Till 2019, many organizations thought of data analytics as a luxury. But once the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, businesses of all sizes realized the need for data-driven decision making. With limited resources to maintain business continuity, analytics became necessary to manage supply chains, find new avenues and efficiencies. Companies started to capitalize on digital transformation and made it a priority to adopt a data-driven culture. Loads of benefits are associated with data analytics, including the ability to make better business decisions, enabling key strategic initiatives, and improving relationships with business partners and customers.
Nowadays, if you know about the key tools and technologies within the data ecosystem and have a conceptual understanding of the data analysis lifecycle, then you are in high demand. Companies are now hunting for data analytics experts who can transform raw data into actionable insights that are useful in solving complex business problems. However, there are not enough skilled professionals to fill in the demand for data analysts. As a result, companies are ready to pay high salaries to those who have in-depth knowledge of this field.
If you are considering a career as a data analytics expert, you will have a significant advantage over the competition and be poised for success. Now, there is no specific path that leads to a data analytics role; people from varied educational backgrounds can switch to this fascinating career option. A reliable option to gain the right data analysis skills is to enroll in a training program, like a Data Analytics courses Melbourne, and learn everything from scratch.
This article introduces you to the role of a data analytics expert and the steps you can take to become one.
What is a Data Analytics Expert?
Data analytics is a broad field and incorporates many job roles with overlapping responsibilities. Some of the top job roles include data analyst, data architect, analytics manager, data engineer, machine learning engineer, and data scientist. The common one, i.e., data analyst role is also known according to the areas they work in like business analyst, financial analyst, business intelligence analyst, marketing analyst, and so on.
Basically, a data analyst makes recommendations regarding a company’s methods and ways to collect and analyze data to enhance their data systems’ quality and efficiency. They mine raw data from various sources and reorganize it in a format which humans or machines can read easily. Next, they use statistical analysis tools to interpret data and pinpoint trends, patterns, and correlations to identify new opportunities for business process improvement. They also build interactive dashboards, design and maintain relational databases and systems for other teams of an organization using data analytics tools like QlikView and Tableau.
Steps to Become a Data Analytics Expert
If you have the habit of asking questions, pay attention to details, and have critical thinking skills, then a data analytics career might just be for you. While existing data analysts have the data literacy skills to analyze data and make data-driven decisions, many don’t have proper training to authoritatively interpret data and make crucial decisions. So, it becomes necessary to gain industry-like experience before you can take up a data analyst job. Discussed below are some of the steps you can follow.
- You need to be familiar with the top skills that employers seek for a data analyst job role. In terms of technical skills, one should have a sound knowledge of Microsoft Excel; core math concepts like linear algebra, calculus, probability; statistics; database languages like Python, SAS, R, or SQL; data warehousing; data mining; and data visualization tools like RapidMiner or Tableau.
- Soft skills are equally important when you are embarking on a data analyst career. Leadership skills, problem-solving, effective and strong communication, and analytical thinking are some of the most desired skills of a data analyst.
- Many working professionals do not get time to gain the above skills on their own. So, they take up online data analysis courses and get guidance from a subject-matter expert. Enrolling in them is quite easy, and one gets all the course material and access to line virtual classes instantly. Some reliable training providers also offer job assistance to help candidates land their dream job.
- Once you have developed the required technical skills, you should work on some industry projects to reinforce your practical knowledge. You can work on the capstone project given at the end of a training course or explore the ones available on the internet. Kaggle is one such platform where you can work on some open projects and also participate in competitions that test your data analysis skills. This way, even if you don’t have work experience, you will be able to demonstrate your skills. As a beginner, you can also take up an internship.
- When you have landed a decent job as a data analyst, you will gain experience of how the tasks are performed and what challenges are encountered throughout the process of data analysis. This experience will lead you to become a data analytics expert.
The technology world is full of opportunities for skilled data analysts. So, are you ready to become a data analytics expert and take your career to new heights?
