PERSONALIZED CAREER PATH RESULTS
Data Analyst
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Data and business analytics is a fast-growing field. The global data analytics market will exceed $65B U.S. dollars by 2025. Businesses today are generating more data than ever before, and companies need analysts to make sense of all this new information. Over 1.2 million job postings required data analysis skills in the last 12 months.
Data Analytics is the process of discovering and interpreting meaning from a collection of information known as data. Data analysis is essential because it allows business leaders to:
- Understand how a business is performing
- Diagnose existing problems
- Predict future trends
- Optimize business processes
Salary potential
In the United States, a data analyst makes $74,000 on average.
With 5 years of experience, you can earn $92,000.
Skills you already have that are relevant to a career in Data Analytics
Suggested career path
We see that people with your background can often earn a Data Analytics Certificate and then get into entry-level business or data analytics roles at top companies within six (6) months of program completion. After gaining additional skills, you can advance into Data Scientist roles.
Other common pathways into Data Analyst
People with diverse work histories have successfully transitioned into data analyst roles. Former nurses, English teachers, warehouse associates, and bus drivers have all moved to roles in data analytics. As long as you have the right soft skills, you can learn the hard skills to succeed.
This job will be the right fit for you if you:
- Enjoy working with numbers
- Are detail-oriented
- Exhibit curiosity
- Have strong problem solving skills
Top 20 companies hiring Data Analysts in 2022
What do you actually do as a Data Analyst
Business and Data analysts use clues—aka data—to help understand how the business performs. Analysts put effort into collecting, analyzing, and gaining insight from this data in the same way a detective would collect, analyze, and understand clues and evidence.
Clean data and store data
You set a reminder to review your organization’s virtual storage to ensure there are no security breaches.
Maintain dashboards
You create a simple dashboard to capture, track, and consume data in a way that is meaningful to your business.
Conduct analyses
You acquire data and analyze it using statistical techniques to interpret trends and uncover patterns. Once you finish, you provide a report for the Data Manager to review.
Communicate insights
Every quarter you prepare a PowerPoint presentation to communicate how your organization is performing.
Create reports
Today you will present essential business insights to the executive team. You choose Tableau to create clear and compelling charts to draw attention to the critical information they need to make decisions.
Day-to-Day tasks as a Data Analyst
Clean large data sets
Conduct analyses and generate reports
Communicate insights
Other tools used by a Data Analyst
- Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets
- Tableau
- Power BI
- Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides
- SQL
- Python or R
Other jobs that use Data Analysis skills
- Business Intelligence Analyst
- Business Analyst
- Data Scientist
- Financial Analyst
- Research Associate
Projected demand for Data Analysts
Source: Burning Glass | Labor Insight
Data Analyst is an in-demand digital skill
Digital Skills are “a range of abilities to use digital devices, communication applications, and networks to access and manage information.” In essence, these skills help us communicate better, solve problems more effectively, create and share content or improve our productivity. These skills range from basic entry-level skills you need to be able to use devices (computers, mobile devices, etc) and online applications to more advanced skills that allow users to use new technologies to empower and transform. Advanced digital skills can allow companies to gain valuable insights which leads to building better products and services; transform internal processes, improve workflows, better communicate (internally and externally), or even forecast growth.
Some examples of basic digital skills include:
- Email and chat
- Using social media platforms
- Entering data
- Computer literacy
- Word processing
- Web-based research
More comprehensive skills that may require training, include:
- Digital marketing and content creation
- Customer relationship management (CRM) platform maintenance.
- Programming, web and app development
- Digital design and data visualization
- Digital business analysis
- User experience design
- Data Management
- Digital project management
- Data science
Why are digital skills needed
Technology touches every aspect of our lives, especially the way we work. For decades technology advanced faster than the workforce skills creating the digital skills gap. The pandemic accelerated digital transformation at an unprecedented rate and further increased the demand for digital skills. Every industry incorporates technology, from doctors using telehealth apps to ordering food through delivery apps. Companies are seeking digitally literate employees to use the technologies they adopt to thrive and survive in the modern economy.
By 2030, 80 percent of jobs will require digital skills, and 40 percent of today’s jobs require them, making them critical to the future of business and the workforce. Learning how to work with technology in a more meaningful way, such as using a CRM software like Salesforce, is extremely valuable to a business looking to improve its customer management relationship and better understand clients’ needs.
While the task of learning a new advanced technology may seem daunting, it can open many doors and help future-proof your career. At Pathstream, we believe that “every individual should have access to the digital skills needed to succeed in the modern economy.” We partner with leading tech companies to build and deliver digital skills career programs for people of all backgrounds who want to advance their careers.
How to develop skills to get hired as a Data Analyst
Success Stories
Bria Braithwaite started her career in philanthropy as an event coordinator. After four years, she decided to actively pursue a career in data analytics. Before finding her way to Pathstream, she started to look into the industry and tapped her professional network to connect with someone employed in data analytics. There was a point where she felt stuck, but eventually, she met one of her mentors during an informational interview.
There’s no escaping the fact that the prospect of leaving school and not having a job lined up can be scary. Students always question if their education will translate to employment. Antonio Villagomez, an undergraduate studying computer science, felt anxiety creep in as his last semester approached. Finding an internship can be difficult without guidance, but looking for one during a pandemic while employed in healthcare is a unique challenge.