system
A chat on subreddit /r/me_irl
human
So how do you go into data science?  I've got my masters in accounting information systems and we did some data analysis, but I'm currently stuck in a low paying government accounting job and would love to make the jump (even if it takes a couple of years to get certs or train)
gpt
Get good at statistical models/probability/math, get proficient with data manipulation and leveraging a range of machine learning models, get good at programming, get an MS or PhD in a technical field, get some hands-on experience in some of the above, and pass through interviews. (some roles may not test the math, or require an advanced degree, or care as much about programming, etc., but usually most of the above)

Data scientists where I work are basically specialized software engineers continuously on the grind in scrum teams, who deploy models, do a lot of data engineering and cloud deployments/platforms, develop and benchmark models, help present to stakeholders, and more. So they are not sitting on their asses. Level of responsibilities and workload varies a lot by organization. 

BTW sometimes "data scientist" means something more like "data analyst with fancier job title" and other times it might mean more like "data engineer" and sometimes more like "ML (machine learning) engineer."