Data Science Remuneration Trends in 2023

FIT5147 · Monash University | Aug 2023 – Oct 2023

Overview

An end-to-end data exploration and visualisation project spanning two phases: first, data wrangling in R and exploratory analysis in Tableau (Data Exploration Project); then, an interactive R Shiny narrative dashboard (Data Visualisation Project) presenting the same findings through a curated storytelling experience.

What was the challenge?

Data Science is one of the most in-demand careers, yet public understanding of salaries, specialisations, geographical distribution, and remote-work norms is fragmented and often misleading. The challenge was to turn a large remuneration dataset into a clear, engaging story that audiences with different goals could all get value from.

What I did

• Explored and cleaned a 2023 Data Science salary dataset, identifying key dimensions — job title, experience level, country, remote ratio, and salary.
• Designed a narrative-driven Shiny dashboard with coordinated views: donut charts for job-title distribution, tree maps for remote-work ratios, choropleth maps for global distribution, and a word cloud for required skills and qualifications.
• Applied visualisation design principles — visual hierarchy, colour consistency, and interactive filters — so users could explore the data at their own pace.
• Framed the dashboard around four key messages: job titles & specialisations, geographical spread, remote-work prevalence, and salary disparities.
• Tailored the experience to three audiences: aspiring data scientists choosing a major, working data scientists benchmarking their market, and educational institutions shaping curriculum.

Tools & skills

R · Shiny · ggplot2 · Data Wrangling · Narrative Visualisation · Dashboard Design · Data Storytelling

Outcome

The final dashboard translated a dense salary dataset into a clear, interactive story that helps users make informed decisions — from students choosing a specialisation, to professionals planning their next move, to institutions aligning their programs with real industry demand.