Analytics Vs Business Intelligence
Some experts think of business intelligence as a subcategory of data analytics, in which analysts work with smaller datasets and are likely to use standard software kits and toolboxes to analyze and visualize data. A person in the field of business intelligence may wish to improve employees individual performance using data analytics, for example. However, the field of business intelligence is rapidly changing as analytic technologies rapidly change and improve. Business Intelligence is, increasingly, being replaced with analytics.
How Do I Become A Data Analyst
Now that weve gone over the basics of data analytics for beginners: what data analysis is, the types of data analysis, the data analysis process, and the skills possessed by data analysts, you might be wondering, Great! So, how exactly do I become a data analyst, then?
Its very possible to get hired as a data analyst without any formal training. For example, if youre interested in becoming a healthcare analyst and you already work within the healthcare field and possess the soft skills required, your employer may be interested in providing a traineeship to skill you up on the hard skills required.. However, this would be considered a non-traditional route to entry.
For a more structured route into the field, here are some practical steps you can take:
Refine Your Portfolio And Prepare For The Job Market
The fifth and final step on the roadmap towards becoming a data analyst is to refine your portfolio and prepare for the job market.
Your portfolio is arguably the most important asset youll have when it comes to applying for jobs it showcases how you work and demonstrates to employers that youve not only mastered the right practical skills, but that you know how to apply them in the real world. As already mentioned, the right data analytics course will have you working on practical projects and guide you in the creation of a professional portfolio. Your mentor can also help you to polish up your portfolio and give you tips on how to present it. You can .
Aside from your portfolio, youll want to make sure that your online presence is optimized for your new career as a data analyst. This includes updating your LinkedIn profile to highlight all the relevant skills and tools youve mastered, and including a summary of the kind of role youre looking for. Again, a good data analytics course will help you optimize your online presence and devise an effective job-search strategy.
Once you start applying for jobs or , its a good idea to prepare for the interview process. Although every company will have their own interviewing techniques, there are some common questions you can expect to be asked when interviewing for a data analyst position. To help you prepare, weve put together some of the most common data analytics interview questions in this guide.
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How Smart Machines Think By Sean Gerrish
Have you ever wondered about how self-driving cars work, or how your streaming service manages to find exactly what you want to watch, without you having to search for it? Wonder no more! This book, written by an expert machine learning engineer, outlines some of the key ideas that enable some of our smart machines to perceive and interact with the world, through the theory and practice of creating machine learning algorithms. For any data analyst looking to get into machine learning and artificial intelligence, this is a must-read.
Bonus reading: 12 Must-Read Data Analytics Blogs
Focus On Practical Applications
Dont just read theory, also put the knowledge to test. Start developing applications that can do your work in less time and collate data from multiple sources with less coding. You can also take a few freelancing projects to work on different datasets.
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Prescriptive: What Is The Best Course Of Action
Think of prescriptive analysis as the conclusion of the other forms of analysis: now that weve found out what happened, why it happened, and what may happen in the future, what should be done next?
How can you avoid a future problem, or capitalize on an emerging trend? An everyday use of prescriptive data analysis is in maps and traffic apps. Think about Google Maps, for example. You type in your start and end destinations, and the app will come up with the best way to get you there, whether its by foot, by public transport, bike, or by driving. It will also take into consideration the current traffic conditions, as well as reported quiet, flat, or scenic routes. Loaded with all of this information, you can make travel decisions that best suit your needs.
For a more in-depth look at each type, check out this guide: What Are the Different Types of Data Analysis?
Data Analytics For Beginners
In an age where the collection and storage of data is more prevalent than ever, understanding how best to analyze and extract information from this data is the key to success for many businesses and organizations. Enter data analytics: a field that emerged way back in the 1960s. Since the advent of big data, cloud computing, machine learning and other various software and hardware, data analytics has evolved significantly, becoming an integral part of modern-day business decision-making.
As a result of this industry growth, data analytics has become a popular field for those seeking career change. But the uninitiated may have many questions about the field, such as: what exactly is data analytics, anyway? And: how do I become a data analyst? Well answer these questions and more in this data analytics for beginners guide.
In this guide, well address the following topics and questions. If youd like to skip ahead to a specific section, just use the clickable menu:
Ready to get into data analytics for beginners? Lets get started!
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Is Data Analysis Hard
Data analysis is typically easier than data science, since it doesnt usually require advanced programming skills or advanced math. Whether or not data analysis is hard depends on your natural abilities , any transferable skills youve learned from previous careers and more. Overall, when compared to other tech roles, data analysis is often easier to break into.
What To Expect From This Guide
Perfect for beginners and seasoned experts alike, this data analytics career guide is almost like a choose your own adventure book. Completely new to the field of big data? Start at the very beginningStep 1: Understanding What Data Analytics Is. Already crunching numbers and looking for your next promotion? Jump ahead to Step 3: Learn the Necessary Skills.
How you use this guide is up to you! Heres what well cover:
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Earn A Bachelors Degree In Information Technology Computer Science Or Statistics
To best set yourself up for success in the field of data analysis, consider earning your bachelors degree in the field. A specific degree in data analysis is obviously best either information technology or computer science, while minoring in applied statistics or data analysis. Also take computer science classes that emphasize project management and database management. Find an advisor or career counselor that is familiar with a data analyst career path.
Can I Learn Sql On My Own
Yes, you can learn SQL on your own! To make the journey as painless as possible, though, you may benefit from additional resources to help. While many certifications come with supplementary articles and learning resources included, it never hurts to get a headstart. One popular resource isSQLBolt. This uses step-by-step tutorials in a simple, browser-based environment alongside practical, interactive tasks to help you learn the basics.
We also recommend bookmarking theSQL page on the W3Schools website. W3Schools has been helping people learn to code online since the 90s, and SQL is no exception. Its a great reference guide if you have any immediate questions .
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Who Can Opt For A Career In Data Analytics
You dont need to have a particular background or even a specific degree to work in data science or have a data analytics career. A lot of companies have begun to hire candidates on the basis of the courses and projects theyve completed. So anyone can break into the data analytics industry as long as theyre willing to work on their critical thinking, mathematical, and programming skills.
How Long Will It Take To Learn Sql
Since SQL is a relatively simple programming language to grasp, you should be able to pick up its basic functionality in a couple of weeks or even a few days if youre a fast learner. In reality, it depends on how much time you can dedicate to learning SQL. Although its not always feasible in todays busy world, we recommend immersing yourself in a training course. While self-paced learning can be useful, throwing yourself in at the deep end will help develop and build your skills more quickly.
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Consider Certification Or An Advanced Degree
As you move through your career as a data analyst, consider how youâd like to advance and what other qualifications can help you get there. Certifications, like the Certified Analytics Professional or Cloudera Certified Associate Data Analyst, might help qualify you for more advanced positions at higher pay grades.
If youâre considering advancing into a role as a data scientist, you may need to earn a masterâs degree in data science or a related field. Advanced degrees are not always required, but having one can open up more opportunities.
Tip: Consider pursuing your data science degree online from an accredited university so you can continue working as you learn.
In this video, practicing data professionals offer their best advice for aspiring data analysts.
Typical Data Analyst Job Description
Most jobs in data analytics involve gathering and cleaning data to uncover trends and business insights. The day-to-day data analyst job varies depending on the industry or company or the type of data analytics you consider your specialty. Data analysts may be responsible for creating dashboards, designing and maintaining relationship databases and systems for different departments throughout their organization using business intelligence software, Tableau, and programming.
Most data analysts work with IT teams, management and/or data scientists to determine organizational goals. They mine and clean data from primary and secondary sources then analyze and interpret results using standard statistical tools and techniques. In most cases, they pinpoint trends, correlations and patterns in complex data sets and identify new opportunities for process improvement. Data analysts must also create reports on their findings and communicate next steps to key stakeholders.
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Months To Your Tech Career
It used to take years of training and on-the-job experience to consider someone qualified for any particular tech role. Today, bootcamps are helping to close that gap and allow individuals from all backgrounds and skill levels to access the career of their dreams.
In less than a year, you can build real-world skills with the guidance of data professionals who know what the expectations are for todays workforce. A community of mentors, coaches, and success managers keeps you accountable and lends support and additional resources to ensure you progress towards your goals.
Our bootcamp also opens the door to incredible networking opportunities to help you foster the right connections that will come in handy when its time to search for your next role.
How Do I Become A Self Taught Data Analyst
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Data Analyst Job Description
- Figure out what questions are being asked and figure out if those questions can be answered by data.
- Determine technical issues with collecting and analyzing data, and design reports.
- Identify new sources of data and methods to improve data collection, analysis, and reporting.
- Collect, analyze, and report data to meet business needs.
- Distinguish trends and patterns.
- Report data in a comprehensive and repeatable way.
Start Looking For Jobs
Now that youve done the groundwork and have created a solid portfolio, youre ready to start actively looking for junior data analytics jobs. In section 5, we outline some places where you might want to start your job search. As for the job descriptions themselves, youll have to read a few to get a feel for whether they are entry-level roles. This isnt always immediately obvious.
As you read through some job ads, see if you can learn to spot how the responsibilities for entry-level data analyst jobs differ from more senior positions. To help, check out some differentdata analyst job descriptions and what they really mean. Keep an eye on the job titles, too. From novice financial analyst to level 1 healthcare consultant, junior data analytics jobs might be hiding behind a different name!
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Take Up A Course And Complete It
Now that you have decided on a role, the next logical thing for you is to put in a dedicated effort to understand the role. This means not just going through the requirements of the role. The demand for data scientists is big so thousands of courses and studies are out there to hold your hand, you can learn whatever you want to. Finding material to learn from isnt a hard call but learning it may become if you dont put effort.
What you can do is take up a MOOC which is freely available, or join an accreditation program which should take you through all the twists and turns the role entails. The choice of free vs paid is not the issue, the main objective should be whether the course clears your basics and brings you to a suitable level, from which you can push on further.
When you take up a course, go through it actively. Follow the coursework, assignments, and all the discussions happening around the course. For example, if you want to be a machine learning engineer, you can take up Machine learning by Andrew Ng. Now you have to diligently follow all the course material provided in the course. This also means the assignments in the course, which are as important as going through the videos. Only doing a course end to end will give you a clearer picture of the field.
Analytics Vidhya has a range of free courses and paid courses. You can get started today
How To Get An Entry
Your first job in data analytics will depend heavily on your background. If youre entering the field with experience in programming, a job as a software engineer might make the most sense. Alternatively, previous experience in business operations and planning may make you better suited to a role as a business analyst.
Whatever your path, its important to research what employers are looking for and tailor your learning in a direction that will allow you to thrive professionally. Though a wide range of skills is necessary for data analytics, specializing empowers you to better compete in your field of choice.
Once youve tailored your skills to your general career path, you can start looking for specific jobs. To find opportunities, comb through job boards like Indeed or ZipRecruiter and reach out to your network. You may also want to spend some time updating your resume and portfolio to ensure that potential employers receive an up-to-date snapshot of your skills and applicable work experience.
Whatever you do, dont get discouraged! Job searches take time and effort with enough of both, you can find and land your dream job.
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Is Data Analysis The Same As Data Analytics
The terms data analysis and data analytics are often used interchangeably, but there is a small distinction. Data analytics is a term usually used to refer to the broad field of using data to make business decisions its a term referring to a discipline. Data analysis, meanwhile, is a subset of data analytics and is a term used to describe the process of gleaning insights from data. That said, data analyst jobs tend to fall under both umbrellas.
Soft Skills Required To Become A Data Analyst
- Great collaboration and communication skills
- An eye for detail
- A methodical and logical approach
- A problem-solving mindset
Soft skills, compared to hard skills, are not measurable. Think of soft skills as being more like characteristics that are a part of your existing personality, though you may have picked up or refined these skills through other roles or experiences youve had.
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Get Familiar With Data Analytics Tools
Data analysts use a variety of tools to guide their workflow and simplify their work. You should learn one or more of the following software to increase your chances of landing a data analyst job in 2022.
Tableau
A powerful and popular tool for data visualizations.
Google Analytics
A platform to source and process web traffic data.
Github
A version control software where you can maintain repositories of your data science programs.
Amazon Web Services
The most popular cloud computing service online, which also includes a suite of analytics services.
Jupyter
A web-based tool used for data analysis and visualizations.
