Data analysis is a booming industry that has an abundance of opportunities all over the world. If you want to build a career in a competitive yet gratifying field, you must consider going for data analytics. If you have a keen interest in handling loads of data and acquiring valuable insights, then this field is right for you.
This field is growing so rapidly because many businesses rely on these experts to solve and improve their business decisions. The data that is collected from the customers or other sources can be used to make so many informed decisions for any organization. So signing up for the role of data analytics, you can become a valuable asset for any organization.
But who can take data analytics? Are you thinking about how to become a data analyst without a degree? Also, if you are curious to know what degree I need to become a data analyst, then this blog will answer all your queries. You can enter the field of data analytics from several different educational backgrounds or even by taking data analytics classes.
But first, let’s start by understanding who these professionals are and what responsibilities they hold.
Who are Data Analysts?
Data Analysts are professionals who are responsible for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data sets to solve problems or boost the productivity of organizations. These professionals can gain loads of essential insights from the data collected to incorporate necessary measures into any corporation.
Many industries, from medicine to finance to others, rely on these professionals to improve their productivity and achieve maximum goals. If you’re guessing what are the responsibilities of a data analyst then in simple terms, they are required to understand patterns and trends from the data collected.
Some of the other responsibilities of a data analyst include data collection, cleaning, visualization, generating reports from it, and data modeling. Then these professionals play a crucial role in collaborative decision-making with other heads of an organization.
How do I become a Data Analyst?
As mentioned above, many individuals willing to start a career in this rapidly blooming field can do several data analytics certifications online to build the necessary skills for starting a data analytics job role in any organization. However, these individuals must be from a computer science or other analytical discipline.
Here are a few things you need to know before entering the sector of data analytics:
Learning technical skills
As data analysts are required to work with loads of data, they must know the tools to handle these data sets easily. If you’re thinking, how do I become a data analyst? You must be thorough with using SQL and Microsoft Excel. You must know how to use these programs to manage and filter the collected data.
To fulfill all the responsibilities of a data analyst, you must also have an understanding of programming languages like R or Python. You should know how to do data visualization effectively. Another thing is that you must be good with analytics, statistics, and mathematics. That’s why you must have studied from a relatable background.
Having an undergraduate or Graduate Degree
As an aspiring data analyst, you can do a bachelor’s or master’s in data analytics or data science. Are you figuring out what degree I need to become a data analyst? Then earning a degree in related fields like computer science, statistics, economics, or others can add credibility to your portfolio.
To answer your question about how to become a data analyst without a degree, here’s something that is suggested.
Enrolling for Certifications
There are several online certifications that you can do in order to develop your data analytical skills. These certification courses can teach you basic to advanced level skills required for a flourishing data analytics career. The best about most of these certifications is that they need no prior experience.
Here’s a data analyst boot camp that you can refer to that will help you build a base for data analysis.
Data Analyst Bootcamp 2023 | Learn Data Analytics in 11 Hours | Data Analytics Course |Simplilearn
Data Analyst Salaries and Job Prospects
According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a data analyst in the US is $80,105. As an entry-level data analyst, you can make an average pay of $55,593 annually in the US. Your income increases depending on your salary and years of experience. Many top companies like Amazon, Apple, Cisco Systems, Meta, and others offer salaries that can go up to $2,00,000 per year.
Since the field is so highly rewarding, many professionals from different areas of computer science, strategic studies, and others are taking up data analytics certifications. These individuals with analytical skills can kickstart a career in data analytics.
Who can take Data Analytics classes?
Anyone from the science or computer science field can take data analytics courses to build up their knowledge and secure a sector job. The minimum eligibility for data analytics courses is having a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% marks in mathematics, CS, or other statistics backgrounds.
There are several data analytics certifications that do not require any experience and can build your skills from the ground up. That means you can still acquire these certifications if you have not taken up data analytics in your major.
Many online educational institutions, like Simplilearn, Coursera, upGrad, and others, offer a variety of courses and boot camps that polish your analytical skills and make you job-ready. On top of that, they also offer you job prospects that you can apply for after completing the course.
Conclusion
Hopefully, we have solved your query about how do I become a data analyst, and this guide has turned out to be helpful. Data analytics is not only for aspiring data analysts. Any professional with knowledge in programming skills and looking for an abundance of job opportunities can opt for this lucrative career. This field has just started booming and will see many upgrades in the future. With the increasing responsibilities of a data analyst, the demand for these professionals is increasing.
