huh. I'm a professional data scientist, and my masters was in signal processing. In one class the final exam required us to transcribe fourier transforms of speech into the actual words. In another the final exam required us to perform 2d FFTs in our head.

Please be careful about generalizing.

I agree that many 'data science' programs don't teach these skills, and you certainly have evidence behind your assertation.

I don’t think anyone is making the claim that data science has no merit, or data scientists are universally ignorant of anything.

Simply that some data scientists, formally trained or titled by themselves or others, have been known to apply their skills to data without having special knowledge regarding the data.

It is a bit of a cliche in some of our experiences. The consulting company that analyzes data for a decision paralyzed organization, that seeks outside guidance in lieu of getting better leadership, is something I see.

That is a real phenomenon, and despite good intentions, can have all the effectiveness of reading tea leaves.

Because there is always data to be scienced. Competently or not.

> ... my masters was in signal processing

But, you are making my point for me here. Most data scientists don't get masters in signal processing. You are also acknowledging that gaining expertise in a particular field was worth pursuing.