“Professional basketball player!” For as long as I can remember, that was my emphatic response whenever my teachers or other adults asked me the question: “So, what do you want to be when you grow up?” It seemed like a logical response. I loved playing basketball, and recess was my favorite subject, by far. Being a professional basketball player seemed a little like getting paid for an extended recess. What’s not to love about that? Of course, at the time I had no idea I would reach 5’8” in middle school and never grow another inch. I guess when my teachers said to dream big, they literally meant to dream BIG.

But instead of lamenting my failed career goals, let me instead give you some good news about your chosen career. According to Glassdoor, data scientist tops the list of the "50 Best Jobs in America." The rankings are determined by combining three factors: number of job openings, salary and overall job satisfaction rating. With a median base salary of $110,000, an abundance of unfilled positions and high job satisfaction, there’s no denying that data science is hot.

And here’s even better news: To validate your knowledge and take your career to the next level, SAS created the SAS® Academy for Data Science. The program teaches critical SAS programming skills; the fundamentals of statistics and analytics; machine learning and predictive modeling techniques; exploring and visualizing data; working with Hadoop, Hive, Pig and SAS; and much more.

The academy is broken into two programs: SAS Certified Big Data Professional and SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional. The two credentials meet the needs of both organizations and individual learners. Organizations can use the academy to grow or develop data science skills within a team. Individual learners can use the academy to gain skills for a career move or enhance their résumés. Anyone who earns both credentials is awarded the SAS Certified Data Scientist credential.

The next session of classroom dates begin May 30, and we just announced a monthly learning subscription in the US. The subscription model is perfect for those looking to grow or enhance their data science skills but who need a self-paced, more flexible option. Longer-term or annual licenses for the academy can also be purchased if needed.

So move over president, astronaut or even professional basketball player. There’s a new sheriff in town, and no, it’s not a career as a sheriff – it’s one as a data scientist, and SAS is here to help.

Learn more about the SAS Academy for Data Science, or give it a try before you buy, by signing up for our free seven-day trial.

Best of luck in your future career endeavors, and thanks for reading.

This article originally appeared in the March issue of the SAS Learning Report. For the latest SAS training and certification news, subscribe today.