While the popular image of a data scientist is one solving cutting-edge problems at a large tech company, data scientists work in every type of organization. In this episode, we talk through five company archetypes, from small start-ups to government contractors to traditional retail companies. We weigh the pros and cons of working at each and debate the career changing question of: "should you be a company's first data scientist?"

What actually *is* data science, and what does a data scientist do? What kind of backgrounds do data scientists come from and what skills do you need to be one? In this episode we start with the basics—declaring once and for all what is data science anyway and exploring how the hype of the field matches reality. We explore the three main areas of data science - analytics, decision science, and machine learning - and help you figure out which is best for YOU.