Although it’s desirable to have a formal degree of data science as it eases employment; still there are multiple ways students can muster the art of data science through dedicated work and genuine guidance. There are multiple niche players such as Board Infinity, Udemy, Coursera etc. which provides the students with a convenient platform wherein they can select the related courses and go through them at their pace. In addition, there are multiple hackathons, Kaggle, online assessments etc. which students can enrol in to check their progress in becoming a successful data scientist.
Employers would most likely want to see strong foundations in math concepts that are usually taught at the college level.
Concepts such as: matrices, probability, regression analysis, etc.
Without graduating college, it’s risky for them because they can’t assume you have even seen those concepts.
To alleviate their risks, you need to provide strong evidence of these skills. You can do so through projects, smaller freelance work, or voluntary data analysis such as for non-profit organizations. Strongly emphasize your mathematical abilities.
If you can convince them that you have the skills plus the math to back it up, then you’re probably good.