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Data analysts collect, clean, and analyze data to aid in business choices. If you’re thinking about a career in this in-demand profession, here’s one way to get started:
Obtain a solid education.
Improve your technical knowledge.
Work on initiatives that use real-world data.
Create an online portfolio of your work.
Experiment with presenting your findings.
Get a career as an entry-level data analyst.
Consider obtaining a certification or an advanced degree.
Let’s look more closely at each of those seven processes.
How do I become a data analyst? A step-by-step guide
Data analytics jobs may be found in a variety of sectors, and there are several ways to get your first job in this in-demand profession. Here are some stages to become a data analyst, whether you’re just starting out in the professional world or changing careers.
- Obtain a solid education.
If you’re new to the realm of data analysis, you should begin by learning the fundamentals of the subject. Getting a thorough understanding of data analytics will help you decide whether this is the right career for you while also providing you with job-ready abilities.
Most entry-level data analyst employment used to need a bachelor’s degree. While many occupations still need a degree, this is changing. While a degree in math, computer science, or another comparable topic can help you acquire basic knowledge and boost your CV, you can also learn what you need through alternative programs such as professional certificate programs, bootcamps, or self-study courses.
- Improve your technical abilities.
A profession in data analysis often necessitates a set of particular technical abilities. These are some fundamental talents you’ll likely need to be employed, whether you’re learning through a degree program, a professional credential, or on your own.
R programming for statistics or Python programming
SQL (Structured Query Language)
Visualization of data
Cleaning and preparing data
Examine various job postings for jobs you want to apply for, and focus your learning on the programming languages or visualization tools that are specified as prerequisites.
In addition to these hard talents, hiring managers look for workplace abilities such as strong communication skills—you may be required to convey your results to individuals who do not have as much technical understanding as you have.
- Work on initiatives that use real-world data.
Working with data in real-world contexts is the greatest approach to learn how to identify value in it. Seek out degree programs or courses that feature hands-on projects using real-world data sets. There are also a number of free public data sets available that you may use to create your own projects.
Investigate climate data from the National Centers for Environmental Information, look deeper into the news using data from BuzzFeed, or use NASA open data to develop answers to future concerns on Earth and beyond. These are only a few instances of data available. Choose a topic that interests you and look for data to practice with.
4. Create a portfolio of your work.
As you experiment with data sets on the internet or complete hands-on homework in your lectures, keep your finest work for your portfolio in mind. A portfolio shows hiring managers your abilities. A great portfolio might help you land your dream job.
Consider projects that exhibit your skill to: as you begin to curate work for your portfolio, choose projects that demonstrate your ability to:
Data should be scraped from many sources.
Raw data should be cleaned and normalized.
Make graphs, charts, maps, and other visual representations of your results.
Data may be used to provide actionable insights.
Consider incorporating one of your group projects if you’ve worked on them as part of your learning.
- Experiment with presenting your findings.
It’s easy to get caught up in the technical side of data analysis, but don’t overlook your communication abilities. Presenting your results to decision makers and other stakeholders in the firm is an important aspect of working as a data analyst. When you can tell a narrative with data, you can assist your company in making data-driven decisions.
Practice presenting your results as you finish projects for your portfolio. Consider the message you want to express and the graphics you’ll employ to support it. Slow down your speech and make eye contact. Practice in front of a mirror or in front of your peers. Try recording yourself as you present so you can review it afterwards and see where you can improve.
- Find an entry-level data analyst position.
It’s time to polish your CV and start looking for entry-level data analyst positions after you’ve gained some experience dealing with data and presenting your results. Don’t be scared to apply for jobs for which you don’t feel completely qualified. Your talents, portfolio, and excitement for a career may be more important than checking every bullet point on the credentials list.
If you’re still in school, inquire about internship possibilities at your university’s career services office. With an internship, you may begin acquiring real-world experience for your resume while also putting what you’re learning on the job to use.
- Think about getting certified or getting an advanced degree.
Consider how you want to grow in your profession as a data analyst and what additional certifications can help you get there. Certifications such as the Certified Analytics Professional or the Cloudera Certified Associate Data Analyst may help you qualify for more advanced roles with better pay grades.
If you want to become a data scientist, you may need to get a master’s degree in data science or a similar discipline. Although advanced degrees are not always necessary, obtaining one can lead to additional chances.
If you are interested in getting the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate Course today we can help you do that for close to nothing. Chat us today here.
