Are you fascinated by data analyst jobs but have no idea how to become a data analyst? Well, worry not, I got your back.
Becoming a data analyst could be a rewarding job in this data-driven world. Every industry depends on data to gain valuable insights and to make informed decisions.
But for you to be able to source, process, and read raw data and convert that data into meaningful insights, you need to have the skills of a data analyst.
So, if you are a data enthusiast and want to learn the fundamentals of a data analyst then you are at the right place.
In this article, I’ll try to guide you through the journey of how to become a data analyst in 2024.
How To Become A Data Analyst?
Before we can get started with our topic of how to become a data analyst, we first need to understand the role of a data analyst.
What Is The Role Of A Data Analyst?
If you want to know the answer to how to become a data analyst, you first need to understand what a data analyst is and what it does.
The role of a data analyst is to collect, organize, and process data to help organizations make strategically informed decisions based on the insights gained from the data collected by the data analyst.
A data analyst works with large and complex datasets and uses programming languages and advanced statistical tools to process large datasets into meaningful insights.
Skills Required To Become A Data Analyst
For you to become a data analyst you must acquire a set of skills. Here are some of the skills that you must acquire if you want to become a data analyst:
Technical Skills: You should be able to understand and work with programming languages such as SQL, Python, or R.
Proper knowledge of handling and working with data visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau is also a must.
Technical Skills Requirements:
- SQL, R, JavaScript, and Python.
- Data Visualization: QlikView, Power BI, Tableau
- Data Preparation & Data Cleaning
- Microsoft Excel
- Statistics
- Machine Learning
- Relational Database
- Dashboarding
Analytical Skills: For you to become a data analyst, you should be able to analyze complex and large datasets to identify the latest trends and patterns to stay ahead of the competition.
Communication Skills: Now you must be wondering what’s with the communication skills right?
Well, strong communication skills are a must for a data analyst as you’ll often be required to present your insights to non-technical stakeholders.
What’s the point of your insights if you won’t be able to make people with non-technical backgrounds understand your data?
Attention To Detail: Attention to detail is something that can’t be ignored.
As a data analyst, you will be required to have a high level of accuracy to ensure the validity of your insights while working with complex and large datasets.
Education Required To Become A Data Analyst
People often ask if it is essential to have a degree in a related field such as computer science, mathematics, and statistics to become a data analyst.
Yes, it is beneficial to have a degree in a related field as it makes it easier for organizations to shortlist candidates based on their knowledge and qualifications.
However, even if you don’t have a degree in a related field, there are companies that hire people based on their knowledge and skills rather than work experience.
So opportunities are always there.
There are many universities and online channels that offer advanced courses in data analysis.
You can choose any of the platforms to learn data analysis and develop the necessary skills required to become a data analyst.
Getting Hands-On Experience
The only way to learn and develop data analysis skills is by doing it. Gaining practical knowledge is the best way to understand the role of a data analyst in an organization.
After learning the course from a reputed platform and university, look for entry-level positions or internships.
This will allow you to work with real-world data and also utilize your skills. Working on real-world data will help you develop and sharpen your skills as a data analyst.
When you have spent an ample amount of hours working as a data analyst you will see the difference in your skills.
These new skills and the ability to work on complex data and transform that data into meaningful insights will make you stand out.
This will unlock new opportunities for you and make your profile and portfolio more attractive to potential employers.
How To Build A Strong Portfolio?
Building a strong portfolio can help you stand out from the crowd. Create an impressive portfolio by including projects that showcase your data analysis skills and talents.
Showcase the projects that highlight your data analysis skills including statistical models, data visualizations, data-driven insights, or handling large and complex datasets.
Make sure to not only highlight your process but also narrate your progress, utilization of your data analysis skills, and impact of your work.
This will help understand people who would want to hire you about your data analysis skills and talent and your capability as a data analyst.
Staying Up To Date With Industry Trends
Data analysis is a field of ever-changing and constantly evolving. So, as a data analyst, it is essential for you to stay up to date with the latest trends, patterns, and technology.
There are several things that you can do to stay up to date with the industry trends and patterns:
- Follow Industry Blogs
- Attend Conferences
- Participate on line
- Learn & Utilize new technology in a related field of data
- Join Professional Associations
- Read Reports & Whitepapers
These are some of the things and activities that you can do as a data analyst to stay updated with the industry’s latest trends.
Creating Network For Better Opportunities
Creating a strong network is one of the best ways of finding new job opportunities in data analysis. The things that you can do to build a strong network are:
- Attend industry events
- Attend workshops
- Connect with professionals & field experts
- Follow big market players on platforms like Linkedin
- Join related groups
Preparing For An Interview
Now when you have gained complete knowledge and skills of a data analyst and after when you have put those skills to use, it’s time to prepare for an interview.
Get familiar with commonly asked questions in a data analysis interview. You may also use ChatGPT to practice for a data analysis interview.
You can simply ask ChatGPT to take your interview for the post of data analyst and it will ask you all the related and most commonly asked questions in a data analysis interview.
Bottom Lines
On today’s date, there is a huge demand for data analysts in the data-driven world. Data analysis plays a vital role in building and running an organization.
So, becoming a data analyst in 2024 could be an exciting and rewarding journey.
If you are one of those data enthusiasts, developing the right and essential skills required to become a data analyst, may help you get your dream role in your dream company.
What is required to become data analyst?
It is important to have an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree in a related field such as computer science, economics, statistics, maths, information management, or business management systems.
But in some cases, it is also seen that if you have completed your data analysis course from a reputed university or online platform and if you have the knowledge and can showcase your data analysis skills to generate meaningful insights from complex and large datasets, a company will hire you.
Who is qualified to be a data analyst?
If you have what it takes to be a data analyst and can demonstrate your data analysis capability and skills to maximum output then you are more than qualified to be a data analyst.