job, you need to have a job or have an impressive project portfolio. So, how can you gain that experience without actually getting a data science role in industry or academia?

One of the great options for data scientists today, both newcomers and experts are freelancing. Being a data science freelancer gives you a lot of freedom to choose your projects and control your time and wage. It is also a great choice for beginners looking for more practical experience by building real-life projects.

It can also be a great choice for those wanting to be their own boss or those wanting to work remotely in other countries. As a freelance data scientist, you will come across different types of gigs (freelance jobs/ projects) that you can apply for/ bid on based on your preferences and knowledge base.

If you’re looking for a freelance data science job, you can find plantly of posting on websites like UpWork, Topal, Angelist, Coding Ninjas, or simply use the LinkedIn Jobs finder with job type “contract.” In this article, we will explore some of the options you may find on these websites.

№1: Data visualization projects

We will start with the most common gig you will find, and it requires a hint of creativity, visualization projects. Many startups and people look for data scientists to create efficient visualization that makes communicating the data easier and better.

Gigs for data visualization projects, you will find requests for creating interactive graphs, dashboards using a specific technology, like Tableau, Power bi, or any other tool. Data visualization gigs average start from $58/ hour or higher, depending on the experience level, quality, and work speed.

№2: Teaching and tutoring

Next up is one of my personal favorites and an option that I did more than all others, which is teaching or tutoring data science topics. If you know the basics of data science or you’re comfortable with in-depth topics, you can offer to teach these topics to others.

This option also covers mentoring and supervising projects. I found teaching to be the best way to help others better understand data science and programming topics while improving your own. You can specify an hourly rate for sessions, often starting from $15/ hour and go up to $60 or $80. The session duration based on your client's needs.

№3: Data cleaning

When dealing with data science projects, one of the essential first steps is data cleaning, which basically means putting the data in a format that can be used later to implement different algorithms. Unfortunately, this task is often routine and boring, and some data scientists may hire others to do it for them to focus on modeling.

Data cleaning jobs often require some knowledge of data manipulation, the ability to obtain the relation between the different columns, and how to spot anomalies and trends. Starting pay for this kind of task varies from $50~$90 based on the complexity of the dataset.

№4: Build data models

Next up is a type of gig that will help you build more practical knowledge and a stronger portfolio, which is designing, building, and developing data models. You will need to implement either machine learning, artificial inelegance, or big data algorithms to accomplish a specific task in this kind of gig.

This may also include building bots, recommendation systems, or any other specific data science application. The good thing about this kind of project is it can be very lucrative, some projects can make thousands of dollars, and some may require multiple months' commitment.

№5: Research

This is a special kind of gig; it focuses more on conducting customer research that will help to design the model and extracting the data. This includes conducting surveys and analyzing results. It might also include creating prototypes and propose implementation solutions for specific problems.

If you like dealing with data, ask questions that can make the project better, and help the customer get the product they need, then this type of gig may be for you. Such gigs pay anywhere from $50~ $200 based on your experience and the project's complexity.

№6: Consulting

Next up is a gig mostly for experienced data scientists or those who work in academia or research, which is consulting. In consulting gigs, the clients choose you based on your expertise in a specific topic. They will ask you questions about possible paths and solutions, ask for feedback and maybe even perform some analysis.

This kind of gig is one of the highest paying freelance gigs you can find, and you can set the hourly rate based on what you think fits, and if the clients think it’s a fair price for your knowledge, they will pay it gladly.

№7: Content writer

Last but not least, a gig that’s related to teaching, and my go-to gig, content writing. Data science and programming are gaining a lot of popularity, and people from all levels look for resources to expand their knowledge and learn new topics. One way they can do that is by reading blog posts or technical tutorials.

Many websites that post technical content are always looking for people who can communicate complex information in an easy-to-understand way. And they often pay a good amount for these articles, often starting from $75~$500 and even more based on the length of the article and its quality.

Final Thoughts

If you ever tried to job hunt for any role, not even only data science roles, then you must have found landing a role somewhat of a challenge. Often, you apply for jobs, you may get lucky and get a reply, or you may not hear back. The requirements are often impractical; you look for entry jobs that require experience, which you can’t get without a job. Even internships are not easy to land.

So, how can you gain experience and develop your skills if you can’t land a job? One way you can do that is to start by being a freelance data scientist. As a freelance data scientist, you can choose the projects you work on; you can specify your wage and build a portfolio that you can then use to apply for industry roles.

In this article, we went through some of the most common data science gigs that you will find on websites, and you can apply for. Then, based on your preferences and your goal, whether to build more projects, enhance your learning skills, or earn some money, you can choose which of the roles we have been through best suits your preferences.