Comments on: What Jobs Are There in Data Visualization?

By: Simon Wells » Data Visualisation: Making a Living

Simon Wells » Data Visualisation: Making a Living — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:09:02 +0000

[...] Â A useful article that suggests ways to make a living doing data visualisation. [...]

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:21:01 +0000

Hi Nathan – Another way to find work is to think in terms of industry verticals. Think anything to do with “management” / “infrastructure” / “finances.” I personally know people who do a lot of visualization work in Business mgmt consultancies, Financial services and brokerages, Utilities, defense/DARPA, and of course, dedicated software companies. As importantly – for every one of these verticals, there is a plethora of companies looking to provide software or services for them.

In terms of earning a living, I personally have worked for software design consultancies and small software companies. I’ve worked all over the map on projects, from network-security to financial applications to business analytics. Granted, I’m not totally focused on data visualization, but I would say that I’ve spent roughly 50% of my 11 working years on some form of it. In my experience, there are only a very few dedicated jobs – I personally know 2 professors, 1 freelancer, 2 people who work for well-known print outlets, and 2 people who work for large software companies that have the title “visualization something or other.” However, many software developers and designers I know spend most of their time doing this work (it’s not in their title, but part of their job). IMO, there’s plenty of demand, but less-visible and less-sexy than the projects that come out of academia. (Or maybe I’m in the wrong crowd!)

hope that helps – (great blog, btw!)

By: Daniel McLaren

Daniel McLaren — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:46:44 +0000

There’s also the development of generic products that can be used in any of the above categories (e.g., Google Charts), although I suppose this might fit under “research labs.”

And you bring up an interesting point with visualization techniques being used in design studios. My flex graphviz tool has been picked up for use as a “flashy navigation interface” in a couple sites, though it was really designed for visualizing data. I guess both design and visualization are about communicating information so they get a lot of interplay.

Thanks for yet another interesting read and for the plug. (-:

By: Bernard Lebelle

Bernard Lebelle — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:26:57 +0000

Not per se as a “core job description” but data visualisation skills are required in strategic & management consultancy. The ability to do so massive number-crushing and to build up high-impact visuals to provide feedback to client is essential.

By: Pat Rourke

Pat Rourke — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:24:38 +0000

I work in data visualization in the sporting arena. Television & print media are always looking for a new graphical way to tell the story of the game or the season. Sporting clubs recognise that their players and coaches are very visually oriented for their information, and will buy products which give them a compelling view of the wealth of data. They want a headline message to help them with instant decision-making during the game, and an analytical tool for planning & review. Well, the good ones do! It’s a niche field but it’s been fun inventing new ways of looking at the game.

By: Jerome Cukier » Is data visualization needed?

Jerome Cukier » Is data visualization needed? — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:48:25 +0000

[...] Flowing Data has a post on the jobs in data visualization and gives a list, im my opinion quite restrictive, of the industries that need data visualization [...]

By: Nathan

Nathan — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:56:03 +0000

@Adam – thanks. Both of those are new to me

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:53:34 +0000

As usual, great post Nathan. I would add, tentatively, to this list something like "civic activism" as there are a number of designers and visualizers getting involved in things like transparent government and affecting social change. Two examples come to mind. The work of the Sunlight Foundation and the Spatial Information Design Lab. Granted the latter could be lumped in with academia, but I think it also shows a growing need within architecture and planning for effective visualization to improve practice within the field. cheers!

By: Nathan

Nathan — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:22:06 +0000

That’s what I like to call low supply, high demand

By: Marty Alchin

Marty Alchin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:31:24 +0000

I’m not a data visualization expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have an interest in the field, so I’ve been keeping my eye on things for a while now. When it comes to jobs, though, I have what I believe to be an interesting experience.

Last year, I wrote a couple blog posts about the Google Chart API, just laying out my first impressions. Shortly after, I received a request to speak at some new Web API conference about it. More interestingly, I was approached and interviewed for a position as Data Engineer. I didn’t pursue it very far, because it’s really not my area of expertise, but it’s just fascinating to me how far a couple blog posts can go in getting a foot in the door.