Data drives almost all the important decisions in a business. We are in a data-driven era, and the data industry is on a roll. Amidst all that, you would have surely thought of becoming a data analyst. But what are the specific requirements? Who can become a data analyst? What are the skills required for being a data analyst? Do you need to have a specific background to be a data analyst?
Most of the information available on the subject is puzzling and might take you to the wrong place. To become a data analyst, you should follow the correct process and be good friends with numbers. Moreover, you don’t need to be an engineer or have prior experience in the field. You can belong to any domain, have no clue regarding data analysis, and still be a skilled data analyst.
But you need to acquire some skills required to become a data analyst, and you might want to hurry up. Well, why so?
That’s because the industry is rapidly growing, and even now, many organizations are hunting for talented data analysts. Who knows if you can be the one, they are looking for?
Here’s an ultimate guide that will help you master the process.
A step-by-step guide for analyzing data nicely!
Soft skills
Soft skills allow you to manage your projects efficiently. Moreover, the overall learning experience is enhanced with soft skills. While working in a workplace, you can notice a significant improvement in the execution of tasks and the achievements of the team, with great soft skills.
What are we referring to?
Soft skills include critical thinking, communication, time management, and other skills that can help you take your business to the next level. You will spend hours churning datasets and finding some great insights. But those findings and insights hold no value if you fail to communicate the same to your team. In the same way, critical thinking will help you process better and ask the right questions.
Therefore, start working on your soft skills. They matter as much as the hard skills! But hang on. There’s more to the story.
Technical skills
Technical skills will help you with the tasks that a data analyst performs. There are a bunch of technical skills that you need to learn to be a good data analyst.
Microsoft Excel
Don’t look at Microsoft Excel as just a spreadsheet program. Instead, look at it as a partner in crime. You must have a knack for sheets as they will help you handle data better and perform various computing and mathematical functions properly. You can get an edge over statistical knowledge with Excel. It provides an edge over data analysis and helps you keep datasets organized.
Structured Query Language (SQL)
Structured Query Language is more than a programming language. It allows you to communicate clearly with the data at your hand. Accessing and manipulating data and drawing valuable insights from it becomes extremely easy once you are acquainted with SQL.
Programming languages
Being a data analyst can be one shade better with the knowledge of programming languages. Generally, analysts prefer to use Python due to its flexibility and the access to numerous libraries inside it. As an analyst, you would surely enjoy reading, analyzing, structuring, and organizing data on an advanced level with the help of Python.
Data visualization and cleansing
Last but not the least, as a data analyst you will have to deal with complex data structures that will require the skill of data visualization through graphs and charts. Moreover, for drawing valuable insights that drive significant business decisions, you will also need to retrieve valuable information from unorganized datasets. Therefore, you must also be equipped with data cleansing and visualization.
These are the essential data analyst skills required. We have covered almost all the skills you would require as a beginner for becoming a data analyst. But the story doesn’t end here either. There’s more to it.
Building a strong portfolio
Weapons can only prepare you for the battle. You still have to fight it on your own.
Once you are equipped with all the skills, it would be time to work on real projects which involve real datasets. Your portfolio will demonstrate your real-time problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Real-world projects help you in demonstrating your skills in a crystal-clear manner, and they will improve your chances of getting selected for that dream job you are applying for!
If you are new to the field, you would want to make sure that you are fully prepared, right?
Apart from the skills, you can also enroll in a data analyst course that makes you deal with real-world business problems and prepares you for the field as a beginner. The certification will help you with the much-needed hands-on experience of dealing with raw data and presenting its refined structure to others. Some common data analyst projects include data scraping, sentiment analysis, data visualization, etc.
That’s it!
You are at the climax. To complete the story, you can start applying for entry-level jobs that help you further with organizational experiences and understanding of the role of a data analyst in a business context. There are a variety of skills required to become a data analyst. But once you are knowledgeable about them, you will surely enjoy your work and play more with numbers.