Become a data analyst?

[Alchemisst]

Is data analyst a good career? anyone able to share their thoughts/ experiences? Is it possible to get into without a degree?

[CatamaranSailor]

Fantastic career with excellent growth potential, great salary and you can absolutely get into it without a degree (although having one does help).

First thing is, the term "data analyst" can mean way different things depending on the company you work for. Some data analysts work exclusively within a platform like Salesforce or Odoo, so beyond the foundational skills, you'd need to become familiar with whatever systems your company uses....and there are a lot....and no company has them set up perfectly.

First things first...learn Excel. I mean immerse yourself in it. Just becoming an Excel guru will open up doors. Excel has some truly impressive capabilities for analytics.

Next, learn SQL. The world runs on SQL databases.

Then you'll want to start learning a tool like PowerBI or Tableau.

You can learn all of those technologies and tools on your own. Not having a degree may be a stumbling block which is why you'll need to build a portfolio. Build a SQL database that you can use for demos.

Like any career, there are pros and cons. Most company's are held together with spit and tape, so there is usually a lot of garbage data, systems that are antiquated, etc. You'll them be asked "are these numbers correct?" and you'll have to be able to say yes.

:)

[newco]

It is a in demand career (at the current time) but as CatamaranSailor alluded to, you are at the mercy of your development team in terms of working with good data.  I worked my way in to my current position without a relevant degree, mind you I do have a bachelors and 7+ years working in IT.

What I would suggest doing is trying to find an entry level IT position (any type of position) if you do not have experience working in IT.  Do that for a bit and see if you like working in that type of environment.  Everyone wants to work in IT, but it is not easy at all.  You are always at the mercy of someone else and everything has the potential to turn into a heaping garbage fire with you being expected to fix everything.  Add in a business structure that relies on client work, and goodbye work life balance.  If you are coming in fresh, avoid SaaS companies and companies that do not have any type of formal documentation.  Ask about turnover in interviews, a revolving door policy at a company is a massive red flag (currently working at a place like that right now). 

[Archipelago]

A good friend of mine did a data analyst track with Springboard. I think he paid around $8k or $12k for tuition and within 15 months had a new job paying $95k + good benefits. He has an undergrad business degree and switched fields entirely. He's already moved up since then and is doing even better comp-wise.

Another friend of mine did the software engineering track with Springboard and had a similar experience.

It's only 2 anecdotal stories but they're both doing well with lots of room for career advancement.

[njmoney]

I work in data analytics in the food industry. So, probably a bit different from the experience listed above.

A critical piece of data analytics, at least in the food industry, is being able to communicate what you see in the data to the average person. I know many people that are experts with manipulating data but lack the ability to explain in simple terms why something is happening and what action should be taken.

In the food industry, you can definitely get into data analytics without a relevant degree. But, you'll need to have some kind of relevant industry experience and having a bachelors degree in some/any field is important. For example, you could have a degree in Business Management, which would get you a start in a company, work in sales or marketing for a couple of years, and then move over into analytics. 

If you are good at it, it pays well and definitely has room for advancement.

[BC_Goldman]

This sounds like another avenue I need to explore. I really like working with data and have been updating my resume to go towards a database administrator job.

I do have a number of years of experience building a database and providing information from it while working on the Sales & Marketing team.

[jrhampt]

Yes, it's a good career.  I've built one out of it, starting with Excel, PowerPoint, and Access, and moving on to SQL and predictive modeling tools.  SQL is particularly key, as noted above, and some kind of visualization/communication tools/skills.  I had some degrees when I started, but they weren't particularly relevant to the field.  Eventually my company paid for a master's in applied math/statistics and some GIS and Data Mining certificate courses.  The title data analyst is an entry level role for this field, and you can build up to things like data scientist and analytics advisor and all kinds of other vague more senior-level titles which will net you more money.  As an individual contributor you can get up into the 100-250k range once you have some experience.

[Alchemisst]

A good friend of mine did a data analyst track with Springboard. I think he paid around $8k or $12k for tuition and within 15 months had a new job paying $95k + good benefits. He has an undergrad business degree and switched fields entirely. He's already moved up since then and is doing even better comp-wise.

Another friend of mine did the software engineering track with Springboard and had a similar experience.

It's only 2 anecdotal stories but they're both doing well with lots of room for career advancement.

Would analyst or software be a better path atm?

[Archipelago]

A good friend of mine did a data analyst track with Springboard. I think he paid around $8k or $12k for tuition and within 15 months had a new job paying $95k + good benefits. He has an undergrad business degree and switched fields entirely. He's already moved up since then and is doing even better comp-wise.

Another friend of mine did the software engineering track with Springboard and had a similar experience.

It's only 2 anecdotal stories but they're both doing well with lots of room for career advancement.

Would analyst or software be a better path atm?

That I would not know. From what I understand, landing anywhere in tech is a good area to be. The differences in specific skill set and job titles would come down to your natural ability and aptitudes. I believe Springboard has a personality / skill test that matches you with some ideas for their tracks. That's where I would start.

[midweststache]

I work in data analytics in the food industry. So, probably a bit different from the experience listed above.

A critical piece of data analytics, at least in the food industry, is being able to communicate what you see in the data to the average person. I know many people that are experts with manipulating data but lack the ability to explain in simple terms why something is happening and what action should be taken.

In the food industry, you can definitely get into data analytics without a relevant degree. But, you'll need to have some kind of relevant industry experience and having a bachelors degree in some/any field is important. For example, you could have a degree in Business Management, which would get you a start in a company, work in sales or marketing for a couple of years, and then move over into analytics.

If you are good at it, it pays well and definitely has room for advancement.

Yup. DH has an advanced degree in Political Science, with an emphasis in Data (used to work on data teams on big, national political campaigns back in the early 2000s) and now works in healthcare doing data work for a large hospital system. It seems like 85% of his job is working with IT (he does not have an IT background) to get data and then processing that data into palatable information for non-data bigwigs.

DH isn't particularly ambitious - he's not looking for a VP or C-Suite job - so while he could make better money elsewhere wth his experience in data analytics, he's pretty happy with the benefits (good healthcare, flexible working environment) and has decided to stay put for now. (We'll see how he feels when he caps out on salary in his current role, which is <5 years away...)

[mizzourah2006]

A good friend of mine did a data analyst track with Springboard. I think he paid around $8k or $12k for tuition and within 15 months had a new job paying $95k + good benefits. He has an undergrad business degree and switched fields entirely. He's already moved up since then and is doing even better comp-wise.

Another friend of mine did the software engineering track with Springboard and had a similar experience.

It's only 2 anecdotal stories but they're both doing well with lots of room for career advancement.

Would analyst or software be a better path atm?

In my experience the hierarchy is still

SE>DS>DA

I think within Software Engineering you could throw Data Engineering and within Data Science you could throw Machine Learning Engineer as well.

[valaraukar]

is data analysis/business intelligence a field that favors older people (early 50s) on their second career?  Or is it something where companies are looking for young people?

[chasesfish]

Any advice for people getting their first job?  My sister is finishing up her eight month post-grad program and is starting to look.

[Psychstache]

. It seems like 85% of his job is working with IT (he does not have an IT background) to get data and then processing that data into palatable information for non-data bigwigs.

So your husband is Tom Smykowski from Office Space. :)

[FIRE Artist]

There is a huge demand for analytics in healthcare, especially since the wide spread of Epic EMR systems.  I believe that you need some specialized education in healthcare analytics though for all the various coding so you know what you are looking for. 

I am not an analyst but do it all the time in my job, basically I ask the analysts to do the raw data pulls for me (I don’t have SQL knowledge or the access) and then I do my own analysis and visualization in Excel with a third party plug in. I find that today, in my healthcare org, that the analysts are good at pulling data but shit at actual analysis.  I have an engineering degree and work in Lean Six Sigma PI in healthcare.  Once I have data that needs to be run regularly I pass off the request to the analysts to build a Tableau report, but they need to be given very prescriptive directions on what to build and how to display the data.   It is very frustrating at times.  I have a situation where the two analysts in my hospital will default to “Tableau doesn’t do that” when they simply don’t know how to do it and lack any initiative to self teach how to do it.  Often I just google it and send them a link with a comment “how about you try this”.  The latest battle was with control charts and dropping in a recalculation of control limits at a point in time due to process improvement work.  They got away with this attitude way too long because leadership doesn’t understand what they are asking for nor have the knowledge to challenge them.  We are now at a point where we need more advanced analytics than I can cobble together in Excel and we are trying to hire in someone with the appropriate competence and it is not proving to be easy.  At 49 and retiring soon I just have no desire to learn how to use these softwares myself, but I feel I may have to. 

So, like any career I think there is a broad spectrum of competencies that people seem to get away with so those who are sharp and can provide value besides pulling simple data will excel. 

[valaraukar]

. It seems like 85% of his job is working with IT (he does not have an IT background) to get data and then processing that data into palatable information for non-data bigwigs.

So your husband is Tom Smykowski from Office Space. :)

Well--well look. I already told you: I deal with the god damn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills; I am good at dealing with people. Can't you understand that? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE??

[valaraukar]

  I have a situation where the two analysts in my hospital will default to “Tableau doesn’t do that” when they simply don’t know how to do it and lack any initiative to self teach how to do it.   

sounds like they simply don't want to do the work.

[FIRE Artist]

is data analysis/business intelligence a field that favors older people (early 50s) on their second career?  Or is it something where companies are looking for young people?

If you can bring business knowledge/management to your second career, then yes absolutely.  My general impression is that the software doesn’t move that fast because we are talking about extracting data from enterprise systems that don’t change that much so it is less about agility in learning new software every couple of years creating an environment that may favour young blood and energy. 

[GreenQueen]

I returned to tech after some years in a Data Analyst Lite role - I was good at spreadsheets, and could interpret and discuss data in normal speak quite well. My previous work was in sales, marketing, and technical writing.

I moved from there to being a Salesforce Admin. I enjoy this a lot, and still do a decent amount of data analysis and data representation using the tools in Salesforce (they purchased Tableau Analytics and it's amazing). I think I would have found being a full-time Data Analyst somewhat isolating, like working as a developer. That's me though.

The advice here is fantastic, especially about learning spreadsheets well and SQL. That skillset will always be useful.

[valaraukar]

I see the terms “data analyst,” “business analysis,” and “business intelligence” thrown around, and I do not understand the difference, or which is a subset of which. Googling it isn’t clearing it up for me.

Someone wanna take pity on me and explain it to me in the words of Jeremy Irons, “as if I was a small child, or a golden retriever?”

[FIRE Artist]

  I have a situation where the two analysts in my hospital will default to “Tableau doesn’t do that” when they simply don’t know how to do it and lack any initiative to self teach how to do it.   

sounds like they simply don't want to do the work.

I keep wondering about this, because I don’t think they are lazy.  I have found examples of areas where they should have realized that they need to create a Tableau report instead of manually running the same damn data report themselves quarterly, monthly, weekly and in one egregious case, daily.  I then learned that the senior analyst doesn’t know how to create reports in Tableau at all, and instead of asking the corporate team to do it, she just pretends that Tableau doesn’t exist.  I think it has been a case of doing what they are comfortable with, and can always say they are “busy” because they have all these reports to create, leadership has historically not understood any of it, so it continued unchecked until I arrived (I am not popular with these two).

[jrhampt]

I see the terms “data analyst,” “business analysis,” and “business intelligence” thrown around, and I do not understand the difference, or which is a subset of which. Googling it isn’t clearing it up for me.

Someone wanna take pity on me and explain it to me in the words of Jeremy Irons, “as if I was a small child, or a golden retriever?”

Those three are all basically the same thing.

[sisto]

Fantastic career with excellent growth potential, great salary and you can absolutely get into it without a degree (although having one does help).

First thing is, the term "data analyst" can mean way different things depending on the company you work for. Some data analysts work exclusively within a platform like Salesforce or Odoo, so beyond the foundational skills, you'd need to become familiar with whatever systems your company uses....and there are a lot....and no company has them set up perfectly.

First things first...learn Excel. I mean immerse yourself in it. Just becoming an Excel guru will open up doors. Excel has some truly impressive capabilities for analytics.

Next, learn SQL. The world runs on SQL databases.

Then you'll want to start learning a tool like PowerBI or Tableau.

You can learn all of those technologies and tools on your own. Not having a degree may be a stumbling block which is why you'll need to build a portfolio. Build a SQL database that you can use for demos.

Like any career, there are pros and cons. Most company's are held together with spit and tape, so there is usually a lot of garbage data, systems that are antiquated, etc. You'll them be asked "are these numbers correct?" and you'll have to be able to say yes.

:)

This 100%! The world runs on data, it's being captured on everything/everyone. There will be no shortage of jobs anytime soon. If you can find a company that will help you with learning or pay for a degree it would be even better. The possibilities are almost endless.

[midweststache]

. It seems like 85% of his job is working with IT (he does not have an IT background) to get data and then processing that data into palatable information for non-data bigwigs.

So your husband is Tom Smykowski from Office Space. :)

Well--well look. I already told you: I deal with the god damn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills; I am good at dealing with people. Can't you understand that? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE??

I mean, kinda? He does the data warehouse sourcing and stuff, but that's the extent of what I understand about his work - taking millions of data points (which correlate to millions of dollars) and runs various reports on it so it make sense for the decision-makers.

We joke that he got the numbers and I got the words in the relationship (my work is in nonprofit / communications / member management), so I'm probably oversimplifying his work to an egregious degree, but I basically liken his work to translation: he works with and then explains very large numerical data sets and trends to non-data-minded people.

[bryan995]

A good friend of mine did a data analyst track with Springboard. I think he paid around $8k or $12k for tuition and within 15 months had a new job paying $95k + good benefits. He has an undergrad business degree and switched fields entirely. He's already moved up since then and is doing even better comp-wise.

Another friend of mine did the software engineering track with Springboard and had a similar experience.

It's only 2 anecdotal stories but they're both doing well with lots of room for career advancement.

Would analyst or software be a better path atm?

In my experience the hierarchy is still

SE>DS>DA

I think within Software Engineering you could throw Data Engineering and within Data Science you could throw Machine Learning Engineer as well.

Agree with this.

SE>DS>DA>BA

For a DS style, learning python may be best. Pandas, matplotlib, seaborn, numpy, scripy. Then you could add some keras/tensorflow if you wanted to get into ML. Focus on cloud. Jupyter lab / collab.

Pretty yet intuitive plots go a long way to impress c suite folks.