How Does Career as a Data Analyst Look Like ? - With Jessica Xing

The role of a Data Analyst is an imperative position in an organization and is useful for cleaning, inspecting, transforming, and modeling data for the benefit of the concerned organization. The Data Analyst career is thus a lucrative one which has never failed to attract new entrants from different corners of the world. Here is a guide on Data Analyst jobs and its different aspects that may help you to get successful in the said field.

What is the Role Of A Data Analyst?

The role of a Data Analyst actually depends upon the kind of project that you would be doing. For example, there could be a project related to what is the page traffic? For this project, you will have to look at the data that is being collected by the cookies of the website and see into what kind of people are logging into the website concerned. Moreover, you may also have to look into what kind of users would be returning customers versus one time visitors, etc. Then the next step involved cleaning the data collected, make some insight out of the data collected, and then present it to make it readable and clear and concise data for the decision making people.

Typical Day Of A Data Analyst

When working as a Data Analyst, there may be situations when you may be required to work alone while in some situations, you may have to work in a team. Usually, once an Analyst works on a project and does some analysis, then he or she may bring in another co-worker who may be another Analyst and may present his or her views on the analysis done. This is the collaborative point in the project.

Moreover, if you are working in a brand firm, then you need to keep in mind what could be the impact of your work on other teams and their work. This is a kind of cross-functional area that needs to be paid attention.

Also, when it comes to a typical day of a Data Analyst, 80% of the work is your own data while the rest of the time is spent in talking about the data analysis to your co-workers and get everyone on the same page.

Fun Part Of Data Analyst Job

As per experts, the fun part of the job is that the data is always messy and actually horrifying to look at. However, after you find something insightful out of the data, it makes all the efforts worthwhile. Moreover, if the project is about problem solving, the moment you solve a problem, it becomes a very rewarding moment. Thus, the general deep diving part in the problem is also the fun part of the role.

Prerequisites To Get Entry Level Job For Data Analyst Role

Here are the prerequisites you need to have if you want to get into an entry level Data Analyst role:

Foremost, you need to possess a solid Data Analysis ability. Sequel is another important tool to learn if you want to get a Data Analyst job.

• You need to know what your goal is and you should know what you are working on.
• Always think out of the box when working on a particular project and surprise your manager and co-worker.
• You need to be good at communication so that when you are interviewing for a job, you can showcase your abilities well.

Career Path Of A Data Analyst

The direction of your career path as a Data Analyst depends upon where you are and what was your first job. For example, in some firms, if you can work on Excel and can analyze the data on Excel and can bring it to Power Pivot and have some of the analysis in other places, then you are already a Data Analyst. Moreover, if you are able to surprise your manager, you may be promoted to a lead of the project. After this, it is your decision whether you want to go on a more technical position or if your communication skills are good you can go towards being a manager.

Best Job Search Strategy For Data Analyst Position

Though there are many job search strategies for a particular position, but the experts have identified some really good job search strategies for a Data Analyst position. These are:

• Go to meetups and meet people, for example, conferences, events, Knowing people is much better than just sending out hundreds of resumes out there. Thus, building your network is really imperative as a job search strategy.
• Following this, go to Linkedin and connect with these people and ask for mentorship and send your resume to them to ask for any opportunities.

Major Challenges In Data Analyst Job

Talking of challenges, there are some which you need to learn about before you start working in the field. These are:

• You may have to solve an unrealistic problem or your result may be unexpected by many people.
• Communication problems may also occur at times causing a challenge.