Spreadsheet Superstar: Your Path to Data Analyst Domination

Cracking the Code: How Data Analysis Drives Success

Would you believe it if we told you nothing is luck but a calculated risk ? Well, a movie like Moneyball proved something similar. Brad Pitt’s character in the film used data analysis to assemble a winning baseball team. Data is simply a collection of facts and figures that, if interpreted correctly, can do wonders. Data analysis and interpretation have transformed the way businesses run today. Imagine running your own business without knowing the preferences of your customers. What you call customer satisfaction derives from keeping in mind the popular choices of your target audience and serving them precisely what they like.

Data has an integral role to play in how social media works. This blog also came to your feed due to excellent data management. What you call coincidence is, in reality, a profound data analysis. The most fascinating aspect is how it can help arrive at meaningful conclusions and achieve desirable results. For a business to be successful, for example, one needs to maintain a database of their consumers, forward essential product updates, and keep track of their inventory. Each of these steps requires a comprehensive data analysis. The demand for this career prospect is, therefore, predicted to skyrocket. The demand for data analysts in India will grow by 25% over the next five years.

As far as Jobs are concerned, it is estimated that there would be 1.5 million job openings for data professionals by 2025—and no, this is not just a prediction; this is the actual data analysis!

Also Read: Data Scientist: Your Guide to a Thriving Career in Data (2024)

Dive In: What is Data Analysis?

“It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly, one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts,”  Sherlock Holmes proclaims in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Scandal in Bohemia.

If movies like Interstellar, Tenet, Inception, and The Dark Knight are challenging to understand, why do you think Christopher Nolan spends millions making them? The answer lies in the data the filmmakers collect to make this decision. They take confidence in the number of people worldwide who watch their films, why they watch them, what makes these films interesting, and a lot more. The bottom line from this example is how even the entertainment industry relies on data for its thriving business.

How to Become a Data Analyst? The ABCD of Data Analytics

Follow these steps to become the next ultimate data analyst today’s the industry has ever seen:

A. Pursuing the right course

Generally, the ideal way to become a data analyst is to pursue a relevant undergraduate and then a postgraduate degree. This could also include courses such as

1. Computer Science

2. Information management

3. Mathematics

4. Statistics

5. Economics

6. Finance

7. Business Information systems

Why these specific courses? They usually help you develop more quantitative skills and analytical abilities. Mathematics enables you to hone your fast calculation skills, and finance teaches you how to work with numbers. Other subjects also contribute effectively.  Recruiters often look for specific skills you can quickly develop through these subjects.

B. Work on the Technical

You would typically need a set of technical skills to be developed, irrespective of the kind of course you pursue. Here are the skills you can focus on:

1. Statistics

2. R, Python, and JavaScript programming

3. SQL (Structured Query Language)

4. Data visualisation (Tableau, QlikView, Power BI)

5. Data cleaning and preparation

6. Microsoft Excel

7. Dashboarding

8. Relational Database

9. Machine Learning

C. Experience Counts: Work With Real Data

The theoretical knowledge in a field like Data Analytics has little value if not polished with work experience. If you want to understand the actual data analytics and its workings, try finding similar work experiences. You can do this by signing up for degree programmes, online and certification courses, or hands-on projects. These may involve data analysis; you can also learn to design your projects.

D. Develop Your Portfolio

Keep records of all the work that you do. Every internship, part-time job, project, or freelancing work counts. Filter out the best of your work and then put that in your portfolio. This would be a piece of evidence showcasing all the work that you have done. Recruiters often focus on your work quality, and this would be a way of demonstrating that. If you are wondering about what should take place in your portfolio, here is what can help:

1. Gather information by scraping it from many sources.

2. Sort and organise unprocessed data.

3. Make your findings appealing using charts, graphs, maps, and other visual aids.

4. Make valuable conclusions from the facts.

Remember to add group projects. This way, you can demonstrate soft skills like teamwork and communication.

E. Time to Work

You can apply for an entry-level job after you gather enough work experience working with data. Your skills, portfolio, knowledge, and expertise would contribute effectively. For a data analyst in India, the average salary range is between INR 1.0 LPA and INR 12.0 LPA, with an average annual salary of INR 5.3 LPA. Of course, your salary may also grow as your designation improves.

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Top Certification Courses to Pursue

Here are the top certification courses you can pursue to become a data analyst. The fee mentioned below is subject to change at the time of admission.

Colleges Offering Online Data Analytics

Here are the colleges in India that offer an online course in data analytics. The fee mentioned below is subject to change at the time of admission.

From Zero to Data Hero: Top Skills for Aspiring Analysts

To successfully lead the career of a data analyst, here are the top skills you can focus on:

• Data Cleaning and Preparation: This involves identifying the errors and missing data and preparing the datasets for analysis.

• Statistical Knowledge: This would help you to interpret the data correctly and extract meaningful insights from it.

• Data Visualisation :This involves creating graphs, charts, dashboards, and infographics that help present the data more effectively.

• Programming Languages: This includes programming languages such as SQL, Python, and R and using them for working with large databases.

• Critical Thinking: This helps analyse and understand trends, patterns, and data to make more informed decisions.

Also Read: Machine Learning Engineer: The Core of Data Science Team

Signing Off: In a Nutshell

Data analysis is similar to deriving the correct meaning from the available information. The proper meaning holds immense value. It determines the actual course of our decision-making and, eventually, the results. Data analytics is also a highly demanding career prospect. Recruiters invest in data analysts as they value the work of data management and deriving meaningful insights.

Additionally, this field may remain relevant for the job opportunities it offers. This blog provided detailed insight into the top colleges, certification courses, their fee structure, and the skills you can develop. This guide can help you successfully plan your career in data analytics. What are you waiting for if you plan to embark on this journey?

Also Read:  Why Opt For Data Analytics? – Learning Routes

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.1 Why is Data Analysis Important?

Companies and large businesses use a lot of data. When they multiply or grow, their data also expands. This makes it more complex, and a more efficient process is needed to harness the value of that data.

Q.2 What are the non-technical skills a data analyst is expected to develop?

Here are some of the non-technical skills that recruiters often look out for that you can work on:

1. Problem-solving

2. Creativity

3. Domain knowledge

4. Knowledge of the industry

Q.3 Which are the highest-paying recruiters in Data Analysis?

Here are the top recruiters:

1. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

2. Wipro

3. Infosys

4. Accenture

5. Cognizant

Q.4 Do Zomato and Swiggy hire data analysts?

Yes, most organisations and big businesses today hire data analysts. They invest to grow their businesses effectively.

Q.5 Is Data analytics going to be relevant in the future?

Data analytics would remain relevant for the kind of job role it has. It is an integral part of a business. Additionally, a company needs data to analyse and extract meaningful insight to grow.