What is a Data Analyst
How to Start a Career In Data Analytics. Do you want to pursue a career as a data analyst? Good aim! But what is a data analyst, and are data analysts in demand now?
Businesses collect data, and a data analyst’s job is to use the data and information to make better business decisions. Moreover, a data analyst solves the company`s finance and help make decisions for expanding the business.
Data analysts deal with collecting, manipulating, and analyzing data. They use organized techniques, regular formulas and methods to analyze the relevant information. They visualize their discovery in graphs and charts before presenting them to collaborators. They prepare reports based on the results from their analysis.
It is estimated that by 2025, it’ll be worth $229.4 billion. It means that the data market is increasing, and there is a need for data analysts. The average salary of data analysts is $75,298.
What Does a Data Analyst do
A data analyst is responsible for storing, cleaning, and analyzing data that can be used to make better business decisions, and they must be able to effectively communicate their findings to those who will make the decisions. Data analysts usually come from math and computer science backgrounds, and their role has become increasingly important as businesses become more data-driven.
Data analysts help organizations make sense of the vast quantities of data they collect. They use mathematical and computer science tools to clean and analyze data, then communicate their findings to those who will make the decisions.
How can you Stand out as a Newly Qualified Analyst
Data analytics is a fast-growing field, and data analysts are in high demand, but breaking into a new industry can be a daunting prospect—especially in these uncertain times. For a lot of relevant opportunities and to stand out, consider focusing on personal branding. As a newcomer to the field, it’s important to position yourself in a way that highlights both your newfound talents and any transferable ones you have from your previous career.
Although the job market is right now particularly competitive, as a newcomer to the field, you have many unique perspectives and benefits.
Steps to Start a Career in Data Analytics
1. Go Through the Fundamentals of the Data Analytics
Suppose you want to begin a career as a Data Analyst. In that case, the first step is to learn the fundamentals and data analysis tools like advanced Microsoft Excel, programming languages like SQL, Python, Spark and Hadoop for number-crunching, Tableau, Matplotlib, or ggplot2.
Data analysis courses offer fundamental data skills, data management, statistical programming, programming languages, data cleaning, visualization, etc.
2. Attain a Structured Course
A specialized course is essential to become a skilled data analyst. Internet won`t serve you the organized approach or the first-hand practice you require. With the increasing demand for functional data analysts, many courses will make you a job-ready employee. Do ample research before opting for any course. Choose a course/program that best suits your time and money. It is wise to go for a system that will provide regular practical exercises and prepare you for project work and portfolio.
3. Master in Soft Skills
There are several things to do to improve your learning experience. While it improves your essential hard skills, it is also necessary to sharpen your soft skills. Discover the skills that you need to work more. Work on the small research project and showcase your ability to analyze and tackle business problems.
This step is the most crucial to becoming a data analyst. If you think you cannot grow specific soft skills in your present job, look for opportunities elsewhere. Informal meetups are a great way to practice your presentation skills.
4. Create a Portfolio to Exhibit Your Work
It will be useless if you don`t demonstrate your data skills and creativity. It would be best if you highlight your professional portfolio. Moreover, you should keep the code up on GitHub to exhibit your ability. It will be more wonderful to become a member of an online data science network.
At last, an excellent project will make your portfolio great and rich in qualifications that you need to impress the hiring managers. Do not forget to mention your journey and highlight your creativity with clear visualization and explanations
5. Apply to the Jobs
There are various data analyst jobs available as per your skills. For example, researcher, database administrator, data and analytics manager, digital marketing manager, statistician, transportation logistics, business analyst, healthcare data analyst, data engineer, data analyst, data scientist, etc.
Conclusion
In today’s tech-driven world, data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted to solve a wide range of business problems, and you could play a decisive role in the growth and success of an organization with a career as a data analyst. A data analyst is more than just a number cruncher. Analysts analyze data and decide how to use it to solve problems, gain insight into a business’s customers and increase profits. This information is also circulated to key stakeholders, including company management.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Education Do I Need to be a Data Analyst?
Some data analysts hold a bachelor’s degree in math, statistics, economics, computer science, or another quantitative field, but it is also possible to become a data analyst without a college degree in this field with the right skills and experience. Candidates with certifications with a single focus on data analysis are also preferred by more employers.
What are Some Common Challenges Faced by Data Analysts?
In their work, data analysts can face a variety of challenges: first, they may have to clean or “wrangle” messy or incomplete data sets. They may also need to find trends or insights in large data sets, which can be tedious and time-consuming. In the third place, they may need to communicate their findings effectively to those who make decisions based on their analysis. Finally, data analysts may want to stay abreast of new analytical methods and software programs.
What Skills do I Need to be a Data Analyst?
For data analysts to be successful, they need strong math and analytical skills, a capacity to think logically and solve problems, and keen attention to detail. De plus, you must be able to effectively communicate your findings to the people who will take action based on your research.
Can I Understand the Scope of the Study for Data Analysts?
Yes, you can understand it without any doubt.
