Data analytics is all about solving complex puzzles, dealing with numbers, and coming up with projections. Data analysts are concerned with gathering, cleaning, and studying data that can help business owners make better decisions. Becoming a data analyst takes time, effort, skills, and patience. You also need the right education. If you want to follow this career path, keep reading to find out how you can become one of the most sought-after data analysts in the world.
Foundation Education
Data analytics offers a myriad of job opportunities. Data analysis is driving businesses. Successful businesses are using data analytics to make better decisions. Through predictive tools, businesses can study trends and come up with customized marketing strategies. Thus, if you want to kick start a career in data analytics, get the right skills.
It starts with the foundation of knowledge. Get a broader overview first. Of course, most of these job opportunities require candidates with a degree. However, you don’t have to kill yourself if you don’t have a degree.
While obtaining a degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science, and engineering will polish your resume, choosing alternative programs such as professional certificates, bootcampas, and self-study-based courses will also give you that foundation knowledge.
Acquire Technical Skills
Data analysis involves a lot of technical skills. Whether you are planning to enroll in a degree program or professional certificate, you require certain technical skills. Common ones include:
- Statistics and Python Programming
- Data Visualization and Structured Query Language
- Data cleaning skills
Before enrolling for any course, go through popular job listings. Identify the key skills required to secure the jobs. Pay particular attention to the programming languages these job postings demand. Then get down to work and acquire these technical skills.
Additionally, you also need other workplace skills. For instance, the hiring manager will evaluate your communication skills, problem-solving, and domain knowledge. You should be rounded before applying for a data analytics job.
Work By Learning
Work with real data. Go into a setting with real data. For instance, choose degree programs that expose you to hands-on projects. Still more, you can use free public-based data sets. Use this data and design projects.
For instance, digging into climate data is an excellent way of acquiring these skills. Visit your metrological department and request data. Delve deeper into data analysis before coming up with conclusions. You can also use data from NASA.
You Need A Portfolio
Design projects. Analyze data. Don’t delete these projects. Save the best ones. These projects can be used in your portfolio. Remember, employers will want to see your portfolio before hiring you. Use the portfolio to demonstrate your skills to potential hiring managers.
Consider curating your work and creating the best portfolio. The projects you include in your portfolio should demonstrate skills such as:
- Cleaning data
- Scraping data
- Normalizing raw data
- Visualizing findings via graphs, maps, and charts
- Drawing informed, actionable insights
You can also include group projects in your portfolio. However, be sure to include the best ones. Doing this shows that you are a team player. Learn how to design the right portfolio. There are several inspirations out there.
Master The Art Of Presentation
A data analyst should present figures before business owners, company representatives, and investors. If you want to be the best in this field, learn the art of representing figures. Know how findings are represented before the decision-makers.
Modern companies what to make decisions that are driven by data. Stakeholders make strategic business-related decisions after getting the right facts, data, as well as metrics. The process eliminates decisions made based on intuition, emotion, and mere observation.
According to research, data-driven organizations make better decisions than those without data analytics policies. These decisions help these companies to acquire new customers, maintain customer loyalty, and register impressive profits.
As a data analyst, learn the art of presenting the information. Include information presentation skills in your portfolio. Use visuals to present information. You can also use slides and images. Presenting information is all about speaking slowly. Ensure that people can understand your information. Don’t use complex words. Stay away from complex, long sentences.
Start With Entry-Level Jobs
You will have to start small. Thus, gain experience from those entry-level jobs. There are several gigs on the internet you can use. These skills will help polish your resume and position you for better, well-paying jobs in the future. Feel free to apply for big jobs.
For those in university, seek internship opportunities. You can ask your career department to guide you. These positions will polish your resume and make you a better data analyst.
Get Certified, Acquire Post Graduate Degree
Certifications can also help you advance in your career. Thus, look for certifications. Enroll in an advanced degree. You can look for certifications from bodies such as the Certified Analytics Professional and Cloudera Certified Analyst. These bodies are tasked with certifying top data analysts on the market. They will help you apply for high-paying jobs on the market.
You can also enroll in a master’s degree program. Ensure that the program is related to your field. Consider a master’s degree in computer engineering, statistics, actuarial science, etc. A data science advanced degree will equip you with the technical skills you need to thrive in this exciting industry. It will also improve your resume. Alternatively, you can take a postgraduate diploma in your area of specialization.
Key Takeaway
Data analysis is becoming popular in the business world. Nowadays, decisions are based on analyzed data. Data analytics can be credited for helping companies design customized marketing strategies, retain customers, improve sales, and optimize the customer experience. So, if you want to be part of business decision-making, become a data expert. Enroll for a good course and kick-start your career.
The Bottom-Line
Want to work with numbers? Do you love solving complex puzzles? What about gathering numbers and cleaning them? If these are your hobbies, then a career in data analytics can suit you. Sharpen your technical skills. Get the right information. Certification is important. The above tips and tricks will help you become an accomplished data analyst.
