How to Become a Data Analyst in 2020

In this video, we will be discussing how to become a data analyst and the 4 steps you should take.

Support the channel on Patreon:
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Data Analytics Course Link:
ipidata.teachable.com/

Step 1 – Get a degree
Now unfortunately, it is very difficult to get around this. I say “unfortunately” because I do not believe that the value gained from a degree outweighs the time (3/4 years), effort and money (£30,000+ in UK & $100,000+ in US) put into it. Understand that Universities are businesses who are more focused making money out of you rather than the actual knowledge you will gain which will be applicable in real life scenarios.
Having said all the above, you will still have to go throw it as 99% of the Data Analysts jobs require a university degree. The preferred subjects are Analytics, Engineering, Computer Science, Economics, Maths & Business. I have also seen a lot of people in the data field from different backgrounds like History, Music, Psychology and social studies. The reason organisations employ graduates from diverse subjects is because they want to embrace diversity and bring in that fresh / different way of thinking (or because they are convinced by now that a person who studied maths and a person who studied history will still know nothing about real-life work & practical scenarios). Hence, if you haven’t studied a “data” related field do not panic, you can still get into data.
Please note that the degree will only help you to pass the “CV screening phase” which is APSURD considering the time, effort and money that has gone into it; but sadly true. It will now guarantee you a job. You will need additional soft skills & technical skills to land that job; I will cover those in the other steps.

Step 2 – Acquire Work Experience
Work experience is going to help you to gain those soft skills mentioned before. Some examples are the following:
• Communication skills; if you are dealing with customers or colleagues. It will boost your confidence to talk / communicate better.
• Money Management; if you are dealing with money / payments
• Organisational skills; it’s not university here, you need to be organised
• Be Responsible & Discipline; your “doings” will matter now and will have an impact
• Punctuality; no skipping lectures here, you must show up at work
• Engage in problem solving; you will get exposure to some real-life scenarios of problem solving
• Time management; you will need to get the work done in time
• Ability to learn things fast; time is money are work Vs University that you can get extensions.
I would suggest trying to get a job related with data straight away; but will need to be very lucky. If you are not able to do that, (majority of us), try to get any job possible and it will still help you gain soft skills. If you are a student, try to get a job during summer breaks to build up your soft skills.

Step 3 – Add more skills to your CV
Assuming you managed to get your degree and you also have some work experience, but you still can’t get a job in data. What you need to do in this case is to learn (more) technical skills which are directly related to data analyst; this will put you ahead of the game.
Try to spend 30 mins of your day to learn tools that data analysts use like Excel, SQL and Visualisation tools. There are tons of free resource available online. I have 3 practical Excel Tutorials and 3 practical SQL tutorials in my YouTube channel that can get you started. I will also be doing a Power BI, Python & R tutorial in the future.
Bonus Step – Talk about Data Analytics
This is more of a “nice to have” vs the first 3 steps. You can use platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube & News to stay up to date with the latest trends in data analytics and comment your views / thoughts about data. It will help you build up your connections with data-minded individuals and also, talk about the latest trends in interviews. You basically show that you are passionate about data and that you are not just after a job to pay the bills.


Data Analytics Course Link: ipidata.teachable.com/

Excel Tutorial Links:
a. youtube.com/watch?v=RbG8c-nT3mU&feature=you…
b. youtube.com/watch?v=2XgxBvHvgFY&feature=you…
c. youtube.com/watch?v=4lvZfcauM-M&feature=you…

SQL Tutorial Links:
d. youtube.com/watch?v=SlFPgggt5_4
e. youtube.com/watch?v=E0HvPk_Q5aU
f. youtube.com/watch?v=Yy-ykWlvwAM

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How to Become a Data Analyst in 2020
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