Humanunkind

As someone who did a jump to big data, here are some tips:

1. Learn and become a beast at R, Python, SQL, and other languages.
2. Work on random projects and build a portfolio that combines stats, calc, and scripts. It'll help present to whoever that you aren't completely without experience.
3. If you don't have a stem degree - brush up on some stats, linear algebra, and calc. Be able to code with these theories and discuss them with pure bs if needed.

My background: Non stem degree, supply chain work, and programmed in vba/python beforehand.

Fellow Data Scientist here.

R or Python?

Knowing and being proficient never hurts.

What will hurt you though is not being able to do the tasks assigned. For instance, if your boss tells you to integrate an algorithm into a web service(using java or something not in the mathy land) and you don't know how to do it -welp... that is a problem.

Lesson: If a position you interview for even hints at any languages, you better be able to code in it.