[October 4, 2022]

The digital world of today is a world of data, and data, as is well known, is present everywhere. A huge amount of data is being generated because about half of the world’s population uses the internet and data on a daily basis. This data may be properly preserved and analyzed to gain insightful knowledge. Data analytics, the most well-known and widely-used technique by practically every organization, plays a crucial part in this. Due to the fact that it aids in performance optimization for enterprises, its significance is steadily growing. Business leaders can reduce expenses while making data-driven decisions by finding more effective ways to conduct their operations by storing vast amounts of data. It also helps businesses to grow differently and enables them to leverage to move ahead from the competition and change business trends. Data analytics helps organization harness their data and use it to get new opportunities for business growth.

In competitive scenarios, almost every organization is willing to hire skilled and experienced data analysts to solve complex data issues in their business processes, as it allows them to understand the market process’s current state and offers several chances to forecast future results. So definitely, there is an increased demand for data analysts that spread awareness about how to become a data analyst.

So this article helps candidates to know how to become a perfect data analyst in the easiest way.

What is a Data Analyst?

A Data Analyst is a professional who gathers and interprets data in order to solve data issues. He/she works as a gatekeeper for an organization’s data to understand it and use it to make strategic business decisions. Data analysts are aimed at analyzing data through statistical technologies, implementing and maintaining databases, and gathering data from several different resources. They also communicate this information to management and other stakeholders. These experts are getting hired by many leading sectors like healthcare, finance, business, criminal justice, medicine, and government. Their job is flexible so that they can create routines that can be automated and easily modified to be reused in other areas to make their job more efficient and easier.

Data analysts have specialized knowledge to turn raw data into valuable/meaningful information that can be used to make business decisions. According to the organization’s requirements, we can categorize data analysts into- Market research Analysts, Business Analysts, Medical and Health Care Analysts, Business Intelligence Analysts, Operations Research Analysts, Intelligence Analysts, etc. So their work varies depending on the type of data that they are working with. They can also develop systems to collect data, identify patterns/trends, and compile their results into final reports that can be used later in a meaningful way.

How to Become a Data Analyst?

Becoming a data analyst requires a specific and step-by-step path to follow. The following mentioned are some of the important steps one can follow to land an entry-level job in this domain.

Basic Qualifications- To land a job in any field or become an expert requires fundamental educational skills. If someone wants to become a data analyst, it is necessary to earn a bachelor’s degree in a stream with an emphasis on statistical and analytical skills like mathematics and computer science or another related field. It can enhance your resume and make it more attractive. You can also join alternative programs, additional certification programs, boot camps, and self-study courses.

Develop Your Technical skills- Data world is a field of technologies where a data analyst must have sound knowledge of technical skills such as Statistics, R, SAS, and Python Programming, Data Visualization, SQL ( structured query language), Data Cleaning, and Preparation, Data warehousing, Strong and effective communication, Creative and Analytical Thinking, SQL Database, Data mining, Advanced Microsoft Excel, AI, and Machine Learning, etc. These skills are helpful in implementing techniques in real-time data tasks.

Consider Certification- Almost every employer is willing to hire a certified and skilled professional in their organization. So besides education degrees and technical skills, it will also help to opt for a relevant certification courses, boot camps, and other additional programs that can help you throughout your career. There are several advanced certifications available online and offline, provided by many reputed websites to help you learn data analytics thoroughly.

Gain Practical Knowledge/Experience- Besides theoretical knowledge, it is also necessary to gain some practical knowledge through working on projects with real data sets. Opt for any degree course that provides hands-on projects using real data sets. You can also design your own projects and find a variety of free public data sets to increase your experience. It is the best way to find value in data while working with it in real-world settings.

Make Portfolio- Now is the time to showcase your project work through a strong portfolio that can help you find a suitable and desired job in the data analysis field. Save your best work in your portfolio, as it can demonstrate your skills to hiring managers. You can choose projects of your choice for hands-on experience and show them in your portfolio that can demonstrate your ability. These projects can be related to Scraping data from different sources, Clean and normalizing raw data, visualization through charts, graphs, maps, etc., and drawing actionable insights from data.

Get Your First Entry-Level Data Analyst Job- If you want to learn how to become a data analyst, first be the one. Now is the time to polish your resume with your first entry-level job as a data scientist. Apply for the data analyst job role and continue to add your experience for future career growth.

Earn A Masters Degree- If you want to advance your career and stay ahead of your competitors, go for a master’s degree or certification in data analytics. These additional certifications and degrees can help you for more advanced / higher positions and increased pay grades. If some want to advance their career into a role as a data scientist, they are required to earn a master’s degree in data science or a related field.

So these are some of the basic and important steps that one can learn and follow to become a data analyst and find their niche in this evolving domain.