nuel000:
What was your original field of study and hoe did you transition?

Udoboss:
I would love to learn

DataWiz:


I read Electrical Engineering. However, it doesn't really matter your field of study, as an analyst you just need to know the foundation, the data analysis process, and some software applications to aid your analysis and you are good to go. You can equally transition to a business analyst that helps businesses to investigate and analyse business situations, identify and evaluate various options for solving those business problems, define and elaborate business requirements that those options must have, then present a recommended course of action for business managers to adopt. For the role of a business analyst you will need to learn business analysis framework like LeanSigma etc. The good thing about all this is that whatsoever skill you learn is relevant and can be applied in other domains

nuel000:
interesting �...for how long have u been working as a data analyst and how long did it take to get a good job after various certifications...and what certification would employers require if they were to hire a data analyst... thanks for ur anticipated response

DataWiz:
My name is John Wiz. I presently work as a data analyst for a large retail store with presence in over 10 states and over 30 branches. This post is intended to guide prospective data analysts as they journey through the world of data analytics. I am a Microsoft Certified Data Analyst Associate and my take home right now is over N450,000.00 per month based on my experience. It is also worth mentioning that on the average a data analyst earns around N160,000.00 based on salary data on Glassdoor. It's a good choice for those who want to transition into Managerial careers also.

You might be thinking if data analysis is a risk worth taking and would be relevant in years to come. It's okay to have this kind of thoughts especially when making a career choice or transitioning to a different career path. The good news is that there is no activity in life that does not generate data, this implies that to better understand the world we are there will always be need to process this data to gain valuable insights that can improve our standard of living and present new exciting opportunities to explore.

Who is a data analyst?

A data analyst is a person who collects, transforms, process, and analyse data in order to find insights, patterns and answers to business questions. Most organizations are seeing the need for a data analyst and over the past few years the value placed on the data analysts has increased. According to Glassdoor, data analysis is one of the top 10 skills to have at the moment as it cuts across all sectors of the economy. You are guaranteed to get your return on investment should you venture into it.

What skills do I need to become a data analyst?
Your skills are the qualities or competencies you possess to carry out your job effectively. As a data analyst you will require both interpersonal and technical skills.

What do I mean by interpersonal skills?

Interpersonal skills are social skills that help you relate well with others in your organisation. They are relationship management skills that helps foster a good work environment and softens the ground for you to use your technical skills. They include :

1) Communication skills: ability to explain things with clarity
2) Listening skills
3) Emotional Intelligence
4) Team work
5) Relationship management

What are technical skills?

These are sets of abilities or knowledge used to perform analytical tasks. These skills most times stand you out from the rest during the interview process. They include:

1) Proficiency in the use of spread sheets like Excel, Google sheets etc
2) Proficiency in Structured Query Language( SQL), SQL is the language we use to communicate with databases
3) Big data visualization tools like PowerBI, Tableau, Google Data Studio
4) Programming languages like Python or R

How do I learn these skills and how long will it take to get proficient at them?

Knowledge is everywhere these days. It takes grit to actually follow a plan and complete it. If you are really interested in becoming an analyst you can get lots of tutorials on youtube. But most of these courses on youtube are not well curated. So I will advise you start by registering for the Google Professional Data Analytics Course on Coursera https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-data-analytics This course has well curated contents by well-versed professionals that will teach you all the rudimentary things and skills you need to know to become a competent data analyst. They include spreadsheets, databases, roles in data analytics ,data analytics process, data analytics frameworks etc. You can apply for financial aid and do the course at zero cost. At the end of the course, Google will issue you a professional certificate and help you in your search for a job. In 6 months you should be done with the certification and be confident you can confidently apply for an entry level data analyst role

darkelf:


You gave a misleading and dishonest take

But continue sha

People will find out themselves in a hard and bitter way

DataWiz:


Good question. I have worked as an analyst for 4 years. However, years of experience shouldn't deter you from getting entry level roles or graduate trainee roles that only require your ability to learn quickly on the job, think critically and solve business problems in a logical, and step by step manner. I acquired most of my certifications in 2021. After acquiring my Google Data Analyst Certification, Microsoft Certified Data Analyst Associate Certification( Certification on Microsoft Power BI which is a business intelligence tool for data visualization) and Google Python Certification. I got a better job in 6 months that's triple of my previous earning. I also got some interviews with some big companies and I bargained for as much as N700k although I didn't plan to leave because I just resumed my current job not too long ago. I just wanted to test how much value companies place on me.

But for beginners you can actually do a Microsoft Azure Data Fundamental Certification. It's called DP900. There is also a well curated content by Microsoft to help you understand basic data concepts and prepare for the exam. Also your personal projects will be a plus during interviews as it shows your level of exposure. There are lots of data challenges on linkedin that provide datasets for data analysts to test their skill and increase their exposure.

I will be looking at data analytics managerial positions in 2022 so my focus will be on getting Google Project Management Certification and Project management professional certification from Project management institute. Then other certifications such as Microsoft Certified Data Scientist Associate and Microsoft Certified Azure Database Administrator.

DataWiz:


What's misleading and dishonest? The essence of the post is to probably guide aspiring data analysts so if there's anything you think I said that's misleading, kindly let me know so I can clarify things if need be and others can learn from you too

darkelf:


A data analyst doesn't really need Python/R skills at least for a start. SQL (PostGre and MS SQL), Excel, Tableau/Power BI are more important. In fact, they should start with SQL.

The Job market here in Naija is different. A lot of unemployed "Data Analysts" out there. Don't let Glassdoor and Coursera mislead you.

I will type more as I remember from experience

DataWiz:


[b]You didn't bother to read my post well [/b]and my response to the question on basic certifications one needs before applying for an analyst role. There is nothing misleading about my post. As a beginner you might not even require any of those technical skills to get a job. Your ability to learn fast and how smart or intelligent you are can help you scale through. You can always learn on the job, and most times, there are experienced hands within the company to handhold talents. As you grow you will require those technical skills to do your day's job with accuracy and speed. Having these skills gives you a very big advantage during interview compared to one without those skills. The thing is to have a plan and work towards that plan.

There is no day I do not use python, spreadsheet, powerbi or SQL. I use python to automate most of my work. That's why I advised to start with the Google Data Analytics professional certificate because it will take them from basic concepts of data, spreadsheets, SQL and databases, data visualization tools like Tableau and R programming in that progression, from beginners to advanced stage. I never said it's a guarantee for job placement but there is a very high chance of getting employed with this skill. Just learn and wait for opportunity to present itself. It will always come. Besides one should learn SQL only when you are well grounded in spreadsheets. Learning SQL before spreadsheets is a very wrong approach.

darkelf:


That is your own opinion

Most would say start with SQL

And I read your post well

COdeGenesis:


Who are the most? I totally agree with Op. Most organisations use spreadsheets for their day to day report. So it would make sense as an analyst to learn the basic reporting/analytical tool you will find in most organisations and that tool is EXCEL which is a spreadsheet. Beginners should start with spreadsheet. When you have gained enough experience in spreadsheet you can now move to SQL. This is because you will still require spreadsheets even after pulling queries from the databases using SQL. So it makes no sense to learn SQL when you do not know Excel as an analyst. You can go weeks without using SQL as an analyst but you can't go a day without spreadsheets. I am speaking from experience as an analyst. Like the op said it's ba very wrong approach. Spreadsheets are a must know for analysts. It's just like a web programmer learning nodejs without learning html and JavaScript. It's a very wrong approach

Unugwa12:
I am currently enrolled in the google certificate on Coursera, I am on R programming at the moment. I started the journey earlier this year.
What I need now is experience even unpaid internships I can use to learn

Chidoy:
How much does it cost to learn it on coursera?

DataWiz:
My name is John Wiz. I presently work as a data analyst for a large retail store with over 30 branches and presence in over 10 states. This post is intended to guide prospective data analysts as they journey through the world of data analytics. I am a Microsoft Certified Data Analyst Associate and my take home right now is over N450,000.00 per month based on my experience. It is also worth mentioning that on the average a data analyst earns around N160,000.00 based on salary data on Glassdoor. It's a good choice for those who want to transition into Managerial careers also.

You might be thinking if data analysis is a risk worth taking and would be relevant in years to come. It's okay to have this kind of thoughts especially when making a career choice or transitioning to a different career path. The good news is that there is no activity in life that does not generate data, this implies that to better understand the world we are there will always be need to process this data to gain valuable insights that can improve our standard of living and present new exciting opportunities to explore.

Who is a data analyst?

A data analyst is a person who collects, transforms, process, and analyse data in order to find insights, patterns and answers to business questions. Most organizations are seeing the need for a data analyst and over the past few years the value placed on the data analysts has increased. According to Glassdoor, data analysis is one of the top 10 skills to have at the moment as it cuts across all sectors of the economy. You are guaranteed to get your return on investment should you venture into it.

What skills do I need to become a data analyst?
Your skills are the qualities or competencies you possess to carry out your job effectively. As a data analyst you will require both interpersonal and technical skills.

What do I mean by interpersonal skills?

Interpersonal skills are social skills that help you relate well with others in your organisation. They are relationship management skills that helps foster a good work environment and softens the ground for you to use your technical skills. They include :

1) Communication skills: ability to explain things with clarity
2) Listening skills
3) Emotional Intelligence
4) Team work
5) Relationship management

What are technical skills?

These are sets of abilities or knowledge used to perform analytical tasks. These skills most times stand you out from the rest during the interview process. They include:

1) Proficiency in the use of spread sheets like Excel, Google sheets etc
2) Proficiency in Structured Query Language( SQL), SQL is the language we use to communicate with databases
3) Big data visualization tools like PowerBI, Tableau, Google Data Studio
4) Programming languages like Python or R

How do I learn these skills and how long will it take to get proficient at them?

Knowledge is everywhere these days. It takes grit to actually follow a plan and complete it. If you are really interested in becoming an analyst you can get lots of tutorials on youtube. But most of these courses on youtube are not well curated. So I will advise you start by registering for the Google Professional Data Analytics Course on Coursera https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-data-analytics This course has well curated contents by well-versed professionals that will teach you all the rudimentary things and skills you need to know to become a competent data analyst. They include spreadsheets, databases, roles in data analytics ,data analytics process, data analytics frameworks etc. You can apply for financial aid and do the course at zero cost. At the end of the course, Google will issue you a professional certificate and help you in your search for a job. In 6 months you should be done with the certification and be confident you can confidently apply for an entry level data analyst role

DataWiz:


You didn't bother to read my post well and my response to the question on basic certifications one needs before applying for an analyst role. There is nothing misleading about my post. As a beginner you might not even require any of those technical skills to get a job. Your ability to learn fast and how smart or intelligent you are can help you scale through. You can always learn on the job, and most times, there are experienced hands within the company to handhold talents. As you grow you will require those technical skills to do your day's job with accuracy and speed. Having these skills gives you a very big advantage during interview compared to one without those skills. The thing is to have a plan and work towards that plan.

There is no day I do not use python, spreadsheet, powerbi or SQL. I use python to automate most of my work. That's why I advised to start with the Google Data Analytics professional certificate because it will take them from basic concepts of data, spreadsheets, SQL and databases, data visualization tools like Tableau and R programming in that progression, from beginners to advanced stage. I never said it's a guarantee for job placement but there is a very high chance of getting employed with this skill. Just learn and wait for opportunity to present itself. It will always come. Besides one should learn SQL only when you are well grounded in spreadsheets. Learning SQL before spreadsheets is a very wrong approach.

Laryfrosh:


Data analyst jobs are remote or they need to report at a physical location?

darkelf:


A data analyst doesn't really need Python/R skills at least for a start. SQL (PostGre and MS SQL), Excel, Tableau/Power BI are more important. In fact, they should start with SQL.

The Job market here in Naija is different. A lot of unemployed "Data Analysts" out there. Don't let Glassdoor and Coursera mislead you.

I will type more as I remember from experience

Beginners should focus more on racking up experience through projects and internships (even though unpaid)

By projects, whak kind of projects and how do we come about the projects. Im talking about somebody who is a total novice

darkelf:


A data analyst doesn't really need Python/R skills at least for a start. SQL (PostGre and MS SQL), Excel, Tableau/Power BI are more important. In fact, they should start with SQL.

The Job market here in Naija is different. A lot of unemployed "Data Analysts" out there. Don't let Glassdoor and Coursera mislead you.

I will type more as I remember from experience

Beginners should focus more on racking up experience through projects and internships (even though unpaid)

By projects, whak kind of projects and how do we come about the projects. Im talking about somebody who is a total novice