I'm what I would consider to be in a junior data science role. (Less than a year out of undergrad, no advanced degrees yet.)
From my experience, start actively looking for and doing more data science type work in your current position. I wasn't brought on as a data scientist, but once the majority of my work was in some way related to data science, my company was more than happy to change my title when I asked.
You'll have to actively learn while working, but I think it's completely worth it. I've definitely learned more because of the pressure of work than I would have otherwise doing side-projects.
TLDR: Functionally become a data scientist and the title will come.
I've been trying this strategy in my current position for a while now but they don't value the in-depth analysis I'd like to do which is why I'm looking elsewhere. I'm glad to know that it is successful in other organizations!
